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Vauxhall has confirmed that a plug-in hybrid version of the Grandland X will arrive in 2020, placing the electrified variant at the centre of ambitious growth plans laid out by its parent, the PSA Group.
The brand will launch an electrified version of every model in its range by 2024, starting with an all-electric Corsa in 2019. The Grandland X PHEV is predicted to become Vauxhall’s biggest-selling electrified model when it arrives, meaning its success will prove pivotal in adapting the company’s line-up to the evolving new car market.
The Grandland X is already Vauxhall’s second-best-selling model after the Corsa, although its current engine range comprises just two turbocharged units: a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.2-litre petrol. Autocar understands that the Grandland X’s plug-in powertrain will be based on a petrol engine rather than a diesel one; this comes as little surprise given the recent rapid reduction in demand for diesel cars in Europe.
Vauxhall remains tight-lipped as to which petrol unit will be used. While the Grandland X is available with a turbocharged 1.2 three-cylinder engine, it’s possible that a larger unit will be used for the PHEV model. One candidate could be the boosted 1.4-litre four-pot offered with the Astra that produces up to 148bhp on its own.
The brand's electrification plans will be supported by heavy investment into the production facilities of its continental sibling, Opel. PSA has already started a five-year investment period that will expand research and development facilities at Opel’s Eisenach, Rüsselsheim and Kaiserslautern sites in Germany.
This investment will also see Grandland X production extended to Eisenach from mid-2019, when two shifts will be operated in order to meet projected demand. This plant will also handle production of the PHEV version. Currently, the Grandland X is produced in Sochaux in France and Walvis Bay in Namibia.
The PSA investment will also enhance Vauxhall/Opel’s overall SUV production output, with the segment being of top priority because it represents an unmatched opportunity for growth. PSA already has a strong foothold in the SUV segment, with cars from its brands accounting for 16.9% of market share in Europe so far this year.
This growth and investment, along with the arrival of the Grandland X PHEV, appears to remove job security concerns at the company's German locations. Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller said: “We will ensure long-term utilisation of our German sites and thus protect employment — and this well into the next decade — with attractive models and high-quality components.”


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Content Related To: Laura Sessa Romboli
Superyacht ‘Ramble On Rose’ Joins The Global Charter Fleet
Following her sale earlier this month, the 60m/197ft motor yacht ‘Ramble On Rose’ is now available to charter for the very first time.
Superyacht 'Lady Nag Nag' Joins Global Charter Fleet
The impressive 52m/171ft superyacht 'Lady Nag Nag' is the latest addition to the global charter fleet, and will be able for bookings in the Mediterranean this summer.
Motor Yacht 4You For Charter
The new 55 metre yacht 4You is being offered for charter in the Bahamas in March and April this year.
New Charter Yacht EVENT Available in the West Med
The striking 60 metre Amels motor yacht EVENT will be available for charter in the West Mediterranean from 2nd September.
Charter Yacht ASTRA Due to be Launched this Month
The 55m/180’ superyacht ASTRA is due to be launched from Amels later this month and is open for charters in the East and West Mediterranean throughout July and August 2014.
55m Superyacht ASTRA Joins Charter Fleet
The 55m/180’ motor yacht ASTRA was launched from Dutch shipyard Amels earlier this year and is due for delivery in May when she will be made available for charter in the West Mediterranean.

domain: news


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March 3, 2015 – Austin, Texas and Vancouver, Canada – South by Southwest (SXSW) and Eventbase, the most trusted mobile event platform for the world’s most recognizable brands, today released an update of the official 2015 SXSW GO app, which changes the way people experience this globally renowned festival. People come to SXSW to learn about the future of culture and technology, and the partnership with Eventbase is delivering a next generation event experience.
This year’s app will offer an unparalleled event experience with industry-leading technology including the largest deployment of iBeacons at an event and a new social networking feature.
“Integrating new ideas and technologies into the fabric of SXSW is always something we strive to do,” said SXSW Director of Technology Scott Wilcox. “We’re excited to work with Eventbase on this large-scale project as mobile has become such an important platform for us.”
The latest advancements in the app allow attendees to navigate SXSW by delivering a more contextualized experience. The in-app social networking tool is enhanced by a new Attendee Match feature that suggests attendees with similar interests. The feature inspires more meaningful connections and enables seamless networking.
The implementation of over 1,000 beacons enhances another new in-app social networking feature, Around Me. An attendee checks into zones at official SXSW venues and the app identifies what’s happening nearby and people who have also checked in recently. The opt-in only feature allows attendees to maximize their time and facilitate immediate connections. Eventbase is working closely with Gimbal, RightRound, and Urban Airship to pioneer the technology at scale.
“We’ve been working with SXSW since 2011, and they’ve always been a partner in pushing the envelope with technology to enhance the event experience,” said Jeff Sinclair, co-founder of Eventbase. “If we can send attendees home with even one new connection or experience they wouldn’t have had otherwise, then we’ve done our job.”
In 2014, SXSW also made their first investment in Eventbase, cementing the companies’ relationship and dedication to bringing the best event technology to the world’s most recognizable conference and festival. Their 2014 SXSW App won People’s Voice Award at the Webbies.
Download the app and check out the full feature set at www.sxsw.com/mobile.
SXSW GO Features
- Around Me
Using iBeacon technology, network with nearby attendees, find venues around you, and see who's performing (New for 2015)
- Attendee Matching
Utilizes the tags in an attendee’s profile to make matches with fellow attendees and amplify the benefits of the SXsocial networking tool (New for 2015)
- Session Live
Using iBeacon technology, see who’s in the session with you and join the discussion (expanded to more sessions for 2015)
- Attendees (SXSocial)
Activate your SXSocial account to network with thousands of other attendees
- My Friends
Connect with your Facebook friends at SXSW, see what sessions they’re attending, and share your personal schedule
Visually explore what’s on at SXSW, watch videos and listen to tracks by showcasing artists
Browse the entire event list category, searching by type of event, speaker, or artist
View sessions by day and create custom filters to find exactly what you are looking for
Find venues by list or map, get directions, and browse internal floor plans
Browse trade show exhibitors and find them on an interactive map
- My Favorites
Build your personal schedule and sync with your online account, or between devices
Eventbase is the leading mobile technology platform trusted by some of the world’s most recognizable brands and the Gold Winner for “Best Event App” at the 2014 Event Technology Awards. The premium platform propels events into the mobile age, personalizing the experience through apps that incorporate sophisticated design, industry-leading scalability, and ground-breaking innovations. Customers include SXSW, NAB, Cannes Lions, the Olympics and Comic-Con. Founded in 2009, Eventbase is based in Vancouver, B.C., with an office in London. For more information, visit www.eventbase.com and follow @EventbaseTech.
The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique industry convergence of music, film, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery. The event is a launch pad for innovative content with compelling sessions and workshops, music showcases, and film screenings that provide exposure for creators and unparalleled learning and networking opportunities for attendees. sxsw.com
Amie Rotherham, Eventbase PR
Brett Cannon, SXSW


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New girl action figure named Goldie unveiled
Goldieblox, the engineering-toys-for-girls company famous for its 'out-of-the-pink-box' ads, promotes its new action figure for girls with a tribute to Apple's iconic '1984' ad. Jen Markham has a look. Video provided by Buzz60 Newslook
A commercial for an action figure doll for girls is challenging the conformity of fashion dolls.
In a video entitled "GoldieBlox vs. the Big Sister machine," a woman on a TV screen says, "You are beauty and beauty is perfection."
Girls in high heels and fur vests file one by one to pick up a fashion doll from a conveyor belt. Then a wild-haired girl in overalls runs to the machine pumping out fashion dolls and smashes it.
The commercial was inspired by Apple's 1984 ad introducing the Mac computer, said Debbie Sterling, founder and CEO of GoldieBlox.
The company is selling a yellow-haired doll with a tool belt named Goldie, the girl-inventor character who has previously appeared in the company's story-based construction sets.
The action figure, selling for $24.99, comes with a tool belt, wrench, wheel ends, axles and a zip line.
"We aim to disrupt the pink aisle and inspire the future generation of female engineers," the website says.
Sterling, who studied engineering at Stanford University, launched GoldieBlox two years ago after a conversation with a fellow female engineer. The friend said she had become interested in engineering because she grew up with her older brothers' construction sets.
Sterling, who grew up playing with fashion dolls, said she never thought of becoming an engineer until a high school teacher encouraged her.
"We scratched our heads thinking, Why are boys playing with building sets and girls playing with dolls? Maybe there's a correlation to why girls aren't interested in these fields," Sterling said.
The answer for her was to create a character that was "less about fashion and more about action," she said.
Using these sets to build a spinning machine or a dunk tank allows children to see how machines work, she added.
"You start to see the world in a different way, and the world becomes a prototyping tool to build the ideas in your head," Sterling said.
Follow @JolieLeeDC on Twitter.


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Casual Male Retail Group will mail a co-branded catalog with Sears that is scheduled to be in homes April 10, the multichannel marketer of men’s apparel said during a conference call yesterday announcing its 2005 fourth quarter and year-end financial results.
The relationship between Canton, MA-based, Casual Male and Sears began last year when the men’s apparel brand was introduced in the Sears Canada Big Book. Last fall, Casual Male also became the exclusive big and tall retailer on Sears.com.
This latest initiative will take the form of a 92-page catalog that will be mailed to 234,000 big and tall customers who don’t currently shop Casual Male.
“Based on the success of the dot-com, this could have a lot of upside potential in the future,” Casual Male CEO/president David Levin said during the conference call.
Already, direct channels represent 13 percent of Casual Male’s sales and are growing thanks to an increase in catalog circulation and other strategies, Levin said. In 2005, the company boosted its catalog circulation 50 percent and will increase it another 50 percent this year. It also is launching a loyalty program.
For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, Casual Male’s sales were up 9.8 percent to $129.7 million. Same-store sales increased 7.9 percent. Also, fourth-quarter net income totaled $13.5 million compared to net income of $7.9 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004.
Fiscal 2005 sales totaled $421.4 million, a 15 percent increase. The company’s net income for the year totaled $10.8 million compared to a net income of $1.5 million in fiscal 2004.
Chantal Todé covers catalog and retail news and BTB marketing for DM News and DM News.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters


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Air Force lifts suspension; ZDS ready to fix problems
- By Bob Brewin
- Sep 22, 1996
The Air Force quickly reversed course on its suspension of the Zenith Data Systems Desktop V PC contract reopening it just six days after the Standard Systems Group (SSG) temporarily halted the placement of new orders.
SSG will allow ZDS to ship Desktop V orders in 30 days instead of the required 10 days for domestic orders and 14 days for overseas orders received through Nov. 15 according to Ken Heitkamp the command's technical director. In return Heitkamp said ZDS will provide users with "additional hardware capabilities" at no cost "for their inconvenience."
SSG suspended ordering on the ZDS Desktop V contract on Monday Sept. 9 due to late deliveries from ZDS. The command dispatched a high-level team to the Sacramento Calif. factory of Packard Bell Electronics Inc. (the new corporate parent of ZDS) at the same time to examine how that facility received packaged and shipped Desktop V PC orders. SSG lifted the suspension on Saturday Sept. 14 according to Heitkamp.
"We're satisfied ZDS can meet its commitment to our customers for the interim [period] in which we have relaxed delivery requirements as well as its ability to meet its originally proposed capability " Heitkamp said.
ZDS moved production from its plant in St. Joseph Mich. to Sacramento just as the peak federal buying season started this summer which exacerbated the delivery problems Heitkamp said.
"In hindsight the primary problem was the decision to prematurely transfer production from St. Joseph to Sacramento. They probably should not have ramped down St. Joe until the Sacramento facility had been ramped up to meet the production requirements of the Air Force " he said.
The Air Force and ZDS are still working out details of the "consideration" buyers will receive but Heitkamp said the package already includes a larger-capacity disk drive on ZDS portables and an additional increase in memory on servers from 48M to 64M of RAM. "We're still finalizing the details " Heitkamp said.
ZDS AF Get the Good News Out
Pat Gallagher ZDS' sales vice president said his company and SSG sent out messages "to the world on Saturday that the suspension was lifted and the order flow has already picked up substantially." Gallagher said he agreed with Heitkamp that shifting production from Michigan to California caused a lot of the problems ZDS encountered with Desktop V.
But Gallagher added "since that plant produced commercial products as well as PCs for state and local markets [each with its own peak buying season] there really was no good time to make the move." Once ZDS overcomes its problems in the Sacramento plant Gallagher believes the Air Force will ultimately benefit from the move. "The Air Force now has a much larger more facility-rich company to meet its needs " Gallagher said.
No Long-Term Damage Expected
Bob Dornan senior vice president of Federal Sources Inc. said the suspension will not cause ZDS any long-term damage. ZDS has held and performed well on every Air Force Desktop PC contract it has held Dornan said and "based on that long-standing relationship this is just a blip."
Dornan added that "any vendor may encounter problems so how they deal with them is the real issue."SSG has adopted what many vendors view as a "highly aggressive" stance toward ZDS and its performance on Desktop V Dornan sees this as a reflection of a key change in the group's funding sources.
Starting with the 1997 fiscal year SSG will no longer get the bulk of its funding directly from mission areas. Instead close to 90 percent will come from the Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF) with which users and customers will "buy" goods and services.
This change in funding will require SSG to become a customer-focused organization in order to survive Dornan said. "The primary rule of DBOF is `Know thy customer ' or you're history " Dornan said.


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New Global Engine Platform From Cummins
Cummins Inc. has announced a new a new global heavy-duty engine platform that the company said will complement its existing product offering. The G Series platform is an in-line six cylinder engine that will be available in 10.5 and 11.8 L displacements to meet a broad variety of on-highway and off-highway global market requirements and emissions standards.
For on-highway markets, the G Series Heavy-Duty engine platform will be introduced as the Cummins ISG11 and Cummins ISG12, with ratings from 290 to 512 hp (216 to 382 kW). At launch in 2014, engines will meet Euro 3I, Euro 4 and China NS4 emissions requirements, Cummins said. Engines capable of meeting Euro 5, Euro 6 and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions levels are also in development, the company said. The ISG11 and ISG12 are targeted toward long-haul, regional-haul and vocational service, as well as buses, motor coaches, fire trucks and recreational vehicles.
The QSM12, which was unveiled at bauma 2013 in April, is part of the G Series platform and has been renamed the QSG12 to reflect its family heritage. The engine, which meets U.S. EPA Tier 4 final and European Union (EU) Stage 4 emissions regulations, is available in 335 to 512 hp (250 to382 kW) ratings.
Design and development of the G Series engines has been led by a team in the United States, supported by global technical and marketing resources, the company said. "The G Series global design approach is a vivid demonstration of how Cummins is transforming from a multinational to a truly global company," said Steve Chapman, Cummins vice president and group vice president - China and Russia. "This engine platform has been designed for diverse and global markets by utilizing the expertise and local knowledge of our engineers from around the world."
The initial engines are designed to run on diesel fuel, Cummins said, apparently leaving the door open for natural gas or other alternative fuel versions later.
The G Series will initially be manufactured at the Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Co., with production beginning in the first half of 2014.Edit Module


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More Aussies embrace online shopping
Private research shows Australians are buying more goods online, with total purchases expected to reach $13.6 billion this year and almost double over the next four years.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) online shopping report says there has been a 13 per cent increase in the amount spent online last year, and predicts it will rise to $21.7 billion by 2015.
The report estimates that just under half of this is being paid to overseas stores.
More than four-fifths of online shoppers surveyed say they will maintain or increase their online expenditure over the next year.
PWC partner Stuart Harker expects growth in online shopping will outstrip the traditional retail sector.
"Over the next four years we think that consumers - and what our research has shown - is that'll continue to grow as the consumer looks for value, and they like the convenience and they like the ability to buy products from anywhere at anytime," he said.
Mr Harker says there are several reasons for the continued shift to online shopping.
"Growth of the mobile smart phones and the iPad where consumers are continuing to shop anytime or anywhere," he said.
"Consumers are continuing to look for value and our survey actually said that by far prices, range of product and convenience were probably the three main drivers of shopping online, whether it's onshore of offshore."
He says consumers feel more at ease buying online.
"I think there is a couple of things; one is that they're certainly more comfortable around the payment channels... whether its PayPal or the normal cards," he said.
"But also you've got more around the fact that it is faster and more convenient shipping, you can now buy something and have it delivered here pretty well within a week from anywhere in the world and they are very comfortable about that today."
But Mr Harker says local retailers can compete against online competitors.
"It's not all doom and gloom, if they embrace the challenge of a fully integrated channel they can really capture and retain current customers," he said.
Yesterday, the Premier Retail group announced its seven brands including Just Jeans and Jay Jays will be online in two months.


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17 Jul Cryptocurrency Exchange Landscape: Asia, Australia and Decentralized Exchanges
Over the past several years, a multitude of projects and companies have emerged to provide products and services that facilitate the use of cryptocurrency for mainstream users.
Companies providing interfaces between public blockchains, traditional finance, and various economic sectors add significant value to the industry as they provide a means for capital flow and on-ramping of new users. Of the many sectors in the ecosystem, the exchange sector remains the largest sector both in terms of the number of companies and employees.
As of July 2018, over 200 cryptocurrency exchanges are listed on CoinMarketCap, with billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies being bought and sold every day. Many of these trades are high-value and can take up to thousands of smaller transactions to complete. Despite more than 1,600 cryptocurrencies in existence, bitcoin holds the biggest market share of approximately 42%.
A handful of large exchanges and four national currencies (USD, EUR, JPY and CNY) dominate global cryptocurrency trading volumes. Exchanges that accept fiat currencies can act as gateways for users to buy their first cryptocurrencies via bank transfer, while operating under tighter regulations compared to those which accept only cryptocurrencies.
The rapid emergence of cryptocurrencies as a novel asset class means that these businesses are operating under regulatory uncertainty, with governments looking to reign in unregulated markets and protect retail investors and businesses from ill-intentioned parties. Additionally, the sheer amount of capital at stake turns centralized exchanges into honeypots for hackers and scammers looking to exploit unsophisticated investors.
In this article, we explore the landscape for cryptocurrency exchanges in US and Asia, home to the largest exchanges in operation today (Binance, Huobi, OKEx, Bitfinex, Bittrex). As well as the arena of decentralized exchanges aiming to tackle the current issues with exchanges controlled by a single party.
Following its ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs) and domestic fiat-to-crypto order book trading in September 2017, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has further clamped down on cryptocurrency trading regulations by monitoring internet traffic to offshore platforms. In early March, local authorities forced social media messaging platform WeChat to shut down accounts belonging to select offshore exchanges.
While the Chinese government continues its efforts to stifle domestic cryptocurrency trading, it has continued to support local blockchain projects and public blockchain protocols like Ethereum. In April 2018, the government of Hangzhou backed a $1.6 billion fund to finance emerging startups working on commercializing and implementing blockchain-related solutions. Two months later, China Central Television (CCTV), reported that the blockchain has the potential to become 10 times the value of the Internet, further demonstrating the government’s optimism for the technology itself.
Major Chinese exchanges continue to thrive, shifting its focus to over-the-counter (OTC), crypto-to-crypto trading, and relocating to Hong Kong and other countries with a more lenient stance towards exchanges.
Amongst those undergoing post-ban revamp is the world’s oldest cryptocurrency exchange BTCC, which began operations in 2011. After shutting its doors in China and relocating to Hong Kong and London, the company announced in July 2018 that it will release a revamped exchange with support for crypto-to-fiat and crypto-only trading pairs including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, litecoin and ethereum.
Other exchanges like OKEx and Huobi continue to process over $1 bln on a daily basis, their relocation to Hong Kong having kept the gateway open between Chinese cryptocurrency traders and the global market.
Regulations aside, the domestic demand for digital assets is increasing daily, with trading volumes remaining high thanks to overseas platforms. The Chinese government remains supportive of blockchain projects via domestic initiatives and publicly optimistic statements. It remains to be seen how it moves forward with regulatory frameworks for domestic fiat-crypto exchange.
South Korea has emerged as another hotbed for cryptocurrencies. Leading trading platforms in the region include Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, and Coinone. The Korean Won ₩ also commands the fourth position as far as currency trades with bitcoin (BTC) trade volumes.
Earlier this year, Korean exchanges Bithumb and Coinrail were victims of a hack, losing $30M and $40M in cryptocurrencies respectively. The South Korean government has long been looking to approach the cryptocurrency sector with practical regulations and policies, and as of early July, it officially came to consensus to recognize crypto exchanges as regulated financial businesses, creating a new industry dedicated to cryptocurrency trading platforms.
Under this new regulatory framework, cryptocurrency exchanges will need to comply with strict Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, as well as customer verification policies. Exchanges will likely be required to drastically enhance their security measures and overhaul internal operations to remain in compliance with new policies. Soon, smaller exchanges will not even be permitted to operate regionally unless they successfully obtain approval from cybersecurity agencies and the department of financial intelligence.
Furthermore, local authorities are planning to facilitate the development of the blockchain to ensure the technology can be widely implemented across major industries such as game development, computer programming, hosting, decentralized exchanges, and dApps.
This is a significant step for cryptocurrencies that is going to have far-reaching implications. Moving forward, startups operating within the blockchain sector of South Korea will fall under one of the nine categories created by the government. Under the new framework, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) will have direct control and authority over the cryptocurrency exchange and development sector.
Singapore has been relatively lenient when it comes to cryptocurrency trading. While the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) did issue warnings in May to eight digital token exchanges for facilitating unauthorized trading of currencies that classify as securities or futures contracts, a light stance compared to the crackdown on exchanges in China and Japan.
However, the country’s perceived openness to cryptocurrency exchange does come with its risks. Cybersecurity expert Adam Meyers of CrowdStrike has raised a word of caution that this perception brings with it certain risks as it draws attention from cybercriminals wishing to exploit trading systems lacking a robusticity in security measures.
The government’s less restrictive stance towards crypto exchange regulation has given room for Singapore-based exchanges to grow and innovate. Huobi, a Chinese exchange based in Singapore recently announced that they plan to shift its operations on to the blockchain, becoming a Decentralized Autonomous Organisation (DAO) after the project is complete. Communications giant LINE announced plans to open a cryptocurrency-only exchange in the region, offering a trading platform between over 30 tokens including bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and litecoin.
After Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck lost $530M in a hack in January, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) sent business improvement orders to other exchanges including Bit Bank, bitFlyer, and QUOINE. The agency also inspected other platforms seeking to protect customers and address the security shortcomings of a nascent but promising industry.
Japan’s legislation currently regards cryptocurrencies to be in the same category as electronic cash. Under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA), crypto will be treated as a financial product, opening the possibility of introducing crypto derivatives like exchange traded funds.
The Australian government has mandated for its cryptocurrency exchanges to abide by new anti-money laundering policies starting mid-May 2018. “Digital currency exchanges” must now register with authorities and commit to various identity checking and reporting processes. The first exchanges to be licensed were BTC Markets, Independent Reserve, and Blockbid. Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) CEO Nicole Rose believes that the reform will help prevent money laundering, terrorism financing, and strengthen consumer confidence in the sector.
Australia’s exchange industry has also attracted big names from the traditional finance space. On July 12, Business Insider Australia reported that Ben Ingram, former PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC) executive will be joining bitcoin.com.au as its CEO. Ingram hopes to expand its exchange services to include other cryptocurrencies as well as developing crypto-based financial products in areas such as superannuation.
The AUD is currently ranked 13th in daily BTC transaction volume. While the government is trying to gain control of cryptocurrencies in the country and seal the remaining loopholes, Australia has indicated a positive outlook on digital currencies – growing and incorporating blockchain technology while protecting its citizens.
Beyond the aforementioned centralized exchanges, which are owned and controlled by a single party, there is a vibrant ecosystem of decentralized exchanges (DEX) and protocols emerging with a mission to leverage the blockchain to give users more control over their funds.
Orders on decentralized exchanges are settled on-chain. Currently, the majority of DEXs support Ethereum based tokens, but lack the interoperable support across blockchains. Decentralized exchange protocols like Blocknet are working on cross-blockchain trading solutions for other parties to build on top of.
Due to a relative lack of users and liquidity, markets on DEXs are more volatile, with radical changes in price when large orders are placed. However, as usability improves and technical infrastructure becomes more stress-tested, DEXs are poised to offer a more secure, decentralized, and censorship-resistant means of cryptocurrency exchange.
Despite the turbulent regulatory landscape in Asia, cryptocurrency trading and exchange service providers have continued to bloom. The region’s residents have contributed massively to the crypto economy. While government entities in each country has diverged in its approach to crypto exchange regulation, they are generally supportive of domestic blockchain projects – increasingly investing time, resources, and capital in the space. It remains to be seen how effective proposed regulations will become as authorities, industry veterans, and entrepreneurs work together to protect investors while allowing.
*This article is jointly released by @nichanank and @yureehong17 (Twitter handle)


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This month, JCPenney created a new hashtag on Twitter for tweeters to use in order to give positive feedback to anyone they know which, in turn, gives the subjects of their tweets a surprise boost of confidence. The department store dubbed August 12, 2015, the first “National Shout-Out Day,” a day when anyone talking about their personal clothing style on social media got a shout-out from the store, and teens posing in pictures in their back-to-school look using a #BlendTheTrend tag received digital compliment cards. This trend was advertised through the YouTube channel, AwesomenessTV, where teenagers selected by JCPenney shared their unique outfits, created by various JCPenney-featured brands, and, at the same time, promoted the #ShoutOutDay’s shouts for compliments. The videos were posted both in hopes to raise traffic for the company and to encourage kids to embrace everyone’s individuality.
As well as appealing to a variety of clothing tastes and mixes, JCPenney has plans to appeal to a variety of body shapes. In the fall, a whole new section of juniors’ and children’s clothing will be created in 400 stores to meet the needs of young people who do not fit into their other garments, despite the stores’ already wide range of sizes. It will include both everyday children’s apparel and school uniforms, just like in the existing sections, so that everyone can find the right fit.
JCPenney is not only reaching out to children and teens. The company is also using the seasonal back-to-school sale opportunity to collaborate with college students on Instagram to find out what designs and products best suit their dormitories. It appears that with these methods, the chain store is seeking to reel in the most customers by continuously displaying its support for the desires of today’s youth.
Through the realization that compliments and true friendship are hard to come by in schools, #ShoutOutDay is just one way that JCPenney is trying to reach through to potential customers. Additionally, when #ShoutOutDay shouts for compliments, the enterprise’s name and products are spread like wildfire as tweeters try to get the company’s recognition and benefits. The company is planning to celebrate National Shout-Out Day annually.
There were diverse submissions using the hashtag, which ranged from individuals saying a few good words about family members to whole charitable organizations taking pride in fundamental researchers. People used #ShoutOutDay to show support for struggling survivors, or for appreciating something as simple and sweet as doughnuts. Any way that JCPenney’s tag was tossed around Twitter made a positive impact on the social site, even though it was intended to promote business and income for their enterprise.
Trends like #ShoutOutDay on Twitter are meant to encourage the younger generation to spread kind words and to encourage uniqueness in an attempt to combat the peer pressure which affects cyberbullying, cliques, and clothing choices. students are frequently victimized over the Internet by instigators who can remain anonymous. Furthermore, anyone who submits comments using this hashtag can gain popularity and page views, which also helps charities like the Alzheimer’s Association, who used the trend to show their gratitude for volunteer caregivers working with dementia patients. In turn, such types of organizations can use the trend to draw in new followers, potentially amassing new donators and volunteers to kick-start further progress to benefit different societal problems. On the other hand, a trend can also be used to draw attention to additional companies, and thus skyrocket business for them in the same way. It appears that #ShoutOutDay caused more than just compliments to be spread and reached a far greater audience than what was intended, which forecasts even greater possibilities for next year’s celebration.
By Jarick Roaderick
EPR Retail News: JCPenney Introduces Dedicated Juniors Plus Assortment In 200 Stores to Offer Kids and Teens the Opportunity to Define Their Personal Style
MarketWatch: JCPenney Rings In the School Year With Trend-Bending Styles to Fit Every Kid and Dorm
Photo Courtesy of Andreas Eldh’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License


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Automakers creating high-effort virtual race cars is nothing new, but Ford’s Team Fordzilla eSports team just took things to the next level, unveiling a new e-race car designed in collaboration with nearly 250,000 gamers. Ford even built a real-life, full-scale model of the Team Fordzilla P1 virtual race car for the livestream launch event, but the company hasn’t announced which game the P1 will feature in.
the first whiff in the air came in March when the company asked gamers to vote on the car’s package and features on Twitter, including seating configuration, engine position and cockpit definition. From there, Ford designers Arturo Ariño and Robert Engelmann went on to develop the exterior and interior design respectively.
The two seater has a monocoque structure covered by a large, jet fighter-style canopy and unique F1-like driving position. The front still resembles a GT car but is combined with extremely sculpted panels, while the rear end is exposed for better aerodynamics and race car aesthetics. Inside, the cockpit has an integrated screen on the steering wheel and LED notification units for track status updates. Finally, there are also a few special messages that speak to the gaming community, such as the AFK (Away From Keyboard) message on the floor in front of the co-pilot’s seat, as well as the #levelup and GLHF (good luck have fun) graphic on the exterior.


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Booking Holdings’ proposed 1.63 billion euro ($1.7 billion) purchase of Swedish peer ETraveli Group was blocked by EU antitrust authorities on Monday after the company failed to allay concerns about its dominance in online hotel reservations, Report informs via Reuters.
The European Commission, which acts as the competition watchdog in the 27-country European Union, said Booking’s remedies were not sufficient to address its concerns.
The veto suggests that EU regulators may be taking a tougher stance on mergers in the digital sector.
EU antitrust chief Didier Reynders said the travel market was becoming more digital, in particular the online travel agency (OTA) market which includes hotels, flights, car rentals and attractions.
Hotel OTAs are worth about 40 billion euros annually, the largest and most profitable segment of the OTA sector.
“The combination of network effects and consumer inertia means that many consumers get information on room availability and prices only from OTAs, often only from Booking,” Reynders told a press conference.
He said the Commission had reached out to almost 15,000 hotels for feedback on the proposed deal.
“Overall, market participants were concerned that the transaction would strengthen Booking’s dominant position on the market for hotel OTAs in the European Economic Area, reduce competition and increase prices for hotels and possibly for consumers.”
Booking said it would challenge the veto, which has won unconditional approval in the United States and Britain.
It also extended a flight agreement with ETraveli to 2028, underlining its determination to grow its flight business despite the EU ruling.
“The European Commission’s decision not only departs from settled law and precedent but it deprives consumers of travel options that they are entitled to have,” Booking Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer Glenn Fogel said in a statement.
The Commission said Booking’s proposal to show multiple hotel options to customers who book flights on its site was not sufficiently transparent and non-discriminatory, and difficult to implement and monitor.
Booking, whose brands include Booking.com, Rentalcars, Priceline and Agoda, announced the deal in November 2021.


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The professional cleaning industry employs millions of people all across Europe and plays a key role in health care, well-being, image and perception. The European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards are intended to reward efforts from the cleaning industry and are awarded in various categories. The jury has looked at over 130 entries from various countries. Two of our companies, Gom and Buitengewoon, have been nominated for the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards 2019.
For Gom, it is the third year that it has been nominated for this European prize. Gom is nominated for the Trash Roulette in the category ‘Best use of smart solutions by service providers’. The second nomination in the category ‘Rising star’ is for Lars Tubben (23), Campus Manager at Delft University of Technology. Under his day-to-day management, the Gom team increased the quality score from 6.9 to a spectacular 9.4 in just one year.
Buitengewoon is one of three companies shortlisted in the category ‘Commitment to diversity’. An excellent recognition, right in the first year of its existence.
The award winners will be announced in London on 17 October.


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CES is more than just a smorgasbord of new gadgets and flashy concepts for consumers. More and more, it’s also a place where companies showcase innovations that could truly make the world a better place. At CES 2021, this type of tech — what we call Tech for Change — was out in full force. We saw everything from solar-powered remotes that eliminate the need for disposable batteries, to machines that pull drinking water out of thin air. But of all the world-changing tech on display this year, these four innovations impressed us the most:
Blood pressure is a profoundly useful health metric. With this single measurement, doctors can assess your risk of developing heart disease: The number one cause of death in the world. The only problem, of course, is that most of us only get our blood pressure checked when we visit the doctor, so high blood pressure can go undetected for years before it’s addressed.
But what if that wasn’t the case? What if everyone could monitor blood pressure continuously, throughout the day, and catch any associated health issues before they become problematic?
That’s the promise of Valencell’s latest sensor. By shining a light onto your wrist, measuring how much bounces back, and letting machine learning algorithms make inferences with that data, the company’s sensors can estimate the pressure in your veins nearly as accurately as a cuff.
Better yet, the sensors are set to debut in wearable devices later this year. If all goes according to plan, we might soon have a powerful weapon in the fight against heart disease.
You know how automakers make their cars safer by adding features like lane-assist, blindspot sensors, and auto-braking? Luci is effectively the same idea, but designed specifically for powered wheelchairs. It’s an aftermarket accessory that, once installed, can provide the user with advanced safety features like curb/drop detection, auto-braking, and obstacle avoidance. In other words, it makes it easier for wheelchair-bound folks to move through a world that mostly isn’t designed for them.
Best of all? Luci isn’t some big, expensive, full-featured wheelchair that only a few people can afford. It’s a kit that’s designed to attach to a huge range of different wheelchair models, so users can affix it to the one they’ve already got instead of buying a completely new machine. Pretty awesome, right?
Telehealth is a great idea in theory, but in practice it basically means you talk to a doctor on a tablet. We just don’t really have the technology to do full-fledged health checkups from afar right now. But EyeQue is on a mission to change that.
The company’s latest product, the VisionCheck 2, is an exceptionally clever smartphone accessory that, with the help of some MIT-patented technology and an accompanying application, allows you to check your vision whenever you want — no optometrist needed. By simply looking into the device and playing a quick game, you can test for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. You can even update your prescription and order new lenses with just a few taps.
It’s stuff like this that makes us excited for the future. What other tests and health exams will we be doing remotely a few years from now?
Once upon a time, hearing aids were basically just volume controllers that let you crank up the gain and make everything louder — including stuff you didn’t necessarily want to hear, like background noise and voices of strangers across the room. But lately, there has been something of a revolution in hearing tech. Nowadays, many hearing aids are equipped with advanced signal processing software that provides more granular control over what you hear.
Widex Moment takes this idea a few steps further. The device uses onboard A.I. to adapt — in real-time, with nearly zero latency — to whatever listening environment you’re in. Whether you’re in a crowded pub, a quiet cafe, or a movie theater with big swings in volume, the A.I. will recognize what’s going on and only amplify the sounds that are important. Better yet, it also lets you fine-tune the output to suit your preferences, and learns over time how you like to hear the world, no matter where you might find yourself.
- The most innovative tech products of 2023
- Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2023 Awards
- 10 female inventors who changed the world forever
- The future of sustainability: A look at the next evolution of environmental tech
- Audience Choice Awards: Top Tech of CES 2021


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|martin goddard ||07 Nov 2017 12:40 p.m. PST|
Lluis has strong range of models for the SCW etc. Recommended!!
|lesbt65||08 Nov 2017 12:42 p.m. PST|
Lovely and unique models for unusual periods. In a variety of scales.
The 15mm models should go well with the new Peter Pig new Spanish Civil War rules just released.


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There's no doubt that Lexus was completely serious about building a supercar when it went about designing the LFA. With 552 horsepower, a singing 9,000 rpm V-10 engine and a $375,000 price tag, the car is every inch the Ferrari or Lamborghini competitor. But already talk of an even more focused, unrestrained version is making the rounds.
Paul Williamsen, National Manager of Lexus College, revealed to Autoblog's Damon Lavrinc that the company is considering a stripped-down focused track version of the LFA, not unlike the Scuderia version of the Ferrari F430 or the Super Veloce/Superleggera Lamborghinis.
If Lexus does move forward with the track-day LFA, it will deduct them from the 500-unit cap on production--it will simply be an optional configuration when ordering. Considering the ultimate purpose of many, if not most, LFAs will be hot lapping on open track days--these will almost certainly be third, fourth, and even 20th cars for most buyers--it makes a lot of sense to offer a factory-prepped special.
It could also help bridge the gap between Lexus's earlier plans to build a limited number of the cars for a spec series and the current plans to limit production strictly. Private race teams could buy the track-spec LFAs to use as they wish, with most of the prep already subsumed in the price.
Considering the car has adjustable suspension in standard form, a curb weight just over 3,200 pounds and its massive power output, it's not far from being race-worthy as it sits. Subtracting some unnecessary interior and electronic equipment, and adding some safety features is about all it would take.
The decision isn't yet final, according to the report, but it almost makes too much sense not to do.


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LANSING (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan Lottery plans to begin selling online subscriptions for games such as Mega Millions and Powerball starting this spring.
Daily 3, Daily 4 and Club Keno would not be part of the initial program, which allows customers to sign up for multiple ticket purchases over a period of time.
The state anticipates the move will bring in more revenue for schools and improve the lottery experience, but some businesses are concerned it will hurt in-store ticket sales.
"This is part of the overall goal of having the Lottery continually evolving its product to meet the demands of its players, and continually adapting to the current technology to meet those needs," Kurt Weiss, spokesman for Gov. Rick Snyder, said in an email.
Gas stations and other stores receive a commission of at least six percent on the lottery tickets they sell, plus bonuses for selling certain winning tickets. Retailers are worried about missing out on that money as well as foot traffic from lottery ticket buyers, said Paul Condino, director of government relations for the West Bloomfield Township-based Associated Food & Petroleum Dealers.
Lottery Commissioner Scott Bowen said, however, that studies in other areas have shown online lottery sales do not hurt retailers. The Lottery plans to enhance retail partnerships with promotions and other offerings, such as selling cards for use in online sales.
A new system called iLottery would begin offering online sales of single tickets and instant games near the end of the year. Snyder's budget proposal calls for $3.3 million to launch iLottery, which could include online, mobile and tablet applications.
The types of games available on iLottery haven't yet been determined.
The state hopes iLottery will provide at least $118 million in additional profits to the Michigan School Aid Fund in the first four years, and another $361 million over the following four years. The lottery contributed including $778.4 million to the fund last fiscal year.
TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Yorkshire-based superfood business, Rainforest Foods has launched Bambeanies, a new cereal range using beans, rice, coconut and baobab, as a nutritious alternative for UK families. Read more
Danish Crown has created a new brand identity as it aims to highlight its move towards a more sustainable future. As part of its rebranding, the company has created a new logo and... Read more
Marks and Spencer is partnering with urban farming platform Infarm to sell a range of fresh produce grown and harvested in its stores. Read more
Jack Link's has released a new jerky range under its Peperami brand in a move to meet demand for convenient meat offerings with higher protein content. Read more
Founded in 1889, Richmond has expanded into the meat-free market for the first time with its launch of meat-free sausages as it responds to the diversifying needs of consumers. Read more
Ingredients and fats supplier AAK has acquired 80% of Soya International to expand its ingredient portfolio with speciality lecithins. The deal resulted in a put/call option that m... Read more
Newly-formed UK company Freestar has launched its alcohol-free brand with its first product, 0.0% alcohol-free beer and believes its alternative production process creates an alcoh... Read more
London-based snacks company Abakus Foods has launched a line of Seaweed Crisps, available in three flavours: lightly salted, salt and vinegar, and cheese. Read more
Arla Foods is removing all use-by dates on its branded fresh milk in the UK and replacing them with best before dates in a move to help reduce food waste. Read more
UK brand Mutiny has launched to market a range of eight handmade mustards infused with alcohol this September. Read more
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Cor! Banham marks bumper apple harvest
Traditional bramley, cox, and russets were on display beside less heard of varieties at the weekend as Banham celebrated a bumper apple harvest.Hundreds of people descended on the village yesterday for an event aimed at promoting the humble orchard fruit and saving dozens of less common apple varieties from dying out.
Traditional bramley, cox, and russets were on display beside less heard of varieties at the weekend as Banham celebrated a bumper apple harvest.
Hundreds of people descended on the village yesterday for an event aimed at promoting the humble orchard fruit and saving dozens of less common apple varieties from dying out.
Visitors to the Banham Barrel pub got the chance to taste a wide range of apples, ciders, and juices as part of the festival organised by the East of England Apples and Orchards Project and Kenninghall Lands Trust.
More than 130 varieties of the fruit were on display, including over 30 that originated from Norfolk. Apple tree owners also brought in specimens from their own gardens and orchards to get them identified.
The event, ahead of Apple Day on October 21, came as farmers celebrated an exceptional apple crop this year, caused by favourable weather conditions.
Sue Hutcheson, from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project, said the festival proved that there were more than just the half a dozen varieties that are normally sold in the supermarkets.
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“The season has been brilliant this year and everything came right. We had the right amount of rain and sunshine last autumn, a sufficiently cold winter to initiate the fruit to bud and the conditions were right at pollen time,” she said.


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Cataloochee Resort developer says retail component viable
Jimmy and Keith Leatherwood were always glad to see the developers of Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts walk in to their local hangout, the Jonathan Creek Café. It meant free coffee.
The developer would unfurl maps on the table outlining plans for a massive residential and commercial resort spanning 4,500 acres in their rural Haywood community. The maps showed golf courses, a ski resort, lakes, one million square feet of shopping and entertainment, condos, a hotel and hundreds of homes.
“Everybody would gather around because they’d get him to buy them a cup of coffee for listening to him,” Keith said.
“We called him the money man,” Jimmy added.
There was a catch, however. The developers didn’t own a single acre of land.
Jimmy said those who owned land in the path of the development — himself included — were taken aback to see their property penciled in on the plans when no one had ever approached them about purchasing it.
“When they go to moving dirt, I’ll believe it,” Jimmy said.
While the project largely fell off the public radar when the economic crisis hit, the developers say they haven’t gone away.
“People need to know we have not gone away and we are still moving forward,” said Frank Wood, president of Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts, which has an office in Clyde. “We have a lot of work to do yet.”
Wood said the residential phase of the development is on hold pending a rebound of the economy and housing market. But the company is still actively pursuing plans for one million square feet of shopping and entertainment clustered just off Interstate 40 at exit 20.
“The chances of it not happening are pretty slim at this point,” Wood said.
Several pieces have to fall in place simultaneously: financing to buy the land, lease agreements with retailers and property owners willing to sell.
Wood said they are not at liberty to say which retailers are being courted since negotiations are not finalized.
As for financing, Wood said lenders are interested, but he can’t say who.
“They are not ready for us to disclose it until it is all wrapped up with a neat little bow on it,” Wood said. Two pieces of financing are needed — one to buy the land and the other to undertake construction, Wood said.
Property options are still forthcoming as well, Wood said. During their initial foray into the community in 2007, the developers say they secured a few property options here and there but mostly gauged willingness to sell through verbal conversations. The property options they once held have now expired, Wood said.
Mike Sorrells, owner of a service station and convenience store on Jonathan Creek, was among the few who were actually offered signed property options. Sorrells got to keep the money they put down when the option expired.
“They were always aboveboard with me,” Sorrells said. “I understood it may or may not happen.”
Sorrells said the plans were so ambitious that they were likely unrealistic.
“All that was premature, totally out of the box. That was someone’s dream,” Sorrells said. “I think that was a big dream and probably an unrealistic dream. Nobody really believed it.”
Wood disagrees that the grand plan is unrealistic. But he would agree that they went public prematurely.
“This project came into the public light before we were ready for it to come into the public light,” Wood said.
Sorrells believes a retail and commercial development centered around Interstate 40 would be quite viable.
“I think the majority of people would like to see something at that exit one way or another,” Sorrells said.
“Jonathan Creek will grow eventually,” Jimmy Leatherwood agreed. “Whether it is going to be this, I don’t know, but eventually it will grow.”


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“Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything,” wrote Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and general manager of Barbie, in a news release.
After more than 60 years to condone infidelity Ken with the young gardener or bearded factor, it was time for Barbie to take revenge and cease to embody the stereotype of the feminine ideal fantasy. Barbie has decided to join the Femens to go kick ass…
via Barbie and Ken BADASS by Tohad | DeviantArt.
Barbie takes a Kali avatar as Argentine artists Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini, in an exhibition series called “Barbie – The Plastic Religion,” are featuring a Kali version of this popular doll range.


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The demand for the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine has been found to be effective in treating coronavirus infected patients. Many countries of the world including America are demanding hydroxychloroquine from India. India on Tuesday lifted its ban on exports. Meanwhile, the pharma sector has assured that there is sufficient stock of hydroxychloroquine in the country. Also, pharmaceutical companies are ready to increase production according to the demand of the country and the world.
India has Tuesday partially lifted the ban on the export of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, pledging to cooperate in combating the coronavirus. On March 25, the Indian government banned its exports after it came to know of its good effect on coronavirus patients.
In view of the humanitarian aspects of #COVID19 pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol & Hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) pic.twitter.com/W7Vox2sd2EAdvertisement
— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2020
70 percent of production takes place in India
India is the largest exporter of this medicine. Sudarshan Jain, general secretary of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) said, ‘India produces 70 percent of the total consumption of hydroxychloroquine in the world. Companies like Zydus, Cadila, and IPCA are major producers in the country.
‘Ready to increase production’
He further stated that the production capacity is sufficient to meet the current demand. Companies are willing to increase production if the need increases. Jain said, “The government has lifted the ban on 12 products and their mix. All aspects are being reviewed. The domestic demand and the demand for paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine will be met for export. He also said that there is a need to ensure that unnecessary shopping and hoarding are prevented. Its proper distribution should be ensured in the needy patients.
’24 million tablet consumption, 20 million capacity’
Ashok Kumar Madan, executive director of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association said, “India requires 24 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine in a year. India currently has the capacity to manufacture hydroxychloroquine from 40 metric tons of raw materials annually. With this, we can make 200 million tablets of 200mg. ‘
Madan said this shows that India has the capacity available. We have to see how much the country needs for treatment and prevention. Companies have started increasing capacity. Hydroxychloroquine is suddenly in the limelight for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
Mustakim is our resident guy with a degree in English Literature, he LOVES to write about Entertainment and loves to explore the latest world Technology News around the Globe. It’s always interesting to read what he posts. Mustakim keeps things very, very interesting indeed. He also writes for another Entertainment website on the Internet.


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Coldwood Interactive and EA are set to release their latest project, Unravel next month and to tease us a little bit more they have released a new trailer which shows what the inspiration for the lovable Yarny really was.
Creative Director Martin Sahlin has shed some light on the beautiful story that was the inspiration for Yarny, the main character in this incredible looking physics based platform game. The story is both emotional and endearing, showing us that Yarny using is own red thread to traverse his world is a metaphor for the thread that binds us all together.
Unravel is set to be released onto the Xbox One on February 9. In the meantime you can wet your appetite with this moving trailer below.


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Daraz Bangladesh (daraz.com.bd), a concern of Alibaba group, has announced another popular youth-based e-sports game ‘Clash Royale Tournament’ on their app’s innovative gaming platform Daraz First Games (DFG). This tournament will be held on the occasion of Daraz’s upcoming 6th anniversary campaign, where the total prize pool is BDT 3 Lac for a total of 32 winners. The first winner of the tournament will get a BDT 1 lac voucher, the second winner will get BDT 50 thousand voucher, BDT 25,000 for the third and fourth winners and BDT 10,000 voucher will be rewarded for the fifth to eighth winners. There are also vouchers of BDT 5,000 and 1,000 for the next winners. Interested participants can register for free on the Daraz First Games through the Daraz app from 20th to 27th August where a maximum of 16,000 people can register. Therefore, one has to register quickly before the slot is filled up. The final tournament will be held from 31st to 5th September. The tournament final will be live-streamed on Daraz’s official YouTube channel.
It is to mention, launched in last May this gaming platform aims to connect millions of Bangladeshis over online tournaments while practicing social distancing at home.
How to Register
– Download the Daraz App,
– Sign up and Login Daraz Account,
– On Homepage click DFG icon,
– Click on Clash Royale registration banner,
– Register with your Clash Royale Tag ID,In Game name, Phone and Email,
– Successful registration banner. SMS will also be sent on 28th August 2020
How to participate
-Participants will receive room detail in Discord.
– Discord links will be shared on the registration page & through SMS.
– Open Clash Royale on your device.
– Enter given private room/tournament ID.
– You have successfully joined the room.
– Come back to see the DFG process.
– SMS will also be shared to the winners with a schedule.
On this occasion, Barish Khandaker- the Head of Traffic Operations at Daraz Bangladesh Limited said- “As you know that e-sports games are very popular among the young generation these days, so this time we have decided to organize another popular game Clash Royale Tournament. This tournament is going to be one of the main attractions in the Daraz Sixth Anniversary Campaign. Hopefully, the Clash Royale match will be more exciting than the previous free fire tournament.”
Daraz is the leading online marketplace in South Asia, empowering tens of thousands of sellers to connect with millions of customers. Daraz provides immediate and easy access to 10 million products in more than 100+ categories and delivers more than 2 million packages every month to
all corners of its countries. Daraz is a mall, a marketplace and a community for its customers. It is also a university for entrepreneurs, and every month it educates more than 5,000 new sellers on e-commerce operations. To overcome the logistics challenge in its markets, Daraz has built its own logistics company specifically designed for e-commerce operations – Daraz Express (known as DEX) – to raise the standards for the industry. Daraz is also helping existing and new logistics providers digitize. In 2018, Daraz was acquired by Alibaba Group, and is proud to carry its part of the mission to ‘make it easy to do business anywhere in the era of the digital economy’. As part of the Alibaba ecosystem, Daraz is leveraging Alibaba’s global leadership and experience in technology, online commerce, mobile payments and logistics to drive growth in its markets.


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The era of ‘Things’ is coming and our industry is enabling it
In today’s connected world, semiconductor chips can help save energy in a smart thermostat for your home, are helping you drive your car, and can reliably monitor your heart rate with your watch. The ‘Internet of Things’ is expected to connect anywhere from 50 to 200 billion such devices by 2020. Toni Mesquida Küsters (Senior Director Product Marketing DUV at ASML) explains how these new applications of chip technology are enabled by mature lithography systems.
By Sander Hofman
The legendary inventor Nikola Tesla might have predicted the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) in 1926 when he said, “When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole.”
The world is certainly more connected than ever before. In 2011, the total number of connected devices had already overtaken the global human population. In 2015, the internet traffic from wireless devices surpassed that of wired devices. And while you’re reading this article, some 40,000 new devices with all kinds of purposes will connect to the internet for the first time.
That growing number of connected devices and the sheer amount of data that they produce, makes IoT a red hot trend with vast economic potential. A report from the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that IoT could have an annual economic impact of up to $11.1 trillion by 2025 across various settings, such as factories, cities, automotive and health.
There’s a chip for every thing
At the heart of it all is a tiny device with great power: the semiconductor chip. Over the last decades, the semiconductor industry has innovated across a wide range of chip types to improve performance and reduce cost. While the most advanced chips are powering high-end electronics and digital developments, simpler, low cost chips are finding a new market, at the heart of IoT.
“Crucially, mass production has steadily reduced chip prices across the board,” says Toni. “We’ve entered an era in which it makes economic sense to integrate low cost chips in all kinds of products, making them a lot smarter at little extra cost.”
The smallest feature sizes on the lowest-cost chips are several hundred nanometers across, compared to just ten nanometers on the most advanced chips. But these chips are able to provide the functionality needed in connected devices. As a result we’re seeing a resurgence in chip factories (also known as ‘fabs’) using older lithography systems that make chips on 200 mm silicon wafers.
The fab that made a comeback
“With the increasing demand for IoT chips, the industry sees 200 mm fabs boosting their output to levels we haven’t seen in a decade”, says Antonio. “The global semiconductor industry association SEMI expects that fabs will beat their 2007 record capacity of 5.7 million wafers per month by 2020.”
You could almost forget that a decade ago, the fate of 200 mm fabs seemed sealed. “When the economic downturn of 2007 hit the market, 200 mm capacity was already slumping to give way to the more advanced 300 mm fabs,” says Toni. “Larger wafers allowed chipmakers to put significantly more chips on them, dramatically reducing the cost of each chip.”
But the tide has turned: an industry SEMI report notes that worldwide there are 188 fabs with 200 mm technology in production in 2016, with expansion plans to 197 fabs by 2021. The 200 mm market is truly resurrecting. The question is: will the added capacity boost be enough to meet the IoT demand?
Chipmakers building new 200 mm fabs are mostly in Asia, with China leading the pack. For chipmakers with older 200 mm fabs, boosting output means upgrading the lithography equipment within.
Many 200 mm fabs are relying on ASML’s mature lithography machines — the PAS 5500 and TWINSCAN XT lines. The PAS was introduced in the 1990s and is no longer made as new (only refurbished), but demand has prompted us to extend our service of them to 2030, as well as to offer major upgrades for improved productivity and reliability. Chipmakers building new fabs look to the more versatile TWINSCAN XT line, which can be tweaked to handle either 200 mm or 300 mm wafers. For other chipmakers, it could make sense to replace multiple older PAS systems with a single new XT system, giving the fab output a much needed boost while using less fab space to do it.
It’s all about the zetabytes
The IoT trend is also resonating across other parts of the semiconductor industry. The growing number of connected devices in the market generates huge amounts of data that needs to be stored and crunched. Last year’s IDC Digital Universe estimated that the amount of data created in the world annually would be 180 zetabytes (that’s 180 trillion gigabytes) in 2025, up from less than 10 zetabytes in 2015.
“To store and process such amounts of data, you need the most advanced memory and logic chips”, says Toni. For example, Intel’s 8th gen logic processors that give a 40% performance boost generation-on-generation, and the memory technology that powers our data centers, like SSD, DRAM or HBM for deep learning. Toni: “These chip technologies can be manufactured in 300 mm fabs with our state-of-the-art immersion and EUV lithography systems.”
In the end, the Internet of Things is part of a bigger cycle, which has the consumer at its heart. Toni: “The world around us is changing fast and technology is fueling that change. It is a growth cycle, resulting in more capacity for both simple and the most advanced chips. The semiconductor industry both drives and benefits from this cycle.”


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Round led by Devonshire Investors and existing investor General Catalyst Partners, joined by customers and angels
Lexington, MA – March 13, 2014 – /BackupReview.info/ — ownCloud, Inc., the commercial entity behind the popular file sync and share open source project, today announced it has closed a $6.3 million series A funding round, led by Devonshire Investors and existing investor General Catalyst Partners and joined by customers and existing angel investors.
John Raguin, managing director, Devonshire, will join the company’s board where he previously served as a board advisor.
As employees sync, share and store more and more sensitive company data on consumer-grade file sync and share apps, enterprises face significant privacy, governance, regulatory and security exposure. ownCloud offers businesses an enterprise-grade, on-premises file sync and share alternative to protect sensitive corporate data.
“We are very excited about ownCloud’s penetration into the enterprise file sync and share market, both through their robust and growing community, as well as the customers they’ve been attracting,” said Raguin. “This funding will enable them to grow even more quickly in this hot, very critical market.”
“No one else offers on-premises file sync and share that fully integrates with an enterprise’s existing security, governance and identity management tools,” said Larry Bohn, managing director, General Catalyst Partners. “ownCloud gives businesses the choice of on-site, cloud or hybrid storage, all accessible through simple tools their employees will actually use.”
ownCloud will use the funds to expand marketing, sales and development efforts in the US and Europe.
“Getting this funding from Devonshire and General Catalyst is validation that we are solving a real problem,” said Markus Rex, CEO, ownCloud. “With all the concerns about data privacy and security, and the continuing proliferation of BYOD (bring your own device) in companies, it is critical for companies to get back control of their sensitive corporate data, they can do that with ownCloud.”
With more than a million users worldwide, ownCloud offers the ease-of-use, flexibility, sophistication and security unmatched by consumer-grade syncing apps with third-party storage. ownCloud installs easily on a web server, enabling users to host their own file sync and share and leverage their own storage (or third-party storage they choose), instead of relying on 3rd parties outside of their control.
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was the chanel cruise show actually good for cuba?
Amid criticism over the treatment of locals, we look at the complex ethics of staging a first world extravaganza in a communist country.
Image via Instagram
This week Chanel held their much discussed 2017 cruise show in Havana, Cuba. The display was the largest international fashion show in the country's history and was promoted as a sign of support to a nation in the process of massive transition.
On a more personal level, Karl Lagerfeld has been vocal about his ongoing interest in Cuba—citing it as a longtime inspiration. In October the house released a statement that read: "The cultural richness and the opening of Cuba to the world became a source of inspiration for Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel". The show was a tidy way to pay homage to a culture that has indirectly contributed to the brand—especial amidst rumours that the designer is planning his retirement. There is something quietly romantic about beginning to wrap up such a creative career in a country that is beginning to share it's own creative spirit with the world for the first time in decades.
But amidst the good intentions, criticisms have percolated. The irony of staging such a lavish event in a country where Chanel good's aren't available to buy wasn't lost on anyone. T here was always going to be tension when a brand whose garments routinely cost tens of thousands of dollars descends on a communist country where 75 percent of the population earns an average of $25 a month.
Concerns were compounded when the Panama Post reported that Havana police were removing beggars from Cathedral Square near where the show would be held. Cuban journalist Yoani Sanchez even Tweeted images a homeless man being being forced to leave.
It should be made clear, these removal weren't on behalf of the brand. Similar accusations arose last year around the Pope's visit. But concerns weren't soothed by the presence of Tony Castro—former president Fidel's grandson—in the lineup of models. Or the decision to clear locals away from the area, although many peered over balconies to catch a look. One 52-year old woman later told The Guardian, "What a sight. But I would have liked to be closer to the models."
Cuban designer Idania del Rio was more direct with her concerns in the lead up, "I think that catwalk is going to be more for Chanel than for Cuba. I don't know whether the people here in Cuba are ready for this type of product."
There is no doubt that the show was a wholehearted celebration of local culture. Guests arrived in classic cars, a band played Cuban music, and the designs held countless winks to local style. Che's beret was referenced, as were Guayaberas (classic short-sleeved Cuban shirts) and Panama hats.
But even this nostalgic display of support was interpreted as reductive by many local Cubans. The 1950s references were after all to a time in the country's history where America and other capitalist countries used Cuba as an "island of sin". In the 60s Susan Sontag described Cuba in an article for Ramparts as "a country known mainly for dance, music, prostitutes, cigars, abortions, resort life, and pornographic movies."
When Fidel Castro won power in 1959 he set about ridding the island of opulence, insisting on uniform equality and banning foreign brands and fashions. The style Chanel was honouring through their designs was a product of being frozen in time. As a result, fashion and politics have always been strangely entwined in Cuba.
At this intersection, the other side of the ethical quandary begins to take form—here the brand arguably emerges as less an opportunist and more a symbol of support and opportunity. In many ways the Chanel show can be viewed as another cultural shift demonstrated through clothes. Albeit very expensive clothes.
Cuban designer Raúl Castillo has said "When we become a normal country, without the embargo, we will be leaders of fashion". The brand's very public call to attention over Cuban style is no doubt a jump start, while the media coverage of the show has draw new eyes to the local scene.
Additionally while the display of luxe could be viewed as gouache, it also brought a new kind of consumer for local businesses. Vogue UK reported that transporting Chanel's guests to the show alone saw the renting of 170 vintage cars, and some of the models featured were local faces. That's not even beginning to take into account the amount of immediate business the show would have stimulated through the tourist and service industries.
But arguably more than anything, the show was an effort to be inclusive—even if it was at times problematic. After almost half a century of being so distanced from the wider world the Chanel show was an invitation for their audience to look closer. Millions of people will see these images, they will encourage tourism but also help dislodge a well worn but misplaced assumption that Cuba is a place still frozen in time.
Speaking to Reuters Marilia Veliz, a Cuban accountant, added that it's shortsighted to assume that the local population didn't get a kick out of it: "Just because I can't afford it doesn't mean I want to deny others that luxury. And who knows, maybe one day. It's important to dream." After all, we all love Chanel—it holds a sentimental importance that is fed by a wistful nostalgia and a hunger for the beautiful and new—and God knows, most of us can't afford it either.
Text Wendy Syfret
Image via Instagram


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Payments NZ rolls out new rules to enhance mobile payments
Payments NZ has introduced new Mobile Device Rules and Standards to manage mobile payments system in New Zealand, while protecting businesses and consumers.
Payments NZ has introduced new Mobile Device Rules and Standards to manage mobile payments system in the country, while protecting businesses and consumers.
According to Payment NZ, the new standards are aimed at ensuring the integrity, efficiency and security of mobile payments, and will provide customers with a range of payment options.
Payments NZ CEO, Steve Wiggins, said the new rules help protect the credibility and security of domestic payments, which will give customers greater confidence to use the technology.
"Today, customers use any card they want to pay for goods. Soon, they’ll be able to choose an application on their mobile phone to do the same thing," Wiggins added.
The new rules will ensure Near Field Communications (NFC) capable smartphones and contactless-capable point-of-sale terminals will be compatible when banks and telecommunications companies introduce contactless mobile payment applications later this year.
"We’re confident the Rules and Standards will meet the needs of emerging technologies this year, as well as maintain the flexibility to respond to new developments in the rapidly evolving market. We’re now looking forward to seeing what the industry comes up with in terms of mobile payments," Wiggins noted.


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Made In India iPhone XR Is Available For Purchase, Assembled In A Factory In Chennai
Reports last week revealed that Apple has already begun manufacturing its iPhone XR in India for sale in the local market.
Now we have images of shipping boxes (by Twitter user @newley) confirming that the device being made in India is out for sale across the country.
The phone was earlier manufactured in China, but has seen a shift amidst trade tensions between US and China.
This will the the fourth iPhone to be manufactured in India. Apple was already known to manufacture its older smartphone models in India like the 6's 7's and the iPhone SE. However, the XR requires a lot more technical know-how due to which it was not being made in India, but now that's no longer the case.
The smartphone is made in Foxconn's manufacturing facility in Chennai. By shifting the manufacturing of Apple's cheapest Face ID smartphone in India, Apple saves from shelling out a hefty 20-percent import duty that was levied on phones manufactured outside of India.
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also gone ahead and slashed corporate tax rates to as low as 15% for companies looking to invest in India.
However, these financial easements won't translate in the pricing of the smartphone going any lower than it already has. The device's prices would only go down upon its successor arriving in the market, or during promotional offers.
While there is no information of the iPhone 11s and the 11 Pros to start manufacturing in India, we could expect that to happen soon too.
Apple isn't the only international smartphone maker that plans to shift its focus from China to India to make its smartphones. Samsung too recently shut down its manufacturing facility in China after receiving a poor response to Samsung devices against Chinese smartphone makers like Oppo, Xiaomi and Huawei.
It opened the world's largest smartphone manufacturing facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh that is capable of producing 120-million phones in a year. Samsung also has a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu.


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New York (NY) - Sony introduced a premium-brand to its product family. Qualia stands for super-expensive consumer electronics devices, which aim to convince customers through unique engineering and design features.
If you are the type of consumer who rather drives a Lexus than a Toyota, then you are probably a target buyer of Sony’s new premium brand Qualia . The company originally launched the product line in Japan in June last year and now has extended it to the US.
The initial line-up of Qualia products includes the Qualia 016 digital still camera, the Qualia 017 MiniDisc player, and the Qualia 010 headphone set. Although Sony claims that especially this headphone set will create a new standard in audio reproduction, be ready to shell out mega-bucks for it : Qualia headphones carry a list price of $2600. The digital camera 016 will sell for $3900, the MiniDiscPlayer is yours for $1900.
These models complement the previously announced QUALIA 004 SXRD projector, which is the industry’s first full high definition home theater front projector, according to Sony. The 004 will sell for $30,000.
All Qualia products, which are subject to a rigorous approval process by Sony’s top management, are a result of cutting edge engineering without any constraints, the company said.
"As consumers become more discriminating in their purchasing decisions, Sony is in a unique position to set itself apart with products that will touch the user like never before," said Mike Fasulo, senior vice president of Sony Electronics eSolutions Company, which oversees the Qualia US launch. "The Qualia initiative enables us to offer an uncompromised approach to product engineering, design and customer experience."
Sony sells its Qualia products by phone and through the firm’s Cierge shopping service. The company also announced plans to open a Qualia store in New York City this summer.


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Central England Co-operative provides coronavirus safety measure update
Central England Co-operative has provided an update on the safety measures it has put in place throughout the coronavirus crisis.
The business has implemented social distancing across its entire family of businesses and employed an extra 150 security guards in its stores and distribution centres to ensure security measures are adhered to. It has also recruited over 1,000 extra staff members to help in stores.
Other measures include the installation of almost 1,000 kiosk and checkout screens and the sourcing of tens of thousands of gloves and masks for use by staff in its stores and funeral homes.
Central England Co-operative has also launched a 10% discount and priority access for NHS staff.
Debbie Robinson (pictured), Central England Co-operative chief executive, said: “As a co-operative retailer, we want to make sure we are leading the way for our communities during this difficult time.
“We hope that these measures and the work of our colleagues, members and customers show that we are coming together for our communities during this uncertain time and reacting to the challenges we face.”
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According to a report by the Center for Women’s Business Research, Hispanic and African American women are the fastest growing entrepreneurial segments in the country growing at rates of 133.3% and 191.4% respectively from 1997 to 2007. For most minority women, the problem isn’t entrepreneurial appetite or the often-preached go-getter mentality; it’s sufficient financial and social capital resources.
Since the early 1900’s, African Americans have dominated small retail, service and independent sales type businesses. They were concentrated in occupations such as hauling, local moving, restauranteur-ship, and hotel keeping. Many have and continue to be self-employed as barbers, mechanics or skilled craftsman, real estate and insurance agents, musicians and caterers. In 1982, there were about 64 businesses for every 1,000 people in the population, yet the rate of business ownership among Blacks was only 12.5 per 1,000. The business ownership rate of Latinos was almost 50% higher than that of African-Americans, and the business ownership rate of Asian-Americans was 260% higher than that of African Americans.
In a report by the Minority Business Development Association, research shows how much more likely minority owned ventures are denied loans. Among companies with gross receipts under $500,000, loan denial rates for minority businesses were about three times higher, at 42 percent, compared to those of non-minority-owned firms, who were reported at 16 percent. To that end and for high sales firms, the rate of loan denial was almost twice as high for minority businesses as for non-minority organizations.
Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that half of all Hispanic families have less than $7,950 in wealth, and half of all African American families less than $5,446. Wealth levels among whites are 11 to 16 times higher. Low levels of wealth and liquidity constraints create a substantial barrier to entry for minority entrepreneurs because the owner’s wealth can be invested directly in the business, used as collateral to obtain business loans or used to acquire other businesses.
A study conducted by CB Insights in 2010 examined the disparity in the amount of venture capital funding for Silicon Valley companies founded by minorities and women as compared to companies founded by Caucasians. The study found that while less than 1 percent of venture-capital-backed company founders were African American and 12 percent were Asian-American, 83 percent had a racial composition that was entirely Caucasian. According to the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce, headed by Ken Harris, “African Americans, women and people of color are not participating in $3 billion worth of economic development activity in Detroit.”
Across the spectrum of financing entrepreneurial ventures, the federal government states very clearly on the Small Business Administration (SBA), Minority Business Development Association (MBDA) and a number of other business resource sites, that it is not in the business of giving grants to startup businesses. However, for graduates of the ProsperUs’s Entrepreneur Training Program, ProsperUS Detroit provides access to credit for start-up and existing small businesses that otherwise could not gain access to traditional sources of capital. They offer financing of up to $15,000 for start up businesses and up to $25,000 for existing businesses. Groups, like Women 2.0, a media brand that works on behalf of women entrepreneurs in technology, are trying to open avenues to capital funding for women by creating networking opportunities. It takes some research to find an organization whose qualifications you meet, but another well-known organization that provides grants to ethnic minorities includes the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneur Series. This grant is focused especially on businesses in areas that are in need of urban renewal.
Greater capital access for minority-owned businesses is essential to sustaining their growth, reducing national unemployment levels, and more specifically, the high rate of unemployment in minority communities.
Edward Foxworth III is CEO of The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Detroit Michigan, a facility dedicated to training, advising and facilitating opportunities for aspiring and existing emerging ethnic business owners. His book, The Six Routines of Self-Discovery, part of the Recapture your Passion System is available at www.edwardfoxworth.com.


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MANAYUNK >> The Spring StrEAT Food Festival will return to Manayunk Sunday, April 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with more than 70 different food vendors along Main Street to kick off Manayunk Restaurant Week, which runs from Monday, April 10, to Friday, April 21.
Main Street will be closed to vehicle traffic for this rain or shine event, giving visitors an opportunity to stroll through the neighborhood and indulge in some of the finest food truck cuisine in the area. From savory BBQ to sweet desserts, this festival has something for everyone to eat. Vendors who create a strawberry dish will participate in a contest where three of the area’s foodies will be judging.
In addition to food trucks, visitors can enjoy three stages with live music playing all day located at Shurs Lane, Green Lane and Cotton Street.
Aside from driving to Main Street, event coordinators encourage attendees to consider other forms of transportation like SEPTA, taxis, Uber, Lyft and riding or walking to Manayunk via the Circuit Trails.
“Our Spring StrEAT Food Festival truly kicks off our event season here in Manayunk,” Jane Lipton, executive director of the Manayunk Development Corp., said. “We’re excited to welcome some of the tri-state area’s newer vendors, as well as our regular favorites.
“I’m also very excited about this spring’s Restaurant Week lineup,” Lipton added. “It’s a great way for people to come to Manayunk and try something new. I’m excited for people to indulge at some of our newer restaurants, like The Spicy Belly, and the Manayunk staple, Jake’s and Cooper’s Wine Bar.”
Manayunk Restaurant Week allows local restaurants to highlight exclusive three course meals at $15, $25 and $35 price points. Many of the participating restaurants use Restaurant Week to showcase their spring menus and other seasonal dishes. For a complete list of Restaurant Week menus, visit Manayunk.com.


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Summarized from Jade West, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee passed six bipartisan bills targeting the abusive and anticompetitive practices of the four largest tech monopolies in the country. In particular, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Ending Platform Monopolies Act, sponsored by Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), would prohibit Amazon from abusing its power in ways that harm competition and third-party sellers. Together, these bills will restore competition on Amazon Business’ (B2B) marketplace by preventing them from using their market power to pick winners and losers, favor their own products or otherwise distort the marketplace through abusive conduct.
To read NAW’s press release from last week, click here.
The road ahead for these bills remains long and uncertain. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has given a general thumbs-up to the antitrust push and supports bringing these bills to the floor. However, there are several Silicon Valley Democrats who have pushed back on these bills claiming that they go too far and will ultimately be bad for their constituents. Some conservatives are also upset that these bills do not include language to prevent these tech companies from censoring conservative speech. House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), rolled out an alternative this week. Their proposal includes overhauling Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and mandates that the companies publicly list content moderation decisions. Politics aside, last week was a major step in NAW’s long journey to curb Amazon’s anti-competitive and abusive actions.
In 2019, NAW engaged on a mission to urge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Members of Congress to end Amazon Business’ monopolistic mistreatment of third-party sellers. Amazon Business (the company’s B2B unit) has taken the B2B marketplace, in which NAW members operate, by force. The FTC has opened an investigation into Amazon’s conduct in several areas, including that of the Business to Consumer (B2C) market. In early 2020, we held a meeting with the FTC to discuss Amazon Business’ mistreatment of its third-party sellers in the B2B marketplace. We made the case that Amazon’s exploitative conduct in B2B commerce mirrors the playbook it has executed in the B2C marketplace. Unchecked, Amazon’s dominance threatens to cripple the highly competitive B2B system which exists in our country.
Around the same time, the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee was underway with its investigation into Amazon’s abusive treatment of third-party sellers. In several meetings with subcommittee Members and staff, we demonstrated how Amazon Business is anything but competitive. Like its B2C business, Amazon plays “both sides” of B2B by selling its own products in direct competition against third-party sellers who sell on Amazon Business. In late 2020, the subcommittee released its blockbuster report detailing allegations of anti-competitive abuses by tech’s most powerful companies, including Amazon, and offered a menu of policy remedies on how to clamp down on their anti-competitive and abusive practices. Investigation of Competition in Digital Markets, Majority Staff Report and Recommendations, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, pages 237-339 (October 2020)
On a similar but separate mission, NAW continues our fight to stop Amazon from securing a government-granted monopoly. Section 846 of the FY’18 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 115-91) established a framework for determining whether commercial e-commerce portals would be appropriate for government agencies to use to make non-contract purchases of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. The law charged the General Services Administration (GSA) with establishing and managing the testing of three models. Although the General Services Administration (GSA) identified three credible e-commerce purchasing channels, its June 2020 award tests only one model, the Amazon platform. All other e-commerce models are excluded. GSA’s award to three vendors, the most prominent being Amazon Business, ignores the explicit Congressional direction to test several e-commerce platforms. GSA’s selection of Amazon as the gatekeeper reduces competition for the federal customer and forecloses access to the federal market.
Since its award, GSA has released no meaningful information addressing the progress and challenges of its pilot marketplace. Amazon’s inability to protect the federal purchaser from counterfeit and illicit products presents a significant risk but does not appear to be addressed by GSA’s requirements beyond that it is a vendor responsibility. Nor is there any indication that the obligations associated with Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2019 as to Chinese manufactured telecommunications equipment are being fulfilled.
We are currently working with Rep. Veronica Escobar’s (D-TX) office on legislation that would require the GSA to expand its proof-of-concept testing to include the other two portal models mandated by Congress and prevents Amazon from selling its own products against third-party sellers on its marketplace. We are also requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an independent study and report on the business practices of dominant online platform operators in the business-to-business digital market.