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GM: Maker of Cheap Cars?David Welch
There's no doubt about it. The employee-price deal General Motors (GM) offered last month was truly brilliant. By selling all cars and trucks at 5% below the list price to the dealer, GM managed a 41% sales increase for the month compared to June, 2004. And sales of GM's large SUVs, like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, and GMC Yukon, shot up 75% over the same period.
Give Mark LaNeve, the carmaker's vice-president for marketing, a lot of credit. While rivals Chrysler (DCX) and Ford (F) sat on the sidelines, GM solved two of its problems with the move. The company has cleared out so much inventory that it may even be able to boost production, which could help stem losses in the second half. Plus, GM has kick-started sales of its previously slow-moving SUVs, which make money even when sold at a deep discount. A lot of GM's $1 billion first-quarter loss stems from the fact that SUV sales have tanked.
"CLEAR VALUE PROPOSITION."
But let's temper the exuberance a bit. True, GM proved that consumers will buy its cars if the company offers a great price. But the June bonanza still leaves GM with three harsh realities. First, GM lost a whopping $1.2 billion in the all-important North American market, resulting in a $286 million second-quarter loss for the corporation -- a figure that missed Wall Street estimates by a wide margin.
Second, as GM lowers its prices this fall, the vaunted American icon is becoming a bargain player like cheeky Korean carmaker Hyundai, using a combination of low prices and good value to attract consumers to its weaker brands. And finally, despite June's dizzying sales, the big-SUV business is definitely in decline.
LaNeve knows the score when it comes to GM's brands. Back in 2001, when he was head of Cadillac, he launched the CTS sports sedan. Though the car boasts the size and performance of a $45,000 BMW 5 Series, LaNeve sold it for $35,000, even less than the price of a 3 Series. It was a hit.
Now that he is in charge of marketing all of GM's brands, LaNeve has said he will drop sticker prices on at least half of GM's models. The Saturns and the Pontiac G6 midsize car will sell at prices close to the employee discount. "The G6 used to be priced [on par with] the Toyota (TM) Camry and Honda (HMC) Accord, but now it's significantly lower," says LaNeve. "We want people to see a very clear value proposition."
That's a huge turnabout. GM used to price its cars high and then use rebates of up to $5,000 to close a sale. But when buyers cross-shopped for competing cars on the Internet, they discovered that the $28,000 Pontiac G6 -- priced close to a loaded Toyota Camry -- was just $3,000 cheaper than a BMW 3 Series. Who wouldn't stretch a few thousand more for a Bimmer over a Pontiac?
The risk in LaNeve's strategy is that GM will end up doing some heavy rebating even after cutting sticker prices. That's what happened to Dodge when it slashed the Durango SUV's price -- and it still needed discounts to keep sales going. If heavy rebates are necessary, GM's margins will really be under pressure.
That's especially true now that the SUV market is going soft. After June sales numbers came in, GM apparatchiks said the huge growth in SUV sales is proof that despite a 20% drop in large SUV sales through May vs. the first five months of 2004, Americans still love family trucks.
Big SUVs aren't dead, as the Sierra Club and others would like to believe, but we're seeing the beginning of a long, steady decline in the segment. Gasoline's rising price is certainly one factor. Morgan Stanley analyst Stephen Girsky, who starts a job as a senior strategist with GM on Aug. 1., wrote in early June that 84% of 500 consumers surveyed said rising gasoline prices have made them think twice about buying another large SUV. And 34% said pain at the pump has already forced them to buy something else.
The other problem with fullsize SUVs is that they're becoming yesterday's fashion. Crossover SUVs like the Honda Pilot and Nissan (NSANY) Murano look newer and more urban. They get 20 miles per gallon or better, while some traditional SUVs get less than 14. The newer models are also easier to navigate and parallel park. Crossovers often seat seven passengers.
GM was able to boost SUV sales last month by giving a good enough deal to compensate for the pain at the pump. But it can do little about the cars falling out of fashion.
CNW Marketing Research, an automotive research firm in Oregon, says 50% of all large-SUV owners currently buying a new vehicle are trading their big stage coaches in for something else, up from 38% leaving big SUVs last year. Of those making a switch, 60% are buying smaller SUVs or crossovers, and 15% are getting minivans. That means 75% of the buyers who ditched their big SUVs are still looking for something roomy -- other than a big 'ol truckish SUV.
GM figured these things out a little too late. It successfully mined the SUV market for profits for so long that it was lulled into thinking the gravy train would never end. And high as today's gasoline prices are, they haven't hit the levels seen during the last fuel crisis back in 1981, so thinking people would continue to pay big bucks to keep on trucking was an easy assumption to make.
GM's next-generation SUVs promise to ride more smoothly and could get as much as 20 mpg. While such improvements in the new generation of SUVs will GM allow to keep plenty of buyers, LaNeve admits that the segment has passed its peak. "We see the big-SUV business going back to more normalized sales levels," he says. "There's a lot more competition and more alternatives."
The good news is that GM knows what it needs to do to get buyers to shop its big SUVs and weak brands. The bad news is that the company will have to find a way to make money as the market's No. 1 bargain carmaker.


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Apple CEO Steve Jobs dissed Adobe's Flash and you'd think it was the biggest story on the planet from the Techmeme drumbeat. But here's a news flash: Adobe will be fine with or without the iPhone, which is expected to hit 10 million units this year.
The quote heard around the (blogging) world (Techmeme) came when Jobs said Apple needs something better than the current Flash Player if it's going to be on the iPhone. Ouch. Obviously, these two strong partners aren't getting along so well these days.
As Charles Cooper notes, Adobe is biting its tongue as it should at this juncture. But honestly Adobe doesn't have to bow to Jobs' shenanigans. Here's why:
Adobe has developers on its side. It's a big mobile world out there and Flash is everywhere. While iPhone is popular it's still a bit player in the handset market. Sure Microsoft's Silverlight has some mojo, but Flash is still the leader.
Flash Lite is on 300 million handsets. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said on Adobe's fourth quarter earnings conference call in December:
The adoption of Flash Lite on handsets if anything is accelerating and we are really pleased. We've said that we've crossed 300 million and we continue to see adoption by handset manufacturers worldwide, so very excited about the adoption we are seeing on handsets.
Apple will hit 10 million iPhone units in 2008. That's chump change--3 percent--relative to 300 million.
Apple and Adobe don't have to get along on every business. The business that matters for both parties is the Mactel-Creative Suite 3 pairing.
Bottom line: As long as Adobe and Apple compartmentalize their iPhone spat life will be fine.

domain: news


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|Bid||1.6800 x 1800|
|Ask||1.7300 x 1000|
|Day's Range||1.6000 - 2.2064|
|52 Week Range||1.6000 - 8.6200|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||1.49|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
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SAN ANTONIO, August 11, 2022--Usio, Inc. (Nasdaq: USIO), a leading FinTech integrated payment solutions provider, today announced financial results for the second quarter, which ended June 30, 2022.
SAN ANTONIO, August 04, 2022--Usio, Inc. (Nasdaq: USIO), a leading cloud-based FinTech integrated payment solutions provider, today announced that it will release second quarter fiscal year 2022 financial results for the period ended June 30, 2022, after the market closes on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 26, 2022--Usio, Inc. (Nasdaq: USIO), a cloud-based, integrated FinTech electronic payment solutions provider, today announced that it processed a total of $2.4 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2022, up 2% sequentially from the first quarter of the year. Both total card dollars and transactions processed in the Company’s Card segment, including PayFac, were all time quarterly records.


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Here’s the crux of the article in video form
Developed by Glumberland, Ooblets is a life simulation video game available on Windows, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
The farming elements of Story of Seasons and the mechanics of Pokemon are combined together and used in this game.
Recently, Ooblets received a patch that’s unfortunately causing issues for some players.
Ooblets game crashing or not working after recent patch
Those affected say that the game displays ‘the software was closed because an error occurred’ message as well. Also, for some the game crashes immediately whenever they try to load an old, saved game file.
The problem affects gamers on the Nintendo Switch, and they have taken to web forums to express their views regarding the same.
A player on Twitter complains that after installing the recent update, the game crashes as soon as they try to ‘Rehome’ an Ooblet.
Another alleges that ever since the update, the game crashes after a minute or two of gameplay, which is quite frustrating and annoying.
@ooblets i just updated my game on my switch and now every time i load into the town, the game crashes out. Plz help!!!!!
I’ve been playing the game since December and this is the first time I’ve had any issues,so I’m feeling hopeful they can fix it
Fortunately, the Ooblets support team on Twitter has officially acknowledged the issue. The developers have already submitted a patch for the bug, but it must first be certified before going live.
Unfortunately, no official ETA for the release of the fix has been provided.
We do hope that Glumberland resolves the issues soon.
Having said that, we’ll keep tabs on the issue where the Ooblets game is crashing or not working after the recent patch and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.
Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Gaming section so be sure to follow them as well.
Featured image source: Ooblets.
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.


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A Google policy that has long angered privacy advocates and subjected the company to the ridicule of competitors will soon come to an end. Google announced Friday that, starting later this year, it will no longer scan the contents of users’ emails, a longstanding practice that the company used to target personalized ads to Gmail users.
Diane Greene, SVP for Google Cloud, explained that the decision to make the change was tied to the increasing popularity of the company’s business and enterprise-focused services. Since Google does not scan G Suite emails for the purposes of ad targeting, the company wanted to unify the policy and expectations between its business-related services and its consumer offerings.
This doesn’t mean that ads in the Gmail app or Web client are going away, however. Google will continue to serve ads to its consumer Gmail users, but will instead use data sources such as Web searches and user feedback to tailor ads. For those who recoil at the thought of any level of data collection, Ms. Greene reiterated that users can disable personalized ads in their Google user account settings. Again, this doesn’t mean turning off ads themselves. It just means that the ads will be generic and not based on whatever Google thinks you’re in to.
Privacy advocates should also note that this change in policy doesn’t mean that Google won’t scan your emails at all — the company will still search for spam and any information related to a user’s rules or sorting preferences — it just promises not to use the data it compiles for the purposes of advertising.
A final note: Google’s blog post announcing the email scanning policy shift also revealed some stats on the popularity of the company’s services. Google claims that “more than 3 million” users are paying for G Suite, while Gmail’s user base tops out at over 1.2 billion.


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Kris Endreson is senior director, sales; Nicholas Young, senior director, digital and social; and Sara Duncan, marketing director.
Endreson will focus on national accounts, key accounts and consortia. Previously she was director of sales and marketing for Crystal Yacht Expeditions and Crystal AirCruises, and earlier spent more than three years at Silversea Cruises, ultimately as VP field sales, US & Canada. Prior to Silversea, Endreson was a business development manager at Royal Caribbean.
Young brings experience from Grace Bay Resorts, a group of luxury properties in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and before that, at Prestige Cruise Holdings.
Duncan came from Crystal Cruises, where she was senior manager, advertising and partnerships. Past positions were with Silversea, Royal Caribbean and at the advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
'We're excited, and we're still growing the team,' Composto told Seatrade Cruise News. She's also looking to hire a sales coordinator, marketing coordinator and MICE director.
Further positions will be added next year as Ritz-Carlton gears up to introducing its first vessel in autumn 2019.
Composto noted the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection benefits from the sales and marketing support of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and Marriott International's luxury brands portfolio.


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Deus Ex is a series known for touching and handing potentially taboo topics well; so the next installment in the series Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be just as fearless with it’s handling of the topic of social segregation.
However it was revealed by game director Jean-Francois Dugas from Eidos Montreal, the game’s developer, that fans should not expect them to ever directly touch religion as as topic.
In an interview with the GamesMaster magazine he told them that the “”One thing that we never touch on from the front is religion,”.
Dugas then went into more detail to explain that the topic of religion is “too sensitive” and that’s the reason why they’ve tried to focus on keeping the views of the game relatively agnostic.
“We also don’t want to be offensive in any way, or tackle something we don’t really understand ourselves.”
So instead of placing any focus onto the religious affects of transhumanism Eidos Montreal decided to go the route of tackling “what it does for human beings regardless of your beliefs”.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is not afraid to ask difficult questions however there is one the game will probably never touch and will avoid as much as possible.
Eidos Montreal revealed Deus Ex: Mankind Divided earlier this year on Twitch and presented it at E3 along with more details on the game such as the possibility of ghosting the entire game without needing to kill. The game will be released next year and will be available for Playstation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.


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In this podcast Doug Green, Publisher of Telecom Reseller, speaks with Joey Fister, Senior Director of Avaya Support Services, who discusses the issue of service interruptions or outages: causes, prevention and solutions.
Allen, TX (PRWEB) January 27, 2015
TelStrat, an industry-leading developer of call recording, quality management, and workforce optimization solutions, today announced that its Engage Record™ application is compliant with key Contact Center solutions from Avaya, a global provider of solutions that enable customer and team engagement across multiple channels and devices for better customer experience, increased productivity and enhanced financial performance.
CTI Group is an international provider of e-billing and analytics, call recording, and call management solutions. Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, CTI Group has been in business for over 20 years and support more than 13,000 installations in 45 countries worldwide.
The concept of unified communications is really about unified customer experience. I prefer using experience rather than engagement as engagement is a tactic. That is, all of sudden vendors are realizing that technology is not about “talking” anymore.
ZÜRICH — Jan. 30, 2015 — Albis Technologies announced today that it has appointed Eric van den Heuvel as head of the company’s access solutions business unit and executive member of the management board. In his new role, van den Heuvel will be responsible for driving the development, sales, and marketing of Albis Technologies’ business access, mobile backhaul, wholesale, and utility solutions.
SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan 29, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) — RingCentral, Inc., a leading provider of cloud business communication solutions, today announced that RingCentral Office® is now available with Google for Work, a suite of tools that includes Gmail and Google Docs.
Arlington, Va. (Jan. 29, 2015) – The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, today applauded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for updating its 911 location accuracy rules.
SANTA CLARA, CA–(Marketwired – Jan 29, 2015) –
- Avaya Executive Partner Forum highlights growth goals and priorities for channel partner success with Avaya Engagement Solutions
- Recognizes Avaya Connect Partners of the Year in five categories
- Reveals 12 percent increase in channel partner satisfaction in 2014
Avaya, a global provider of business communications and collaboration software and services, today announced its Avaya Connect Partners of the Year for 2014.
- Smartphones shipped worldwide exceeded 1 billion for the first time in 2014
- Apple sells record 74.5m iPhones, posting biggest quarterly profit in corporate history
- Samsung accounts for 25% smartphones shipped in 2014, a decline from over 30% posted in 2013
Hampshire, UK – 29th January 2015: Leading mobile analyst firm Juniper Research estimates that the number of smartphone shipments exceeded 375m in Q4 2014, with an annual total of over 1.2 billion smartphones shipped for 2014, representing a 29% y-o-y growth.Continue →
Voice is one of the most effective forms of communications, especially when working with customers or support situations. Integrating voice in to Unified Communications systems with conferencing, outbound calling and user-to-user calling.
A question I occasionally from end-customers begs the question as to whether Lync Online without Enterprise Voice is “good enough” or is it worth the effort to implement the Enterprise Voice features of Lync.Continue →
CTI Group (Holdings) Inc. (OTC:CTIG), a global provider of carrier-grade software solutions and services which empower organizations through communication analytics, today announced details of their ‘SmartDiscover’ solution which is designed to help Telecom Operators quickly and easily distil business intelligence from customer data obtained from multiple data sources, principally billing systems and CRM.Continue →
Any Caller from Any Device with a Browser Can Now Interact with Voice and Visuals
BOULDER, CO (January 28, 2015) — Radish Systems, an award-winning mobile/enterprise software and professional services company that provides the patented ChoiceView multichannel ‘voice with visuals’ platform, is pleased to announce availability of the ChoiceView Web App for visually interacting with organizations via an Internet browser.Continue →


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Tyco Lowers Second Quarter Estimate
Tyco International Ltd. reported first quarter earnings in line with expectations Tuesday, but lowered its second quarter estimates citing continued weakness in its electronics segment. The news sent Tyco shares tumbling 8.3 percent.
During a conference call, company officials said projected second-quarter earnings of 80 cents to 82 cents a share, below the 86 cents Wall Street had been predicting.
For the first quarter, the company earned $1.45 billion, or 73 cents a share, compared with $317 million, or 18 cents per share in the year-earlier period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call had pegged first quarter results at 73 cents per share.
Revenues for Tyco's electronics business fell 19 percent to $3.1 billion during the quarter, down from $3.9 billion in the same quarter a year earlier. L. Dennis Kozlowski, chairman and chief executive officer, said he expects the slide to continue.
"We now believe it's likely that we will see another 20 percent decline in electronics revenues next quarter and look for full-year revenues to decline about 12 percent to 14 percent" not counting any growth from acquisitions, Kozlowski said.
Revenues in two other segments _ health care and fire and security services _ showed healthy increases. Fire and security services sales rose 51 percent to $3.29 billion, while health care revenues grew 10 percent to $2.2 billion.
Companywide revenues for the first quarter rose 20 percent to $10.1 billion compared with last year's $8.4 billion.
Shares of Tyco fell $4.35 to close at $48.05 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Tyco is a Bermuda-based manufacturing and service company with headquarters in Exeter. Its products include electronic equipment, fire and security systems and disposable medical supplies.


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China's Geely shows global ambitions, launching new compact SUV in Germany
[BERLIN] Chinese automaker Geely, the owner of Volvo cars, will unveil the first model of its new Lynk & Co brand in Germany on Thursday, a compact SUV aimed at taking on the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz across the world.
The Lynk, made in China, will go on sale at home in 2017, followed by Europe and the United States in 2018, and marks one of the first attempts by a Chinese carmaker to create a global brand that makes use European design and technology know-how.
Chinese companies have been snapping up cutting-edge German technology to push upmarket and gain a global footprint. This year alone, Chinese home appliances maker Midea has agreed to buy German robotics firm Kuka and Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund LP is taking over semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron.
Long seen as a cheap, no frills brand in China and unheard of in Europe, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group purchased struggling Swedish carmaker Volvo from Ford in 2010 to help it leapfrog a decade of research and development.
While Volvo will continue to focus on premium vehicles, Lynk is an attempt to grab a slice of the mid market. It will initially take on foreign carmakers' joint ventures in China, but - as shown by the global launch in Berlin - it also aims to challenge the world's biggest automakers in their own markets.
The SUV, called '01', will target tech-savvy drivers. It will come with a high level of internet connectivity and owners will be able to rent out their vehicles to others by using the Lynk app and a shareable digital key.
The car will be a hybrid powered by a 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol engine combined with a lithium-ion battery and electric motor, and will be the first based on the Complex Modular Architecture platform developed by Geely and Volvo.
Mercedes-owner Daimler and BMW are also investing heavily in hybrid vehicles and will be watching closely to see how the '01' fares with European consumers.
Geely said the car would be priced competitively, but gave no details.
Geely's design has been refined by British designer Peter Horbury, who headed up design at Volvo in the 1990s and oversaw it for Jaguar, Aston Martin and Ford's other brands from 2002.
In doing so, Geely is upping the competitive pressure on established global carmakers, which have long accused Chinese rivals of merely ripping off their designs.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), for example, has sued China's Jiangling Motor after it released the Landwind X7 SUV in 2014, a car that JLR says copies its Land Rover Evoque while costing around the third of a price.
Geely said it had teamed up with Sweden's Ericsson for '01's connected features, as well as Microsoft and Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba. "The new '01' car will be the most connected car in the world, designed for a modern, urban audience who are used to collaborative consumption and all the benefits that this brings," said Alain Visser, senior vice president of Lynk & Co.
Alarmed by the threat posed by Apple and Google , carmakers are co-operating with telecoms equipment makers and technology firms to develop their own digital services.
Geely plans to unveil the '01' at STATION in Berlin, a former railway station that was the final stop for trains connecting West Germany with West Berlin during the Cold War, and now frequently hosts start-up conventions.


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REDFORD, Mich. — Sterling has announced its plans to unveil a new low cab-over-engine truck at NTEA’s Work Truck Show in Atlanta, Ga. March 1-3. Officials say the new addition will make Sterling the only truck OEM in the industry to offer a full line of Class 3-8 commercial vehicles.
The vehicle is slated to roll out in Classes 3, 4 and 5 starting next spring at select Sterling dealerships across North America.
“The new low cab-over-engine truck is an exciting addition to the Sterling brand as we strive to provide our customers with a comprehensive offering for their trucking needs,” said Chris Patterson, president and CEO of Freightliner.
Company officials say the vehicle will feature a low operating cost, competitive price points, and the necessary configurations for dry van, reefer and stake applications.
The truck will be available with a 4.9-litre diesel engine, six-speed automatic transmission, and up to five wheelbases to accommodate 12- to 20-foot bodies.
John Merrifield, senior vice president of distribution for the Freightliner, said the company has taken steps to make the purchasing process easier for customers. “The trucks can be purchased directly off dealership lots, dealers have been trained to provide expert pre- and post-sale support demanded by commercial truck owners, and prospective customers will benefit from Sterling dealers’ reputation as ‘work truck experts,'” he said.
For more information visit www.sterlingtrucks.com
Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry. All posts by Truck News


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In a Nutshell: A wide range of industries are finding ways to apply blockchain technology to boost accountability and make operations more efficient. Htmlcoin is a crypto and blockchain platform dedicated to being there for these companies with its innovative technology. The company’s platform is based on a hybrid blockchain that combines some of the best qualities of Bitcoin and Ethereum, making for flexible and dynamic functionality. Htmlcoin is designed with average consumers, businesses, and developers in mind. It is supported by a strong community around the world, as well as a growing number of partners.
Blockchain technology has been praised in recent years for bringing innovation and efficiency to numerous industries. Of course, at CardRates, we’ve been watching how it fuels the cryptocurrency ecosystem and forms the foundation for a decentralized financial infrastructure.
The media often focuses its blockchain-related stories on the value of this or that cryptocurrency as an asset. Or, to a lesser extent, how blockchain technology and cryptos can deliver greater accessibility and convenience to the world of finance.
But underpinning all of these stories — and the core functionality of blockchain — is trust.
“The biggest problem we have on our planet with humans is exploitation and problems relating to trust,” said Vincent Hoffmann, Executive Vice President for Community Relations at Htmlcoin. “The whole thing about blockchain is that it solves this Byzantine general problem, which is sort of like a trust issue, between computer nodes.”
Blockchain technology mitigates these trust issues by removing a third party from the equation and reducing the possibility of exploitation, Hoffmann said.
The EVP does not envision that blockchain technology will completely usurp traditional financial institutions, he envisions a future where the two infrastructures can work hand-in-hand.
“I’d like to see a world where the banks and the cryptos and the powers that be come together and meet halfway, ultimately lowering corruption, fraud, and that sort of stuff,” Hoffmann said.
Hoffmann is also excited about the possibility of blockchain technology outside of the fintech space, he said.
“I like that it can help with so many other things, like smart contracts and how it can help in supply chain management,” he said. “It basically makes people more accountable. And it gives the little people the potential to live a better life.”
Htmlcoin supports these ideals through its own cryptocurrency and blockchain platform. The company launched in 2014 with a distinct goal.
“Right from the start, it made its intentions clear regarding its purpose: to provide the world with an easy to use and comprehensive enterprise blockchain platform; by using state-of-the-art technology, the Htmlcoin Blockchain will equip businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals with a fast and secure environment for all their products and services,” according to the company.
Hoffmann explained that, when Htmlcoin began in 2014, the platform was essentially a Bitcoin clone, just as many crypto and blockchain platforms begin life.
But, in 2017, the platform underwent a change that would position it to deliver impacts to both the cryptocurrency and blockchain worlds.
“One of the reasons why Htmlcoin is set to change the entire blockchain industry is the fact that it’s not an ordinary virtual currency: It is a secure blockchain that is entirely based on the smart contracts of Ethereum and the Bitcoin Core Network,” according to the company website.
Hoffmann said this hybrid approach is advantageous because it basically allows Htmlcoin to have the security of Bitcoin and the functionality of Ethereum.
“People can create smart contracts and create tokens on the blockchain,” he said. “And it has a significantly higher TPS (transaction per second) than Bitcoin or Ethereum. I think Bitcoin has six or seven TPS, and Ethereum has around 24 now, and we have 70.”
Hoffmann said many other blockchains have even higher TPS, but he explained that it’s not simply about how many transactions you can process, but how the blockchain is used.
“While TPS and the technology is all very important, it’s really how it’s applied into the various applications that we’ve developed and that we have in the pipeline,” he said.
Htmlcoin’s hybrid model also makes it compatible with the two most significant cryptocurrencies — Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“Htmlcoin, therefore, is very useful since it is capable of completing transactions in a secure, efficient, and reliable manner across all platforms,” according to the company. “As such, it has a great future in the world of blockchain technology, which is why it has made it on the Coinmarketcap listings.”
Htmlcoin’s potential applications cover a lot of ground, according to the company. And it is currently working on a variety of innovative projects.
“With a committed development team that gave birth to the coin in 2014, Htmlcoin plans to establish itself as a leader in not only global cryptocurrency blockchain transactions, but in utilizing the blockchain network for education and the creation of opportunities for all. Htmlcoin will be for everyone,” according to the company website.
“As the overseer of the Wellness Family Midwife Clinics in Mindanao, Philippines, KSFI will then upload and secure the research outcomes resulting from KSFI’s use of the blockchain,” according to a press release. “The results have the potential to drastically reduce the alarming number of global newborn deaths, which reaches 2.7 million annually.”
Hoffmann said Htmlcoin now maintains two separate clinics in the country to create digital birth certificates.
With its work in the country, Htmlcoin and Althash are laying the groundwork for partnerships with other healthcare institutions in the future.
“Our vision is to see a world in which people have embraced, and are utilizing the blockchain technology as freely as they currently do with their cameras to take a selfie. Through developing and supporting the development of innovative products, we hope to provide the tools and resources to make that happen.” — Htmlcoin
The company is also developing a blockchain toolkit specifically for businesses.
“With our hybrid blockchain technology, we are building a complete blockchain toolkit for companies to create tokens,” according to the company. “It enables different industries around the world to easily deploy and manage their own branded cryptographic token savings.”
Blockchain technology is often a democratizing force in any industry in which it is deployed, so it only makes sense that Htmlcoin is supported and influenced by an active community of users — an area in which Hoffmann plays an important role.
“I have a passion for technology, but it’s really the people in the community — that’s where I integrate and add the most value for Htmlcoin,” he said. “We have a really big Brazilian community and we really appreciate them because they’re hugely passionate people.”
He said the company is also seeing its Vietnamese and Russian communities growing steadily, as well as other smaller communities around the world.
Through its expanding number of supporters, Htmlcoin aims to spread awareness about its platform to the mainstream, secure and promote good relations with the financial world, and reduce barriers to entry when it comes to the average person using blockchain.
Hoffmann said a number of third-party developers are also included in Htmlcoin’s strong community.
“Codex is developing a freelancer platform that will be launched in the near future,” he said. “Basically, Codex provides a platform to connect people offering services and people looking for services. It’s kind of like an Upwork.com vibe in a token ecosystem.”
Codex also developed a tipping bot that allows users to tip each other using any HRC-20 token through Telegram. This complements the Althash ecosystem nicely, Hoffmann said.
Cryptic Mag is another close partner to Htmlcoin, Hoffmann said.
“It’s a news portal for everything crypto,” he said. “The readers who subscribe
get rewarded in Cryptic Mag tokens. And the tokens are actually cryptographically implanted into the images in the articles that he publishes. There’s a dApp on our authors’ web platform where you put the code in to redeem your Cryptic Mag tokens.”
“We’ve come a long way and we are about to release quite a few cool developments that we’re really excited about,” Hoffmann said. “They are going to really solidify the fundamental strength of where we’re going.”
One of the main developments will be the implementation of brand new crypto wallets, he said. The wallets will be getting a major upgrade to make them more functional and user friendly. Third-party developers will also be able to use the wallets for their own tokens they have created.
Hoffmann said there is much more in the pipeline at Htmlcoin and to check the website for the latest developments.


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The landscape of ferrous scrap supply and demand is dramatically shifting due to the ongoing geopolitical shocks and high inflationary environment. As a result of increasing interest rates and soaring energy prices, the consumer spending power is steadily declining, and the steel market is experiencing a strong downward pull in prices due to sluggish demand from end-user industries. Among the major recycling destinations, Bangladesh and Pakistan witnessed a steep drop this week in prices offered by recyclers due to continual decline in international scrap prices and uncertainty regarding future demand. Despite the significant shortage of tonnage in the recycling market, there appear to be very slim prospects for any significant improvement in offer prices in the coming week.
In a dramatic reversal from the past two years, when metal prices surged on a wave of post-lockdown optimism, inflationary predictions and supply concerns, the industrial metals are on track for their worst quarter since the 2008 financial crisis as prices are pummeled by recession worries. Copper, widely considered as a barometer for the world economy due to its varied use in multiple industries sank below USD 8,000/MT, hitting its lowest since early 2021 while Aluminum, Nickel and Zinc also extended significant losses this week.
The UK government is set to extend existing import tariffs on five categories of steel until June 2024 to dovetail with the expiry date of tariffs on 10 other categories of steel. This move is welcomed by the domestic steel industry to safeguard their interests and ensure a level playing field in the face of cheaper imports.
There are grim signs for the global economy as the US stock market saw its worst first half of trading in more than 50 years while Euro-area inflation surged to a fresh record, driven once more by soaring food and energy costs, adding momentum to calls for aggressive interest-rate hikes.
After a sharp correction in domestic steel prices, the prices have now stabilized at current levels and are expected to move northward due to increase in input costs and extreme shortage of coal. Despite this stability in prices, the recyclers are not feeling confident because of the grim global outlook and pessimism surrounding the steel demand.
Landed cost of imported ferrous scrap is becoming more cost competitive now compared to domestic steel scrap. However, mills still prefer domestic cargoes to get prompt delivery and avoid the risk of depreciating Indian rupee.
The government raised import taxes on gold, while increasing levies on exports of gasoline and diesel in an attempt to control a fast-widening current account gap. For the broader fuel market, a drop in Indian exports could further tighten global markets that are grappling with reduced supply from Russia and rising post-pandemic demand.
In response to the continuous sliding of prices being offered, Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recycling Association has decided to halt selling and delivering scrap until further notice. The prices are expected to firm up when the markets reopen after upcoming Eid holidays.
Slow construction activities and heavy rainfall in many parts of Bangladesh have led to a decrease in end-user buying interest. Mills have been offering attractive discounts to boost sales.
After falling to their 14-month lows in June, imported scrap offers have slightly rebounded this week. Major mills have booked sufficient bulk cargoes for July and August deliveries as bulk scrap prices fell by around USD 100/MT within the month of June.
Ship plates are holding their prices in Gadani due to an extreme shortage of materials, as with the exception of a few very small-sized tonnages, Gadani has not been able to receive any vessels in the past six weeks.
Imported scrap offers from Pakistan improved this week after remaining near a 16-month low until last week. However, some buyers believe that this may only be a temporary spike due to restocking before upcoming eid holidays.
Domestic steel mills have increased their offers due to sharp hike in electricity and transportation costs.
The government has once again hiked the price of petroleum products on Thursday, putting an additional burden of nearly PKR 15-18 per litre. This latest increase will bring the price of petrol up from PKR 148/litre just a month ago to PKR 248.74/litre.
Imported scrap prices rebounded this week after hitting a two-year low as mills remained active in booking orders ahead of the upcoming Eid holidays.
Turkey has set new customs duties which will be imposed from July 1 on some steel products imported from OIC member countries such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, U.A.E., Morocco, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan. Industry sources also expect upward adjustments in customs duties on flat steel products from the EU and some Asian countries, as low priced imports have been putting pressure on Turkish mills’ flat steel pricing.
Turkish Lira witnessed an improvement this week after the country’s banking regulator announced a ban on Lira loans to companies holding what it deemed to be too much foreign currency. The new rule is meant to shore up Lira, which has dramatically weakened over the past few years as the Central bank largely refused to raise interest rates to curb rising inflation.


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Anil Ambani seeks to sell or lease out Mumbai HQ
The 700,000 sq ft Reliance Centre in Santacruz could fetch as much as Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
Ambani plans to move back to his Ballard Estate office in south Mumbai, they said. The 700,000 sq ft Reliance Centre in Santacruz could fetch as much as Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
“Anil Ambani is looking for outright sale of the property or could give it on a long-term lease — both options are on the table,” said one of the persons. The Reliance Group “is looking to monetise its real estate as it aims to generate cash to pay off debt obligations after rating firms cut the creditworthiness of various group companies”.
It may appoint property consultant JLL to advise on the deal, sources told ET.
A Reliance Group spokesperson confirmed it was looking to monetise real estate assets.
Case Pending Before Aptel
These include the headquarters owned by Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra). However, the spokesperson declined to give details. Blackstone declined to comment while JLL could not be reached immediately.
Ambani had told ET recently that Reliance Capital, which has debt of Rs 18,000 crore, is following the “death of debt” mantra. The group plans to reduce debt by 50% this financial year through stake sales. “While an outright sale will generate windfall cash, a long-term lease should help the group to raise money quickly through multiple lease agreements,” said an executive. “Plans are afoot to make the group debt free in the next one year.”
The site has a leasable area of 600,000 sq ft with a floor space index (FSI) potential of 1.12 million sq ft.
The issue is clouded by a legal wrangle however. The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), after it had cleared Adani Transmission’s purchase of Reliance Infra’s retail electricity distribution in 2017, ruled that since the Santacruz headquarters was kept out of the deal between Reliance and Adani, the latter could not seek concessions to build office space as similar leeway had already been granted to R-Infra, people in the know told ET.
Besides, a group of consumers has approached the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (Aptel) with the argument that the land needs to be transferred to Adani Transmission Ltd or users should get a concession on their bills equivalent to the proceeds of the sale of about Rs 2,000 crore. The case is pending before Aptel.
“This could be a big legal hurdle for Ambani to sell the Santacruz property,” said a person in the know. “If the electricity tribunal rules that the building belongs to the consumers as it was paid for by the concessions transferred to them by way of tariffs, then Ambani could lose the property.”


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Thursday Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced software that aims to put Facebook messages and friends right on the home screen of your smart phone, in a similar fashion to how we receive text messages.
Facebook Home is a family of apps that will fuse within Google Android operating systems.
“We’re not building a phone, and we’re not building an operating system, but we’re building something a whole lot deeper than any other app,” Zuckerberg during an event at Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters.
Facebook demonstrated the software, which will be available for download to a limited number of Android phones starting April 12, and invited partner HTC to reveal the HTC First, the first smartphone to come with Facebook Home pre-installed.
This is a serious step forward in bringing social and mobile closer together.
Facebook Home’s refitted functionality offers users an outlet to have conversations with a single tap, and features “Chat Heads,” interactive profile pictures that you can alter and play with.
Chat Heads deliver message previews and give the option to start a conversation with just one tap. The heads are a part of the entire mobile experience; you’ll be able to interact with Chat Heads sitting atop the screen as you do other things. The flying heads, which you can flick around with wild abandon, work with both Facebook and standard text messages.
Though ads will not be involved in the initial launch, ads will appear on the app eventually. What could this mean for the future of social and mobile marketing, or the future of Facebook? Time will tell.


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Also today, find out which well-known musician is giving his fans the chance to earn a slice of his streaming royalties through NFTs.
Bitcoin has risen by 10% over the past week — with the world's biggest cryptocurrency accelerating to $44,651 at the time of writing. It comes after the foundation that runs UST algorithmic stablecoin announced it plans to hold BTC worth $3 billion in reserve, dramatically ramping up demand for the cryptocurrency. In the long-term, this will rise to $10 billion. Meanwhile, a prominent Russian politician has suggested that the country may start accepting BTC as payment for oil and gas as economic sanctions imposed by the West begin to bite. Friday also saw the threat of restrictions on Proof-of-Work blockchains such as Bitcoin disappear in Europe. Breaking $45,000 would take BTC to a price not seen for one month, and beyond a crucial level of resistance that has proven tricky to crack in 2022.
Crypto transactions in India are going to be substantially more expensive from next week — with one MP warning that the measures could "kill" the industry. From April 1, investors will need to pay a 30% capital gains tax on any profits they make after selling their digital assets — and losses cannot be offset against other taxes. But the measure that's causing the most alarm is a 1% tax that is being slapped on all crypto transactions, which could dramatically reduce trading volumes in the country.
Diplo has announced that he's tokenizing his latest single — and owners will be able to get a share of the song's royalties. The Grammy-winning artist is releasing Don't Forget My Love through the Royal platform, which allows fans to "own their favorite music." Three tiers of NFTs are being offered for Diplo's release — and in total, 20% of streaming royalties are being given away across 2,110 NFTs. The cheapest NFT costs $99 and entitles the owner to 0.004% of the money made through streams on Spotify and Apple Music. Royal has previously entered into collaborations with Nas, a high-profile rapper who also invested in the project's funding round — and those drops sold out. Diplo's tokens will be available to buy on Tuesday.
David Beckham is entering the metaverse in a big-money deal — and is going to release his own NFT collection. The footballing legend is becoming a global brand ambassador for the DigitalBits blockchain. This is one of the biggest celebrity endorsements that crypto has seen… not least because Beckham has 138 million followers on social media and 9 billion annual impressions. The 46-year-old, who has gone on to make millions as an entrepreneur after a successful career playing for Man United, described the deal as a "major opportunity to create new experiences for my fans online."
Two 20-year-olds have been charged with defrauding NFT investors out of $1 million — and were arrested as they planned to strike again. Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna are accused of advertising a non-fungible collection called Frosties. But hours after their NFT sale was completed, they abandoned the project and allegedly disappeared with the cash. Prosecutors say the pair were planning to raise a further $1.5 million through a collection called Embers that was due to be released on Saturday. They face decades in prison if convicted, and the community have welcomed news of their arrest, tweeting: "Justice has been served Frostie Fam."


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VegasNews.com | LAS VEGAS – Marcus Collins, a member of The Texas Tenors, surprised customers at the 3150 W. Tropicana McDonald’s restaurant today. As part of McDonald’s Sip.Share.Win promotion, he performed his rendition of “Bailamos – Let the Rhythm Taake You Over” by Enrique Iglesias.
During the Sip.Share.Win promotion customers and McDonald’s crew members can enter to win prizes by recording a karaoke video which can be accessed through the Shazam music app. Customers can also enter by posting photos with or without a McDonald’s Sip. Share. Win! cup on social media using #SipShareWin #Sweepstakes hashtag.
Fun fact: Collins was a former manager at McDonald’s in his hometown before beginning his career in show business. He has performed in numerous talent shows including, America’s Got Talent and in New York City with the cast of Hairspray, Off-Broadway’s Altar Boyz as Matthew, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and as Jinx in Forever Plaid.
The Texas Tenors have an upcoming performance at Bally’s on August 30 and 31.


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Analysis. Social media, forums, and comments sections have all seen complaints about Dodge’s future, which many claim will be “all BEV.” In point of fact, there’s never been any indication that this is Stellantis’ plan for Dodge—only for Chrysler.
What we know so far is that Chrysler-the-marque, as opposed to the no-longer-around Chrysler-the-company, is planning to go all-electric by 2030, and at last report was only working on STLA Large—but these are subject to change. FCA US, on the other hand, was looking at being just 50% electric in 2030. That means it’ll still be 50% not-electric.
The last credible installment from our sources claimed that an LB Challenger was indeed on the way, powered by a Hurricane twin-turbo straight six engine. This is almost a “duh” for Stellantis, given the Challenger’s current popularity, the Camaro’s bowing out of the market, and the Hurricane’s power and torque. We don’t know about other power combinations, or even if the Hurricane will be part of a hybrid-electric system. The money and time put into the latest Dodge Challenger Demon (the 170), though, suggest that the Hurricane may get a hefty power boost in a future Challenger.
Stellantis does have a serious gas-mileage issue in the United States; it ends up buying economy credits from Tesla, funding a future competitor. This is not good business, but FCA took away the company’s other options when it dropped the Dart, 200, and Fiat 500; there is no truly high-mileage Mopar right now which can be sold in big numbers. The 2025 battery-electric lineup and the 2024 ProMaster BEV will help, but not enough. For that reason, we can probably expect more BEVs and PHEVs.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe, America’s most popular PHEV, has proven that customers will go for a PHEV when the tuning and numbers are right. So does the Grand Cherokee 4xe. It seems likely that the Challenger (and Charger, if both come to fruition) will have a four-cylinder PHEV option replacing a V6; indeed, a 4xe could replace the 392 for many buyers, given its performance in the Wrangler (nearly as potent as the 392). It’s close enough, and doesn’t have the same gas-mileage penalty as a big V8.
Carlos Tavares has repeatedly expressed skepticism about moving to battery-electrics too quickly. Under his reign, PSA and now Stellantis developed and produced cars using engineering that can result in a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle or a battery-electric with relatively little change at the factory. This is one alternative—and Cummins and others are investing in getting hydrogen filling stations across the country. (Cummins is focusing on truck stops.) He’s unlikely to approve a Dodge lineup free of gasoline engines in the near term.
What’s more, if you look at the “frunk” of the Charger Daytona battery-electric, you can see that there is enough room for a gasoline powertrain. There’s a reason the car was designed the way it was. While there are advantages to a “pure” battery-electric design, it looks as though Dodge will opt for flexibility—and adapt their production to demand. If people demand battery-electrics, Dodge will be there. If they demand gasoline power, Dodge will be there, too.
Dodge is not likely to give up its dominance of muscle cars for quite a while—that’s its core owner base now. The marque has just three vehicles, and all three, in 2023, have optional Hellcats. Perhaps in 2035 Dodge will be all-electric, but that’s something to worry about in 2030, not 2023—and it may never happen.


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The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max extended its reign in our trending chart in week 39 and just last week it’s followed by the Redmi Note 13 Pro+.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in third as newly announced Xiaomi 13T Pro came just short of making the podium. We then have the other member of the new duo, the vanilla 13T, placed fifth.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is up to sixth, pushing the Redmi Note 13 Pro to seventh.
The Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are now down to eight and ninth, respectively, while the Redmi Note 12 completes this installment of the chart.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s rule now spans three weeks – how much longer can it last? Keep watching this space to find out!


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LOS ANGELES (CTIA Wireless IT 2006) – September 12, 2006 – Inrix Inc. and TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (Nasdaq:TSYS) today announced the enhancement of TCS mobile traffic applications by incorporation of Inrix’s real-time traffic technology. TCS mobile traffic applications are currently available through leading carriers nationwide.
TCS provides BREW, Java, and WAP-based versions of its mobile phone applications including the popular Tele Atlas Traffic and Rand McNally Traffic. TCS also announced the availability of WAP Traffic 2.0, extending TCS’ leadership in the traffic application market. WAP Traffic 2.0 incorporates a new user interface that makes it easier for users to pan and zoom traffic maps as well as to create custom routes with traffic-adjusted drive times.
“Our market research identified traffic accuracy, market coverage and alternate routes as three key components that are driving consumer adoption of mobile traffic applications,” said Drew Morin, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for TCS. “We evaluated many sources of traffic information and found Inrix to have the most accurate traffic information and the broadest market coverage available.”
Inrix offers the most comprehensive suite of traffic solutions available, including real-time and predictive speed information for 40 major U.S. metropolitan markets, traffic incident information for 138 metropolitan markets and historical road speed information for the entire U.S. road network.
“TCS mobile traffic applications such as the new WAP Traffic 2.0 enable consumers to get accurate directions easily and spend less time and money sitting in traffic,” said Inrix President and CEO Bryan Mistele. “We are thrilled to partner with TCS to ensure consumers have access to the most accurate, up-to-date traffic information on the market.”
About TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) produces wireless data communications technology solutions that require proven high levels of reliability. TCS provides wireless and VoIP E9-1-1 network-based services, secure deployable communication systems and engineered satellite-based services, and commercial location applications, like traffic and navigation, using the precise location of a wireless device. Customers include leading wireless and VoIP carriers around the world, and agencies of the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security. For more information, please visit www.telecomsys.com.


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The developers of Interstellar Marines, a game we heard about , back in 2006, have revealed a new trailer. The Photo Session shows off the games universe, but what went into creating it? In this behind-the-scenes feature the developers invite you in to discover the reasonings and history behind it. And you get to see the games illustrious leader curse like a sailor.
The game is due for the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 this year. Stay tuned for further details.


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The Cellulaze laser fiber, cleared for use by the FDA last month, is the newest tool to to fight unsightly cellulite. It goes deeper than other treatments.
"Up until now we’ve had only topicals, radio frequency and they only took care of it superficially and now we’re actually able to treat the underlying cause” said plastic surgeon Dr. Lisa Learn.
The laser is inserted under the skin through tiny incisions. The area is numbed with local anesthetic.
“It goes inward deep down the skin so what it’s going to do is melt and disrupt the fat cells” said Dr. Shino Bay Aguilera.
He is a dermatologic surgeon with a popular practice on Las Olas Boulevard.
The melted fat is squeezed out through the little incisions.
The laser also breaks the fibrous bands that pull the skin down causing the puckering effect. Finally it’s aimed at the top layer of the skin to get it to produce more collagen, which will cause the skin to tighten.
“With one treatment one time you are treating all 3 aspects of the things that cause the skin to appear like cottage cheese or orange peel,” said Aguilera.
Shino Bay Laser Institute is the first practice in South Florida to get Cellulaze.
Aguilera is a speaker and consultant for the company that makes the device, and the average cost of treatment is $5,000 to $6,000.
“Because this is a new technology we have followed patients up to two years only and there’s no cellulite forming again,” said Aguilera.
Some of the before and after photos presented to the FDA to show significant reduction of cellulite with one treatment. While patients can usually see immediate improvement , it can take several months for the skin tightening effects.
Only three patients have had Cellulaze in South Florida . On Friday night there is a workshop on South Beach to inform more plastic surgeons about this new device.


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U.S. Says Trade Talks Resuming as China Demands End to Tariffs
(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration said trade talks with China are starting up again as Beijing reiterated that it’s essential the U.S. removes all existing tariffs for a deal to be reached.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed last month to re-start trade talks and suspend new tariffs, but they gave no time-frame for further negotiations or a deadline to strike an agreement. While Trump said he would hold off imposing additional tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods as part of the truce, his top trade negotiators have insisted that some duties will stay in place even after a deal as a way to enforce it.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Friday that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been speaking with China’s top trade negotiator, Liu He by phone and that more talks are planned. He didn’t elaborate on the substance.
A face-to-face meeting is also “in the cards” and will happen “at some point in the near future,” Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said on Bloomberg TV on Friday. “There is no timeline, the issue is if you want quality, we do not have to have speed.”
‘Imposed Tariffs,’ Huawei
Negotiations between the world’s two largest economies collapsed in May after U.S. officials accused China of backtracking on draft commitments, and amid key sticking points like China’s demand that the U.S. lift all the punitive tariffs put in place since the trade war started almost a year ago.
On Friday, an influential blog connected to Chinese state media said the talks will “go backward again” without the removal of U.S. tariffs, echoing the line from the Ministry of Commerce’s weekly briefing on Thursday.
“If the two sides are to reach a deal, all imposed tariffs must be removed,” Ministry of Commerce Spokesman Gao Feng said Thursday. “China’s attitude on that is clear and consistent.”
Scrapping all the punitive tariffs the U.S. imposed is the “most important” request and that won’t change during the trade talks, according to a commentary by Taoran Notes, a blog run by the Economic Daily under a pseudonym on the WeChat platform.
Separately, Kudlow says it’s likely that Huawei Technologies Co. will "remain on the entity list" although the Commerce Department may expand licensing for American companies to complete transactions with the Chinese telecommunications firm. “We will not open licenses for any national security areas, be they chips or whatever,” Kudlow said.
Following his summit with Xi, Trump said he would ease a ban on Huawei by allowing U.S. supplies to sell the company components if they don’t pose a national security concern.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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Chris Gilliard, a "professor and snowboarder" resident at Macomb Community College in Michigan, USA put an interesting question to Twitter over the Christmas period: "What’s the most absurd/invasive thing that tech platforms do or have done that sounds made-up but is actually true?". Our clear and present dystopia offered up hundreds of responses, to which we have summarised the best in this article.
All in all, it makes for some grim reading.
Let's start with an oldie but goodie: Sony BMG (now Sony Music) sold CD albums which, unknowing to the end customer, installed two pieces of software which modified the user's OS to prevent the CD from being copied. The software could not be uninstalled easily, and in fact invited malware due to which it worked. Sony BMG later released a malware removal tool, which in itself also invited malware into the computer. ( # )
Amazon began to seemingly randomly delete books from customer's Kindle accounts, including (cue the irony payoff) Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. (#)
An eBay seller called Erica offered an antique French violin through the site. Its buyer questioned the authenticity of the violin. Rather than ask the seller to return the product for a refund, PayPal/eBay's return policy mandated that the item had to be destroyed. The result was that an antique violin was smashed to bits, with the photos of the destruction sent to Erica as proof of the refund request. (#)
ESEA, a multiplayer eSports network, was found to contain malware in its anti-cheat client. Customers were complaining that their GPU usage was unconventionally high, making ESEA confirmed that the client was mining Bitcoin on users' GPUs. ESEA co-founder Erik Thunberg initially responded to user's complaints with "Lol that got aggressive quickly." ( # )
Facebook and Cornell University changed the content in the news feeds of 600,000 FB users to test as to whether their behaviour was modified based on content being more positive or more negative. (#)
Washboard, a laundry startup, went out of business in two weeks. In fact, "laundry startup" is putting gloss on a simply absurd business idea: laundromats in the US require quarters to pay for them. Washboard's job was to deliver a regular supply of quarters to subscribers, but the pricing model was such that $20 of quarters cost $27 to the customer. (#)
CloudPets, a brand of internet-connected teddy bear, offered products which recorded the owner's voices. The voices, usually those of children alongside the email addresses of their parents and the exact location of the bear, were stored in a public-facing MongoDB database with no authentication. The user accounts of the "bears" also had no password strength checking. Finally, the entire database stack was brought down by hackers, who wanted ransom payments through Bitcoin. CloudPets were warned at least 4 times by concerned parents of these vulnerabilities. (#)
This is a well-known one: Uber developed a programme called Greyball which supposedly "outed" law enforcement officials to the company, and prevented them from ordering a ride. (#)
Vibrator maker WeVibe was ordered by the Canadian Court to pay C$10k to each customer, as it was disovered that its products were reporting information including room temperature and vibration intensity back to the company. (#)
Email unsubscribe service Unroll.me was discovered to be selling on the details of its users. Unroll.me's technology scanned user inboxes, but as well as unsubscribing customers from given newsletters, the company was also scanning for receipts of Uber's competitors, and then selling on the details of those users to Uber. (#)
A digital display for Peppe's Pizza in Oslo encountered a glitch. What the glitch uncovered was that the display's software attempted to recognize viewers' faces, gender, generation, facial expression, and dwell time. ( # )
Leaked documents revealed that Facebook has the capacity to identify when teenagers felt insecure, worthless or needed a confidence boost, with the purpose of assisting marketers to target such audiences at an appropriate time and mood. (#)
A chemical engineer explained on Reddit that he recently received a call from a colleague, saying that a factory's computer system was being shut down outside of their control. It turned out that someone in the factory had purchased a wifi-enabled coffee machine, which was supposed to be connected to an isolated network. However, the installer connected it to the same network running the factory computer systems by mistake. That coffee machine was running Windows XP infected with WannaCry, which then spread throughout the entire site. (#)
Hackers infiltrated a casino by hacking its internet-connected fish tank. Data was being transferred to a device in Finland before the hack was discovered and stopped. (#)
Lockstate, a provider of smart electronic locks and recommended by Airbnb, announced that one of its products had bricked. Replacement locks were promised within 14-20 days. (#)
Mobile network operators in the US were trapped in the traffic. The Unique Identifier Header (UIDH) enabled websites visited by Verizon customers. ( # )
A discovery of several receipts uploaded to Expensify on Amazon's Mechanical Turk service led the company to admit that it used MT for supporting its receipt-scannning service. Although Expensify claimed that the receipts were only visible to the people who had undertaken the work, a Twitter user easily found receipts with full names and addresses. (#)
Mozilla hijacked Shield Studies, its program for alpha / beta testers, to push an alternate reality game based on the Amazon show Mr. Robot. Entitled My Reality Is Different To Yours, some users have believed that their copy of Firefox had been hijacked. ( # )
Heaux, an app which markets itself as "a safe space for sex workers", forgot to do any user vetting whatsoever. This meant that people and authorities who wanted to harrass sex workers could also join with no restriction in doing so. (#)
For poet and yoga teacher Emily Joy, Facebook advertised one of the Christmas presents from her husband on her computer, even though her husband, who is not even a Facebook user, used a different computer to make the purchase. (#)
Happy new year.


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This story is part ofCNET’s complete coverage of and for Apple’s annual developer conference.
Smartphones are becoming even more closely related to the non-digital aspects of our lives. This is one of the main conclusions fromand , the latest mobile software updates from Apple and Google, respectively. Apple’s iOS 16 update is in beta and will launch this fall while for Pixel devices on Aug 15
Both tech giants want to turn your phone into a digital wallet for storing your legal ID and other essential documents, bringing your phone closer to your identity than ever before. Companies also continue to improve the way phones communicate with cars, smart home gadgets and other everyday devices.
of Appleand Google are packed with tweaks and new features, some of which are more important than digital wallets and faster connections (like to protect victims of domestic violence and Google’s new privacy updates). But the overlap between the two operating systems highlights the changing role of the phone in our lives. Based on Apple and Google updates what is happening around your phone will be just as important as what’s going on On your phone.
The more intimately our phones are tied to everyday essentials like wallets, credit cards, cars and home appliances, the harder it will be to walk away from them (or switch between iPhone and Android). The concept is not new; the industry has been moving in this direction for years. But the changes in iOS 16 and Android 13 make important improvements to Apple and Google’s respective approaches that are likely to accelerate such efforts.
Replacing the physical wallet
The digital wallet was a big focus during both Apple’s iOS 16 announcement in June and Google’s Android 13 preview in May. The most significantis a new option called , which divides the purchase price into four equal installments over six weeks. With iOS 16, ID cards stored in Apple Wallet can also be used to verify your age in apps. The addition comes after Apple first added support for digital IDs last year.
Google, meanwhile, detailed a major update to theduring its I/O conference bringing it up to speed with Apple. The new Google Wallet will store personal documents such as payment and transit cards, vaccination records, boarding passes and student cards, similar to Apple Wallet. Google also works with government agencies to support digital IDs.
Taken together, Apple and Google’s updates represent another step toward their shared goal of making physical wallets obsolete—a change that will inevitably make us even more dependent on mobile devices.
Google reiterated this ambition when describing the new updates to theIn May.
“There’s really only two things I don’t leave home without these days: my phone and my wallet,” Samir Samat, vice president of product management at Android and Google Play, said on stage. “So the question is, can my phone replace my wallet?”
Corey Fugman, Apple’s senior director of Wallet and Apple Pay, made similar remarks during the WWDC 2022 keynote.
“With Apple Wallet, we’re working hard on our goal of replacing your physical wallet,” he said.
People have already embraced the idea of replacing physical credit cards with smartphone-based payment apps. The use of in-store mobile payment systems like Apple Pay is expected to surpass 50% of all US smartphone users by 2025, according to a 2021 report by eMarketer. Apple’s new Pay Later option and Google’s renewed focus on its own mobile wallet could make the idea of leaving your physical wallet at home even more appealing.
Your phone anywhere
The wallet replacement is just one of the ways Apple and Google hope to make our phones more useful offline in everyday life. Both companies introduced camera-based smartphone tools that can make it easier to navigate real-world points of interest. Another important topic is the increased interconnection between mobile devices and household appliances, cars and speakers.
Apple and Google believe that the camera will continue to play an important role in the way we interact with the world around us. In iOS 16, you’ll be able to translate text into different languages using a new camera option in Apple’s Translate app. During his, the company demonstrated how this could be used to translate a restaurant’s entire menu into a different language. You’ll also be able to track a flight or convert currency just by tapping text on a photo.
Google showed ambitiouscalled a “scene researcher” at Google I/O, essentially applying his search prowess to the real world. You’d wave your phone’s camera over a shelf of products and it would overlay information and ratings on the screen to help you find the right choice. Google’s head of search Prabhakar Raghavan cited being able to find nut-free snacks or fragrance-free lotion in a physical retail store as an example.
The execution may be different, but the concept is similar. We are now used to ordering food, taxis and basic necessities at the touch of a button on our phone. Now Apple and Google want to make our phones a critical part of performing these tasks in the real world as well, and the camera will be a major part of that.
Google and Apple have also advanced their respective visions of turning our phone into a connection hub for other devices around us. Google explained howwill make your phone better at connecting to other devices with support for quick pairing, automatic audio switching between devices, and the ability to more easily sync messages between your phone and computer. Also revealed this should make multitasking easier when you’re on the go.
Apple has simplified the process of managing HomeKit devices with a redesigned home app for iPhone. But perhaps the biggest area where Apple plans to expand the iPhone’s reach is the car. The company hangs upwhich looks like an entire automotive operating system, complete with app icons, widgets, and other UI elements reminiscent of the iPhone and .
The smart home and connected car are not new ideas. Both have been integral to Apple and Google’s respective strategies for years. But iOS 16 and Android 13 clarify how Apple and Google’s vision for these devices should communicate and interact.
As the smartphone becomes the connection to everything from your credit card to your thermostat and car, Apple and Google are making its aesthetic more personal. When iOS 16 launches this fall, your iPhone will getwith support for Apple Watch-style widgets and new photo effects for background images. Google is expanding its Material You with ready-made color sets that can be applied across the entire operating system.
There’s a lot more to iOS 16 and Android 13 than new wallet functionality, camera tools for scanning real-world objects, and improved connectivity. These updates not only signal how important the phone is becoming to both our online and offline lives, they also point to where the industry is headed next.


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Image credit: Apple
"Apple Pay has the ability to significantly transform the mobile payment space." That's the conclusion of an ITG Investment Report published on December 19. A major finding is that Apple Pay has been responsible for one percent of all digital payment dollars. This is a "strong showing" given that Apple customers must have the latest iPhones and the limited list of merchants supporting it.
The principal findings of the report were:
1. 60 percent of new Apple Pay customers used Apple Pay on multiple days through November, suggesting strong customer engagement. In comparison, New PayPal customers used the service on multiple days during the same time period just 20 percent of the time.
2. Apple Pay customers used the service roughly 1.4 times per week and used Apple Pay at the same merchant for future transactions roughly 66 percent of the time. "We were particularly impressed with the adoption rates we have observed in our data."
3. Upon adoption of Apple Pay, the average consumer uses the service for approximately 5.3 percent of all future card transactions and 2.3 percent of all future card dollars spent.
The top five Apple Pay retailers were listed as follows:
Source: ITG Research
The report goes on to conclude:
We believe that Apple Pay could pose a major threat to PayPal in the future. Apple Pay, with its streamlined approach to both offline and online purchases, offers a compelling mobile payment solution. Given PayPal’s infrastructure barriers (a challenging relationship with payment counterparties and a lack of biometric capability), it would be difficult for the company to adapt to match Apple’s ease of payment.
Initially, it seems customers were testing Apple Pay with low dollar purchases.
Apple Pay users appeared uninhibited when using their device for any dollar amount, with the overall ASP [Average Selling Price] being slightly lower. We believe that some of this ASP delta is due to first-time users trying out the service at lower price points. As Apple Pay becomes more established, we expect ASPs to increase in line with traditional payment counterparts (when accounting for demographic biases of iPhone users).
The report notes that, "Apple Pay customers appear to be highly engaged. We have seen repeat rates well above the industry average, as well as frequent transactions, suggesting a high level of customer satisfaction.... The universe of Apple Pay users could grow rapidly as iPhone users upgrade their devices"
Finally, "Apple Pay has gained traction very quickly. In just six weeks they’re at 1.7 percent market share while it has taken Google Wallet THREE YEARS to gain 4 percent share. [Emphasis by ITG.]
The report noted no downsides or customer issues with using Apple Pay.


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Former Wells Fargo customer Shahriar Jabbari filed a lawsuit against the bank Wednesday accusing it of high-pressure sales that led to deceiving and defrauding him and other customers. The suit alleges violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and California's unfair competition and consumer protection laws.
Jabbari, of Campbell, Calif., seeks class-action certification for the lawsuit. The complaint mirrors accusations in another lawsuit filed last week by Los Angeles (Calif.) City Attorney Michael Feuer.
Both lawsuits allege that the bank's pressure tactics amounted to a "fee-generating machine" that encouraged employees to misuse customer information to open unwanted accounts. Some customers never realized they had the accounts until collection agencies began pursuing fees, according to the suit filed last week, that also alleges the bank hid fees, refused to close accounts on request and forged signatures.
Last week, Wells Fargo officials stated the bank would defend itself vigorously, describing its culture as focused on the best interests of customers and "creating a supportive, caring and ethical environment for our team members."
On Wednesday, Wells Fargo challenged Jabbari's assertion that a Wells Fargo database called ClientTrack makes sensitive customer information accessible to all bank employees, enabling them to open new accounts for existing clients without the customers' authorization.
"We do not have a system that matches the description in the complaint," a spokesperson said. "And all our systems are designed to comply with applicable laws, including privacy laws."
Jabbari alleged that debt collectors badgered him to pay fees on Wells Fargo accounts that were opened without his knowledge. His lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, seeks restitution from the profits Wells made from the "unlawful practices." It also seeks triple damages.
The complaint includes detailed allegations about Wells Fargo's so-called gaming of customers and alleges that a current Wells Fargo employee saw bank employees open unauthorized accounts on a "nearly daily basis."Jabbari's suit alleges that soon after starting banking with Wells Fargo in 2011 he began noticing anomalies, such as unwanted fees. In 2013, according to the complaint, he visited a Wells Fargo branch in Los Gatos, Calif. to ask about an unauthorized charge. At that time, an employee showed him how accounts had been opened in his name using a signature that was not his, according to the suit.
Jabbari said he discovered that seven accounts had been issued without his permission. A few months later, the lawsuit alleged, he received a change of address notification showing several accounts that he had not opened and that he thought had been closed.


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ALEX BRUMMER: Marks & Spencer needs fashion flair but is without its own rag trade executive at very top
Marks & Spencer’s army of private shareholders must wonder what is going on at their favourite store chain. Shares are up 20 per cent in the last three months but profits have dived 11 per cent before the big bill for chief executive Steve Rowe’s changes.
Actual profits before tax came in at just £176.4m, down a whopping 63.5 per cent. These are shocking numbers for a company with group sales of £10.6bn and a dominant player in the market for women’s lingerie, and with the best own-label food offering in Britain.
What also looks a little odd is the decision to maintain the dividend payout at 18.7p a share when earnings per share came in at just 7.2p. Lowering the dividend is always a traumatic decision but if Rowe was serious about dramatically reshaping the enterprise he would have let investors suffer a bit as well as the workforce, which is being cut as underperforming stores are axed.
Shocking: Actual profits before tax came in at just £176.4m, down a whopping 63.5 per cent
The jump in the share price this spring, when household budget allegedly are being squeezed, largely is based around the idea that Archie Norman can put things right as the new chairman. Operationally, he is regarded as very good although if one looks closer at the turnaround at ITV it has far more to do with the creative thinking of its soon-to-depart chief executive Adam Crozier than Norman’s light touch.
What is certainly true is that, despite all the investment in recent years in rebuilding the company’s logistics, digital offerings and platforms, it is not best in class yet.
It comes as no surprise that Rowe has prioritised food, with revenue growth strong and quality as good as ever when compared to would-be challengers such as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.
But the big bucks are made in clothing and homeware, which have generous margins. The difficulty is that for the second generation of top management in succession, M&S is without its own rag trade executive at the very top.
I recall visiting Sir Stuart Rose at M&S in 2004 and he shared his office with rails of women’s blouses as he weeded out unwanted ranges. One can’t imagine Rowe or Norman doing that.
Meanwhile, the self-mutilation goes on with the closure of international operations which must be the future for one of Britain’s great global brands in a post-Brexit world. What M&S really needs is a female fashion executive at board rather than operational level.
Jill McDonald, the high-profile recruit from bike supplier Halfords, might well do the job. But it took American style gurus Rose Marie Bravo followed by Angela Ahrendts to put the fizz back into dilapidated Burberry.
There is a fashionable view, propagated by Davos devotees, that Donald Trump’s failings as leader of the free world means Chinese President Xi Jinping is filling the vacuum as advocate of global co-operation. It is patently nonsense since there is little that is free about Chinese society and woe betide businesses which upset Beijing.
Credit ratings agency Moody’s is taking off the rose-tinted glasses. It has cut China’s credit rating for the first time since 1989 and is now regarded as weaker than neighbour Taiwan.
Behind the ruling is Moody’s concern about Beijing’s inability to suppress the ballooning corporate debt, which now runs at 277 per cent of total Chinese output.
China is able to sustain such debt levels because much of the paper is owned by domestic investors and the assumption is that if something went wrong the central committee would step in.
But we saw last year, when the Chinese stock market went into freefall, how ill-equipped its economic masters are to deal with crisis and the IMF had to offer basic lessons to prevent a full-scale implosion.
Xi doesn’t walk on water just yet.
Appalling in this age of Mayonomics that fat cat bankers are lining up to collect £68m in fees from the £2.2bn energy services merger of Wood Group and Amec Foster.
If anything represents untrammelled free markets it is the greed of City advisers.
We can at least be grateful that the deal prospectus alerts investors to the possible involvement of both companies in a probe by Serious Fraud Office into alleged bribery at Unaoil.
That’s all right then!
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Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Join Forces
In a groundbreaking partnership, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solutions have joined forces to build a state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in the United States. With an investment of $4.3 billion, this strategic collaboration aims to propel the growth of the EV market while solidifying the position of both companies as industry leaders.
Unveiling the Future of Electric Mobility
The decision to establish a cutting-edge EV battery plant underscores Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy’s commitment to driving sustainable transportation solutions. This joint venture will leverage the technological prowess and expertise of both companies to meet the rapidly increasing global demand for electric vehicles. By bringing together Hyundai’s automotive excellence and LG Energy’s battery innovation, the collaboration promises to revolutionize the electric mobility landscape.
Creating Jobs and Boosting the Economy
The construction and operation of the $4.3 billion EV battery plant will have far-reaching implications for the US economy. The project is estimated to create thousands of high-skilled job opportunities, benefiting local communities and contributing to economic growth. The plant’s production capacity is expected to be substantial, further fueling the country’s EV market expansion and reinforcing its position in the global electric mobility race.
Revolutionary Battery Technology
The Hyundai-LG Energy partnership aims to develop and produce next-generation batteries that offer enhanced performance, extended range, and shorter charging times. By harnessing advanced battery technologies, the collaboration strives to address the key challenges faced by electric vehicle adoption. This includes tackling concerns related to driving range anxiety and facilitating faster and more convenient charging experiences for consumers.
Strategic Location and Logistics Advantage
The choice of the United States as the location for the EV battery plant holds significant advantages. With an extensive network of transportation infrastructure and a robust supply chain, the US offers favorable conditions for manufacturing and distribution. This strategic decision ensures efficient production, streamlined logistics, and optimized delivery, thereby meeting the increasing demand for EV batteries across the nation.
Accelerating the Transition to a Greener Future
The Hyundai-LG Energy partnership aligns perfectly with global efforts to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. By spearheading the production of cutting-edge EV batteries, the collaboration aims to expedite the transition from traditional combustion engines to sustainable electric vehicles. This not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also promotes a cleaner and healthier environment for generations to come.
Investing in Research and Development
Recognizing the crucial role of innovation in shaping the future of transportation, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy have committed to investing significantly in research and development (R&D). The joint venture will focus on advancing battery technologies, exploring new materials, and improving production processes. This unwavering dedication to R&D ensures that the Hyundai-LG Energy collaboration remains at the forefront of technological advancements in the EV battery industry.
Sustainable Manufacturing Practices
The Hyundai-LG Energy partnership is built on a foundation of sustainability and eco-consciousness. Both companies are deeply committed to implementing environmentally friendly manufacturing practices throughout the production cycle. By prioritizing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and responsible resource management, the collaboration aims to minimize the ecological footprint associated with the manufacturing process, making it a true champion of sustainable development.
A Promising Future for Electric Vehicles
The establishment of the $4.3 billion EV battery plant by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy marks a significant milestone in the global automotive industry. This joint venture not only cements the commitment of both companies to sustainable mobility but also showcases their dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation. Through the production of state-of-the-art EV batteries, Hyundai and LG Energy are poised to shape the future of electric vehicles and accelerate the transition to a greener, more sustainable future.


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Tricom-Orange to use Orange brand
The Altice Group, the European company that recently purchased majority stock in both Orange and Tricom telecom companies in the Dominican Republic says that its products will be branded as Orange. Altice Group president Patrick Drahi told the Dominican press on Wednesday, 11 December that the new company would entice Dominican consumers with good offers compared to what is paid for the service abroad. He announced they would be launching of fixed and mobile lines to more areas in the country with the latest technology. “We are not here to be the monster of the market, but to defy it,” he said, as reported in El Caribe. Drahi said he does not fear a price war.
Drahi said the new company would invest US$130 million a year for the next three years.
The deal with Orange is still pending approval by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL).
Source: DR1, Elcaribe.com.do
Category: DR News |


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Alexa.com is probably familiar to those of you who are into SEO (Search Engine Optimization), website development, and article writing.
Yes, this website is well-known in the digital marketing sector, and it can be used to examine a website’s traffic data as well as other important information such as global rankings and more.
However, Alexa Internet, Inc., the firm in charge of Alexa.com, recently announced that the site will be shut down in 2022.
Users who have used the Amazon subsidiary’s site for content research, competition analysis, keyword research, and other purposes have been thanked.
“Alexa Internet was founded twenty-five years ago. We’ve made the painful choice to retire Alexa.com on May 1, 2022, after two decades of helping you locate, reach, and convert your digital audience. Thank you for choosing Alexa Internet your go-to resource for content research, competition analysis, keyword research, and so much more.,” said an official statement from Alexa Internet.
It’s unclear why Alexa Internet has decided to stop providing services on Alexa.com. Even though the website is still being utilized by numerous people to conduct a deep study at the time of this publishing,
However, as a result of this decision, the Alexa subscription service will be permanently stopped on December 8, 2021, with existing subscribers having access to their subscriptions until May 1, 2022 UTC.


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GMB Scotland Sounds Alarm Over U.S. Threat Of Whisky Tariffs
2nd July 2019
Move shows UK is a ‘sitting duck' in future U S trade negotiations, says union.
GMB Scotland reports Scotch whisky is among the products targeted by the US for a new tariffs provides a troubling look future trade negotiations.
The US has today threatened to impose tariffs on European Union imports worth up to $4bn (£3.2bn), although it is not known when tariffs would be imposed.
In April, the US announced proposed tariffs on $11bn of EU goods.
A report commissioned by GMB Scotland and produced by the Fraser of Allander Institute in April, ‘Brexit and the Sectors of the Scottish Economy', revealed Scotland exports £14.9 billion worth of goods and services to the EU and around 144,000 jobs are linked to demand from the EU for Scottish exports.
Gary Smith, GMB Scotland Secretary said:"This is a troubling look into the post- Brexit future and towards future trade negotiations with the U.S.
"If anyone thinks the UK economy isn't a sitting duck then they are deluded - there will be no special relationships out there.
"It also exposes the fragility of the Scottish economy, where food and drink, and within it whisky and spirits, is the second biggest export sector.
"It reinforces our previous view that for Scotland there is no Brexit deal better than our current deal as members of the European Union."
Fraser of Allander report
On Brexit Cliff Edge, New Report Shows Rise In Jobs And Value Tied To EU Exports Across Scotland.
GMB Scotland has today (Monday 8 April 2019) warned that a new economic report demonstrates that the best Brexit for the Scottish economy would be no Brexit at all.
An updated report, ‘Brexit and the Sectors of the Scottish Economy', commissioned by GMB Scotland and produced by the Fraser of Allander Institute, reveals Scotland exports £14.9 billion worth of goods and services to the EU and around 144,000 jobs are linked to demand from the EU for Scottish exports.
It shows that 9,000 more jobs are tied to that trade since the publication of the Fraser of Allander's initial analysis in November 2017 with increased export value evident in the key sectors of petroleum and food and drink manufacturing.
This comes on the back of official Scottish Government figures published earlier this year which showed that exports to the EU rose by £1.7bn between 2016 and 2017.
Previous FAI economic modelling estimated that Brexit could cost the Scottish economy between 30,000 and 80,000 jobs over the next decade.
GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said: "Let's be clear that for Scotland the best Brexit would be no Brexit at all but in absence of that there needs to be an honest analysis of our future prospects.
"Scotland’s economic and employment interdependence with the EU has actually increased and irrespective of what form the UK’s withdrawal looks like in the final analysis, it will be detrimental to jobs and prosperity across the country.
"These are the hard facts facing Scotland so this week we should not entertain any nonsense from Brexit cheerleaders about ‘taking back control’ or a ‘jobs first Brexit’ - even at the eleventh hour the very least those driving us over the cliff edge can do is tell the truth.
"The price of this political failure will likely be measured in divestment, redundancies and closures across Scotland; a new era of economic and industrial decline that will take hold over the next few years and take a generation from which to recover."


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Do you exercise? If so, people see you as ''a harder worker, more confident, and [as having] more self-control'' than non-exercisers, according to a recent issue of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Dr. Kathleen A. Martin and colleagues at McMaster University in Ontario asked 627 Canadian men and women to rate the personality and ..
The combination of endless family feasts and exercise going into holiday mode at Christmas time is a recipe for unwanted weight gain. We're not suggesting you don't have a piece of your Aunt Glenda's famous family recipe fruit cake on Christmas Day (and on Boxing Day, and the day after!), but if you want to make getting back into the exercise r ..
Researchers at the University of Exeter have found that a walk of just fifteen minutes on your treadmill (http://www.cardiotech.com.au/treadmills-australia) can reduce chocolate cravings. The benefits of exercise in helping people manage dependencies on nicotine and other drugs have previously been recognised. Previous research has suggeste ..
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Why it causes weight gain: At the end of a long day sitting on the couch, remote in hand may be your idea of heaven. Unfortunately, it may also undo all the hard work you put in at the gym, reports a study cited in the International Journal of Obesity. The researchers found those watching one to 2.5 hours a day – which is the equivale ..
Why it causes weight gain: Are you often surprised by how late it is when you finally hit the sack? Your nighttime routine may be affecting your weight, claims a new study from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the US. Researchers discovered those who go to bed late consume 1042 more kilojoules a day, twice as m ..
Carry cash and you’ll be less likely to splurge on unhealthy treats and junk food, claims a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Cash payments are psychologically more painful than card payments, and this pain of payment can curb impulsive responses to buy unhealthy food items, found the researchers. You always start t ..
Why it causes weight gain: If feeling stressed has become the norm for you it may be playing havoc with your weight. Stress related to work, personal relationships and finances are associated with weight gain, found research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. In response to a stressful situation your body releases a cocktail ..
Carrying unhealthy extra weight can play a role in the development of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems and some cancers, reports the Department of Health and Ageing (http://www.health.gov.au). But you already knew this. It’s why you eat fruit and vegies daily, own a pair of well-used ..