text:
Cryptocurrency, blockchain & bitcoin news. Bitcoin exchange guide is the most active cryptocurrency news leader online reviewing daily bitcoin price analysis, coin market updates and blockchain user. Bitcoin cash vs. Litecoin as electronic cash blocksplain. Litecoin (ltc) has similar goals, but surprisingly it was born many years before bitcoin cash. Charlie lee released litecoin on october 7, 2011. It too was a fork of bitcoin, although not a hostile one like bitcoin cash. You’d think that bitcoin cash and litecoin would primarily be competing against each other. But curiously, bitcoin cash. Litecoin wikipedia. Litecoin (ltc or Ł) is a peertopeer cryptocurrency and opensource software project released under the mit/x11 license.Creation and transfer of coins is based on an open source cryptographic protocol and is not managed by any central authority. Litecoin was an early bitcoin spinoff or altcoin, starting in october 2011. In technical details, litecoin is nearly identical to bitcoin. 10 best and biggest bitcoin mining pools 2019 (comparison). · the biggest mining pools. The list below details the biggest bitcoin mining pools. This is based on info from blockchain’s pool share chart. We strongly recommend new miners to join slush pool despite it not being one of the biggest pools. It was the first bitcoin mining pool and remains one of the most reliable and trusted pools, especially for beginners. 9 best bitcoin wallet hardware & cryptocurrency apps (2019. This guide will help you to find the best bitcoin wallet or cryptocurrency wallet for you! Hint there's no "one size fits all" wallet. Wallets come on different platforms with different features.
Litecoin cash vs bitcoin cash what to know about. Bitcoin vs. Bitcoin cash. Litecoin cash is less about transaction speed. The original litecoin was already meant to be a speedfocused complement to bitcoin, with the block time needed to validate. Blockchain & cryptocurrency (bitcoin, ethereum udemy. Learn about everything there is to know about blockchain and cryptocurrencies from bitcoin to ethereum to ripple.A step by step process is used to show explain every facet of these topics. Gain a good understanding of the following concepts with this course. Bitcoin definition investopedia. · bitcoin is a digital currency created in january 2009. It follows the ideas set out in a white paper by the mysterious satoshi nakamoto, whose true identity has yet to be verified. Bitcoin. Huge! Amazonowned whole foods buoys crypto by accepting. · crypto twitter asks ‘when litecoin’? Consumers previously expressed hesitation about the possibility of buying bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on amazon. But they don’t have to, thanks to gemini. Amazonbacked whole foods’ expansion into bitcoin payments not only thrusts crypto into the spotlight but also gemini exchange.
Buy Btc Online In Usa
Ccn cryptocurrency news and us business insights. By ccn cryptomania has once again gripped mainstream financial outlets. Cnbc’s fast money panel were beside themselves yesterday as they analyzed bitcoin and litecoin.
Bitcoin The Dark Web
Bitcoin cash (bch) price, charts, market cap, and other. Bitcoin cash (bch) is hard fork (a communityactivated update to the protocol or code) of bitcoin that took effect on august 1st, 2017 that increased the block size to 8mb, to help the scale the underlying technology of bitcoin.Nov 16th 2018 bch was hard forked again and split into bitcoin sv and bitcoin. Coinbase vs bitcoin cash, stock market crash and youtube. · subscribe ! For videos on finance, making money, how to invest and creative ways to acquire passive income ! After 10+ years of investing and saving, i'm. Bitcoin vs litecoin vs bitcoin cash (comparison) youtube. Bitcoin cash has the cheapest transaction fees out of all three coins and it is probably has the best use case when it come to daytoday transactions, but large blocks size limit may cause some. Litecoin vs bitcoin cash the battle to become bitcoin’s. Bitcoin cash has always been mired in controversy the latest of which is the bitcoin cash sv split. Upon a quick research of both tokens, it is immediately clear that litecoin enjoys a more solid reputation than bitcoin cash, with the latter linked to pump and dump schemes or scams. Final thoughts. Bitcoin cash vs. Bitcoin the pros and cons coincentral. Bitcoin cash vs. Bitcoin. The history between bitcoin and bitcoin cash is a contentious one, but we’re here to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each coin moving forward. We’ll examine the value proposition of each and their vastly different approaches to scaling. Ccn cryptocurrency news and us business insights. By ccn cryptomania has once again gripped mainstream financial outlets. Cnbc’s fast money panel were beside themselves yesterday as they analyzed bitcoin and litecoin. Bitcoin vs. Litecoin what's the difference? Investopedia. As of february 24, 2019, bitcoin’s market capitalization sits at roughly $67 billion, vs. A market cap of $2.7 billion for litecoin. Whether bitcoin's market cap strikes you as either high or.
Btc Miner V1.0
Cryptonewsz latest crypto news and updates on cryptocurrency. Get the most recent cryptocurrency news at cryptonewsz. Stay updated with latest price analysis of major cryptocurrencies, bitcoin & various altcoin news. Bitcoin cash vs litecoin which is better / difference? [2019. Bitcoin cash vs litecoin which is best? Is bch better than ltc? As we have so far highlighted in this bitcoin cash vs litecoin guide, both cryptocurrencies share numerous similarities. Both cryptos are hard forked from bitcoin, they share the same codebase, and they both have the ability to scale effectively. What is more, bch and ltc are. Litecoin [ltc] vs bitcoin cash [bch] bch claims to be most. The bitcoin tweet mentioned the difference in transaction rates of litecoin and bitcoin cash, driving home the fact that bitcoin cash is a more viable and cheaper option than litecoin, which is supposedly the cheapest alternative in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin exchange rate bitcoin live converter preev. This site allows you to see the bitcoin exchange rate i.E. The current value of one bitcoin.; Convert any amount to or from your preferred currency.; Bitcoin is a digital currency.You can use bitcoin to send money to anyone via the internet with no middleman. Bitcoin cash vs litecoin comparison walletinvestor. Digibyte vs pepe cash animation vision cash vs poa network thekey vs lbry credits oneledger vs octoin coin 2give vs breakout stake axpire vs cpchain bhpcash vs tenx primas vs bitcoin gold vertcoin vs creditbit binance coin vs iconic dnotes vs funfair nolimitcoin vs ardor ergo vs xrp blox vs sportyfi sequence vs populous chainlink vs palletone.
Ltcbtc charts and quotes tradingview. View live litecoin / bitcoin chart to track latest price changes. Trade ideas, forecasts and market news are at your disposal as well. Litecoin [ltc] vs bitcoin cash [bch] bch claims to be most. The bitcoin tweet mentioned the difference in transaction rates of litecoin and bitcoin cash, driving home the fact that bitcoin cash is a more viable and cheaper option than litecoin, which is supposedly the cheapest alternative in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin vs ether vs litecoin vs ripple differences between. Cnbc outlines the differences between the top five cryptocurrencies by market capitalization or value bitcoin, ether, bitcoin cash, ripple, and litecoin alternative coins such as litecoin and. Litecoin vs bitcoin cash litecoin reddit. 1/. Litecoin has segwit, bitcoin cash does not. Completely true you can even talk it up more and include ln. 2/. Litecoin processing block is 2.5 minutes, bitcoin cash is dynamic (it is slower on av) bch is pretty solidly at 10min per block after the daa last week. Still litecoin does process faster. 3/. Litecoin has cheaper tx. What is the difference between litecoin and bitcoin?. Mining differences. Just like bitcoin, litecoin is a crytocurrency that is generated by mining. Litecoin was created in october 2011 by former google engineer charles lee. The motivation behind.
Bitcoin cash vs litecoin video results. More bitcoin cash vs litecoin videos. Bitcoin price hits new alltime high in argentina. Bitcoin price just reached a new alltime highin argentina. Rampant inflation in recessionravaged countries like this highlights more than ever the need for deflationary currencies like bitcoin. Clearwatertrust bitcoin, monero, zcash and litecoin. Bitcoin and monero exchange. Community crypto investment group. Blockchain custody and portfolio fiduciary located in dallas fort worth, texas. Litecoin vs. Bitcoin cash are they viable alternative. Bitcoin cash has its own roadmap for scaling, that includes interesting options such pruning and graphene block propagation.All things considered, it’s reasonable to claim that both litecoin and bitcoin cash are fast enough right now to be used for everyday payments. Litecoin vs. Bitcoin cash a sibling rivalry to achieve. In many ways, bitcoin cash (bch) and litecoin (ltc) represent the cane and abel of cryptocurrencies. Satoshi nakamoto’s bitcoin, being the father of crypto, birthed two sons litecoin and bitcoin cash. Ever since their inception, both cryptocurrencies have seen it as their destiny to claim the. Why litecoin is massively undervalued vs. Bitcoin. This outperformance of bitcoin vs. Litecoin has largely been driven by multiple hard forks on the bitcoin network. When the hard forks occur, those holding bitcoin receive an equal number of the new forked coin such as bitcoin cash, bitcoin gold or the upcoming fork into bitcoin segwit2x (b2x).


text:
The Newsagents Association of NSW and ACT (NANA) has announced that it is considering a profit sharing agreement from Lottoland, which has been previously dismissed by the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA).
In a move that would see newsagents receive a 20% share of profits from overseas bets, when they refer customers to the site, Lottoland aims to strike a deal as it faces being banned from the country.
Releasing its statement, NANA explained: “NANA is considering that offer. It is substantially higher than previous offers made to ALNA and to Newsagents in the media.
“The offer is based on a percentage of sales value, not profit. The percentage rate is higher than the percentages newsagents and other lotteries outlets receive in commissions from Tatts Group Lotteries for their lotteries products.
“Firstly, NANA is not in anyone’s pocket.
“Secondly, Newsagents have asked NANA to negotiate with Lottoland and other alternate lotteries/wagering products providers to deliver a benefit to them. Lottoland is not the only player in this space.”
Stressing that a deal had not been agreed, the association states it is “duty bound to consider any alternative that gives newsagents a fair share,” adding: “NANA has written to the Deputy Prime Minister and Senator Fifield about the proposed amendments to the interactive gambling legislation.
“NANA has stressed that there will be enormous consequences for Newsagents if Tatts Group Lotteries has no effective competition”
“If the identified issues concerning taxation, State government revenue, consumer education and income for Newsagents and other lotteries outlets are resolved, why shouldn’t Newsagents get an additional income stream, which balances what they are losing to alternate wagering products and to Tatts Group Lotteries’ own online sales activities.”
NANA also warned of possible consequences of the Tatts Group campaign, and the potential of a monopoly being established: “From day one of the campaign funded and conducted by Tatts Group Lotteries against alternate lotteries/wagering products, NANA has stressed that there will be enormous consequences for Newsagents if Tatts Group Lotteries has no effective competition.
“Already, Tatts Group Lotteries has an almost monopoly position in every State and Territory except Western Australia. If this position is reinforced by a legislated ban on alternate/wagering products, there will be nothing to prevent Tatts Group Lotteries building on their thrust into online sales. Already their online sales represent a significant proportion of the overall sales of lotteries products.
“Monopolies are not good for small businesses. “Monopolies are not good for consumers.”
“If an agreement cannot be reached that is good for Newsagents, then nothing will change.”
The association, which represents newsagents in the state of News South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, also said it had also been asked for representation beyond those regions: “NANA has been approached to represent the interests of significant blocks of Newsagents outside of NSW and ACT. Why? Because Newsagents are sick and tired of being used as cannon fodder by the likes of Tatts Group Lotteries and associations that act as their mouthpiece. NANA is working with those Newsagents to work out what will be best for them.
“There is a long way to go in this saga. NANA has existed for more than 125 years and is here for the long haul. NANA is committed to continuing to work in the best interests of its Members. Dismissing any genuine offer from any organisation to work with Newsagents closes the gate and will potentially cost Newsagents income.
“NANA will continue to negotiate with Lottoland and other organisations for the benefit of its Members. If an agreement cannot be reached that is good for Newsagents, then nothing will change.”

domain: news


text:
Blog MobileMentalism has leaked images and specifications of what it claims to be the HTC HD3 smartphone, the successor to the HTC HD2 smartphone and one of the first smartphones that will run Microsoft's all-new operating system, Windows Phone 7 Ser...
On the same day that Vodafone started selling Google's Nexus One, Optus has given its customers yet another high-end Android handset option, quietly adding Motorola's Milestone phone to its handset range.
Virgin Mobile today unveiled its latest range of cap plans, which the company has tailored to users of Internet-enabled smartphones.
Samsung's Galaxy S phone look like a winner, and it's in the league of such competition as the popular Apple iPhone 4G. Samsung advertises the new Galaxy as the most powerful multimedia smartphone ever.
The iPhone is holding its lead over Android devices, but the sheer number of new Android phones available could start to change that, according to a monthly report -- potentially the last of its kind -- from AdMob.
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has taken a slice out of the cost of its flagship Android-based smartphone, the HTC Desire, just hours before rival Vodafone is slated to start selling Google's Nexus One handset, which has similar specifications an...
MeeGo, a Linux Foundation effort to provide a mobile version of Linux, moves on Wednesday to "Day 1" of the MeeGo Handset User Experience project, with developers able to access handset baseline source code and leverage touch capabilities, MeeGo repr...
MeeGo, a Linux project combining Intel and Nokia software, released an early version of the mobile phone OS to developers on Wednesday.
The uproar over the iPhone 4's call reception, and Apple's suggestion that users slap a case around their new phone, has delayed shipments of the company's own "bumper" casing and driven up prices on eBay.
Just over two months after launching it, and days after reducing the price, Microsoft has decided to kill the Kin phone.
Businesses worried about keeping tabs on the latest Apple iPhone will soon be able to remotely interact with the devices in the event of theft, loss or mishap, Absolute Software has announced.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has announced it will launch Google's Nexus One smartphone in Australia on 1 July.
Samsung today launched its Wave smartphone in Australia, the first mobile phone to run the company's new open source Bada operating system.
Google's Android platform, like the Apple iPhone before it, has been a hit with consumers but has only been recently gotten serious about adding enterprise features.
As promised, AT&T today started selling the iPhone 4 to walk-in customers, but many stores quickly ran dry.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Witness a 241% Australian price hike: Dell Latitude 7370 review
- 2 Is this the best value phone on the market? Moto G4 Plus review
- 3 Sony Xperia X Performance review: Sony’s most disappointing product in years
- 4 Huawei P9 review: lifting photography to another level... sometimes.
- 5 Huawei Mate 8 review: probably the best all-round Android phone you can buy
Join the PC World newsletter!
Best Deals on PC World
Latest News Articles
- Samsung files artificial muscle patent for use in flexible smartphones
- The affordable new Moto E grows in size, but not price
- Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 is now the company's fastest mobile chip
- Snapchat launches Memories so you can save and search for past stories
- RIP: The BlackBerry Classic and its iconic keyboard is dead
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- FTSocial Media AssistantQLD
- CCLead Solutions ArchitectQLD
- CCSenior SAP BW & HANA Developer/Technical ArchitectVIC
- FTSystems Engineer | Defence | NV1 / NV2 clearanceACT
- CCSAP FICO Consultant/SAP FICO Stream LeadNSW
- CCSenior Automation Engineer / TelecommunicationsNSW
- CCContract Analyst Programmer (J2EE) 160721/AP/075Asia
- FTSystem Integration EngineerACT
- CCBPM Solution ArchitectVIC
- FTAEM & AEM Forms ConsultantsWA
- CCIOS DeveloperWA
- CCIT Security ArchitectVIC
- CCProject Manager/ Sr PMO Analyst - Consulting BackgroundNSW
- CCAgile Scrum MasterACT
- CCPortfolio ManagerVIC
- FTSCCM Applications PackagerWA
- CCNetwork DesignerNSW
- CCIteration Manager/Project ManagerVIC
- CCSAP BODS ConsultantNSW
- CCIT/Telco Graduate | 12mth ContractVIC
- CCSenior Business Systems AnalystVIC
- CCTest Lead-Agile, SCRUM, HP QC, JIRA, UX Government backgroundNSW
- CCProject Manager - Change/Transformation/Project DeliveryNSW
- CCSAP MM / Ariba Functional ConsultantNSW
- CCTest Manager - Baseline SecurityVIC


text:
Samsung Seizes 60% of Egyptian Smart Phones Revenues In 2012
Published Wednesday, 13 February 2013 14:58 | Written by Nayera Eid
Samsung has acquired 60% of the Egyptian smart phones market’s total revenues in 2012.
Sherif Barakat, Head of Division at Samsung Mobile Egypt, said the company has seized 50% of the smart phones sales in 2012 in which the volume of revenues reached 60% of the Egyptian market’s total sales.
Samsung was ranked first for the volume of sales for the regular and smart phones which hit 43.2% of the total cell phone sales in Egypt, Barakat noted during a press conference convened on Wednesday.
Moreover, he stated that Samsung’s Beni Suef plant began the process of hiring at the end of 2012, pointing out that it will begin producing and collecting the screens within the coming months.
He added that Samsung is trying to adapt with the change in the exchange rates with the cooperation of the governorate so as to launch products that would meet with clients’ needs. Samsung will be launching a new version of the smart phone with starting prices of EGP 400.


text:
Samsung will publish a final report into the Galaxy Note 7 debacle before the end of the year, according to The Korea Herald.
The paper said the South Korean giant started a new investigation earlier this year, working with the authorities in both its home market and the US. It was noted that while the batteries are considered the ignition point for a series of fires involving devices, “diverse factors” could ultimately be responsible.
In an open letter to a number of US newspapers earlier this month, Samsung said the process “will be thorough and include some of the best independent technical experts in the world to help inform and validate our work”.
Initially, it appeared a bad batch of batteries from another Samsung unit (Samsung SDI) was at the root of the issue, leading to a replacement campaign. But when more devices were found to be affected, a full recall was issued.
With Samsung working to bring Galaxy Note 7 to market ahead of Apple’s annual iPhone refresh, it was suggested that accelerated product development cycles had taken their toll on testing. Other technologies, such as wireless charging and fast charging, are also relatively immature.
It has been mooted that Samsung will offer re-conditioned devices for sale once it has tracked down the fault – and the company is sitting on millions of returned units. But with the Note 7 brand tarnished and bans still in place with many international airlines, the company may be better advised to move on.


text:
UK-listed gambling giant Flutter Entertainment’s revenue topped £2b in 2019 thanks in part to its FanDuel’s brand US online sports betting market dominance.
Preliminary annual results released Thursday show Flutter (formerly Paddy Power Betfair) generated revenue of £2.14b in 2019, up 14% from 2018’s result. Sports betting revenue was up 113% to £1.67b while gaming rose 19% to £473m, but soaring costs pushed underlying earnings down 15% to £385m and pre-tax profits slumped 38% to £136m.
The Paddy Power Betfair online unit (aka European operations) reported revenue rising 6% to just over £1b but earnings slipped 3% to £307m and operating profit dipped 4% to £263m as the cost of sales rose nearly one-quarter on tax hikes in the UK and Ireland. Gaming revenue performed well, rising 26% to £340m, but sports was down 2% to a demonic £666m.
Flutter’s Paddy Power brand and the Adjarabet business in the Republic of Georgia did their bit, while the Betfair betting exchange revenue fell 5% due in part to “market switch offs.”
In Australia, the Sportsbet business saw revenue rise 11% to £446m as margins improved one point to 10.4%. But higher taxes dragged gross profit down 6% to £264m and earnings fell 9% to £125m, although Flutter said the situation would have been much worse had it not gone on a bonus offer binge in 2018.
Flutter’s 2018 acquisition of FanDuel has “transformed” its US division, with 2019 revenue up 60% to £376m. However, the rapid rollout of FanDuel’s operations in newly regulated betting states came with steep costs, which resulted in an underlying operating loss of £60m, more than twice 2018’s £25m loss.
Costs aside, Flutter celebrated FanDuel’s claim of a 44% market share in the four states in which the brand is taking wagers. Sports betting revenue was up 51% to £325m as margins rose nearly two points to 4.4% while cross-selling bettors boosted online casino revenue by 160% to £51m, with nearly 54% of December’s casino revenue coming from sports bettors.
FanDuel had around 350k sports betting customers at the end of 2019, around 42% of whom came from the company’s daily fantasy sports database.
Paddy Power Betfair’s retail unit reported revenue falling 6% to £312m while earnings were down one-quarter to £53m thanks to the UK government’s reduction of maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) from £100 to £2 last April. Machine gaming revenue was down 25% to £82m while OTC wagering rose 4% to £230m.
The FOBT reduction and increased Irish betting duties reduced Flutter’s 2019 earnings by £34m, but the retail gaming revenue picture improved as its UK competitors “reduced the size of their retail estates.” Gaming revenue was down 34% from April 1 but this decline slowed to 21% by Q4. Competitors’ shop closures were also credited with boosting Q4’s OTC stakes.
Flutter said the UK’s planned prohibition on credit card gambling will likely trim 2020’s revenue by £20m-£25m, while the costs of launching FanDuel in three new US states – Colorado, Iowa and Tennessee – mean FanDuel will likely lose another £60m or so this year.
Flutter said little about its pending acquisition of/merger with The Stars Group, only that it expects to complete the deal in Q2 or Q3, assuming it receives the necessary regulatory okays and shareholders approve the plan in April.
Flutter’s shares are currently down 8% on the London Stock Exchange, although the entire gambling sector appears to be taking it on the chin on Thursday as markets react to the European spread of the coronavirus.


text:
Autonomous is All the Rage at CES 2019
Autonomous is not going away anytime soon!
2019 CES is well under way and just like Heinz Ketchup anticipation was at the forefront! Last year, autonomous cars were all the rage “Autonomous” is all the rage! Now you can own an aerial security drone to watch your house, by sunflower labs!
Intelligent razes that heat up to 122 degrees and toothbrushes that Id non-brushed areas by releasing a serum to highlight the misses via discoloration amongst other Hi-Tech gadgets are taking center stage.
No Autonomous cars/trucks are not dead as we see Daimler unveiled a new self-driving truck and Bosch unveiled a driver less shuttle bus.


text:
The Great Flappy Bird Saga of 2014 seems to finally be at its end. After the massively popular game was pulled from the App Store (and Google Play) by its developer, Apple is apparently now rejecting blatant rip-offs and clones of the game. (more…)
This somehow slipped through my dragnet of news last week, but Apple recently released their eighth Supplier Responsibility Report. The report displays various graphs and statements regarding the treatment of manufacturing and assembly plant workers around the world. It’s worth a look, and kudos to Apple for issuing these types of reports.
The report itself is downloadable at the bottom of the source page.
iOS is renowned for its focus on design and visual appeal. The tools that Apple provides to third-party developers are second to none, and this has resulted in a plethora of fantastic apps. So: what one app is the most attractive, appealing, or best designed on your phone? My personal choice at the moment has to be Paper (the Facebook app, not the drawing app), because of its use of simple gestures and hierarchical design. What’s yours?
Apple continues to grow its assembly and manufacturing base, and the latest burst of growth is in the US. The Mac Pro is entirely assembled in the US, and it seems as if other Macs are also being made in the Texas as well. This comes after Tim Cook, Apple CEO, stated in 2012 that the company would invest $100 million a year in expanding their US manufacturing operations. The US is the “third-largest hub,” trailing China and Japan.
Paper recently was released to quite a bit of fanfare. The app displays your Facebook timeline, as well as various other news topics, in an attractive layout. The app itself is fast and easy to use — just ask our forum members. However, it is exclusive to the US App Store for now. Rafael Conde has put together a guide showing how to download Paper — or any US-only free app — from anywhere in the world.
Here’s a quick iOS 7 tip that may not be clear to everyone — it wasn’t clear to me until fairly recently. Under iOS 7, the multitasking APIs changed so that apps have more flexibility. They can take better advantage of the powerful specs of modern iOS devices. However, these changes have resulted in at least one major — and often unknown — break from past versions of iOS. (more…)
Many things changed with iOS 7, and the transition to the latest OS from Cupertino hasn’t exactly been as smooth as many hoped for. While most critical bugs have been squashed by the previous four public updates to iOS, there are still issues to be found. Most of those problems have been fixed in the yet-to-be-released iOS 7.1, but an issue I have that I haven’t heard much discussion about are the issues with the App Store. (more…)
Yesterday’s large iPhone 6 “leak” has been confirmed to be fake, and are actually in fact just some very good renderings. The renderings come from Martin Hajek. You can view the debunking images for yourself, but the evidence that these are fake is fairly conclusive.


text:
The continuation of the TRADER Corp. and vAuto partnership means more solutions for Canada’s dealer body, says company executives.
The five-year extension will see TRADER continue as the exclusive Canadian reseller of the vAuto product suite and enable vAuto to maintain its ongoing integration with TRADER’s proprietary consumer and marketplace data.
“It was important for us to continue our partnership with vAuto,” says Robert Rath, V-P of dealership products and business development at TRADER.
“Since the beginning, we’ve seen exponential growth in product adoption, and the dealers who use vAuto have seen remarkable results, including a 30 per cent reduction in the average days in inventory. vAuto provides major financial benefits to a dealer.”
As part of the renewed partnership, both companies are in discussions to introduce new initiatives in the coming months. The first product set for Canadian release is the launch of vAuto’s Subprime Booking tool.
That technology assists dealers in sourcing subprime inventory to meet the demands of credit-challenged customers.
“Subprime is an area of business that tends to be overlooked, but in the grand scheme of things dealers could be losing significant sales and F&I profit every month on subprime vehicle sales,” says Rath.
The company also says TRADER will host an exclusive event featuring vAuto founder Dale Pollak sometime this fall.
Pollak will share his forward-thinking insights and inventory management best practices for Canadian dealers.
More information on the event schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
There is no word on whether addition vAuto products currently available to U.S. dealers will cross the border.


text:
Hyperglycemic warfare: Coca Cola-funded group undermined China’s anti-obesity efforts
A group posing as a health organization but funded by Coca Cola and other fast food and drinks companies sought to undermine the Chinese government’s anti-obesity efforts, a new paper claims.
As China’s middle class swells and its citizens get a taste of the good life, their waistlines have also expanded. 42 percent of the Chinese population are overweight and 11 percent obese. Meanwhile, western fast food chains have set up franchises at a breakneck pace. McDonalds plans to have 4,500 restaurants in China by 2022, adding around 1,000 outlets per year. KFC – China’s most popular fast food restaurant – already has 5,000 outlets and plans to keep expanding.
The Chinese government has noticed the bulge, and announced a public health blueprint, ‘Healthy China 2030’, two years ago. Among the blueprint’s recommendations are a nationwide information campaign to educate the population on the importance of a balanced, healthy diet.
Behind the scenes, western fast food giants were already hard at work deflecting blame from themselves. The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), set up in 1978 by a former Coke executive, organized obesity conferences around China, where speakers overemphasized the importance of physical activity in fighting fatness, and downplayed the role of diet, according to a paper published this week by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
While Coke provides most of the ILSI’s funding, its other contributors are a rogues' gallery of junk food hawkers and sugar merchants. McDonalds, Nestlé and Pepsi all fund the ILSI, and the organization’s Chinese branch enjoys close ties to the Chinese government, the paper claims.
Indeed, several of the government’s anti-obesity initiatives appear to have been directly influenced by the ILSI. ‘Happy 10 Minutes’ – a government exercise program that sought to ward off obesity by giving Chinese schoolchildren an extra ten minute break every day – was developed and partly funded by the ILSI.
Likewise, the government’s ‘Healthy Lifestyles for all Action’ campaign was touted by the ILSI’s funders as their favored kind of public health campaign.
More ridiculously, the ILSI sponsored conferences promoting the health benefits of processed food, according to the BMJ report. Danone Biscuit supported a 2004 symposium – on the health effects of dietary fat, while a Coca Cola spokeswoman gave a presentation on the “importance of water as a nutrient,” making sure to point out that her company’s beverage – which contains seven teaspoons of sugar per can – is “a fine source of water.”
While the idea may seem laughable, more so at an anti-obesity conference, the ILSI was able to promote its ideas partly because of the perception among Chinese officials that Chinese medicine and nutrition science were backward, and lagged behind that of the West, the BMJ report claims. As a western organization, the ILSI was automatically considered credible and, since opening shop in China in 1999, rapidly became “a bridge builder between government, academia and industry.”
The organization responded to the BMJ report with an admission: “ILSI does not profess to have been perfect in our 40-year history,” it said. “Not surprisingly, there have been bumps along the way.” The organization said it has fired several of its ‘experts’ mentioned in the BMJ article, but the Chinese government is still struggling to stay on top of its growing obesity problem.
The country now has more obese citizens than the US, although the US still 'wins' the percentages game, with 39 percent of adults obese and another 31 percent overweight. In an era of increased competition between the two nations, Chinese lawmakers might need to take stronger steps to trim down its population, before they get too fat to compete on the sports field, or the battlefield.


text:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Walt Disney Company agreed Tuesday, October 30th to buy Lucasfilm in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $4 billion.
The deal will make Lucasfilm owner George Lucas a significant shareholder in Disney, which will pay for the film company with $2 billion cash and around 40 million shares of its stock.
The takeover will give Disney control of Lucasfilm's blockbuster Star Wars franchise, which encompasses both filmed productions and a massive merchandising operation. Disney will also absorb Lucasfilm's special-effects production business, Industrial Light and Magic, and its Skywalker Sound audio production studio.
"It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers," George Lucas said in a written statement. "I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."
Lucas said he will work as a creative consultant on Star Wars Episode 7, the first of a planned new trilogy of live-action Star Wars movies. It is targeted for release in 2015, Disney said.
"The film is in what I'll call early-stage development right now," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on a conference call with analysts. Lucas did not join him on the call.
Disney hopes to essentially relaunch the Star Wars film franchise, which had its last installment in 2005 with Revenge of the Sith. Following the three planned sequels, the company envisions releasing even more Star Wars movies at a rate of a new film every two to three years.
Future movies may not be sequels but movies that focus on fringe characters. Disney also believes there is potential for a television series.
"Disney respects and understands -- perhaps better than anyone else -- the importance of iconic characters," Iger said.
Disney's Lucasfilm purchase is the culmination of transition plans Lucas began forming several years ago as he "began contemplating a form of retirement," Iger said. "He and I started talking about a year and half ago but only decided pretty recently that this is something we both wanted to do."
Disney executives repeatedly drew parallels between the Lucasfilm deal and the company's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, which also cost $4 billion.
Both studios operate entertainment franchises that can support a steady series of tentpole movies and fuel ancillary merchandising, theme park and other revenue streams, executives said.
They also cited the past precedent of Pixar, which Disney purchased in 2006. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Pixar's creator, became Disney's largest shareholder, with a stake that dwarfs Lucas' planned share. Steve Jobs' family trust now controls his nearly 8% share of the company.
In valuing Lucasfilm, Disney focused almost entirely on the Star Wars franchise, company executives said.
"We didn't ascribe any value to the Indiana Jones franchise because of the encumbrances that exist," Iger said, referring to Paramount Pictures' ongoing stake in the series it has distributed.
News Corp. unit 20th Century Fox has been Star Wars' distributor until now. It retains some rights to past films but has no stake in Disney's planned future installments, company executives said.
Kathleen Kennedy, current co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become president of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Lucasfilm employees will remain based at the company's San Francisco headquarters.
How active will Lucas be involved in shaping future Star Wars films? Iger's answer to that question: "It's his intent to retire."
That will come as a relief to some of the fans who flocked to sites like Twitter, where #DisneyStarWars quickly became a trending topic.
One analyst on Disney's conference call shared their mixed emotions.
"I can say, Bob, that you're risking the wrath of the entire Internet," he told Iger. "But, I dunno, I'm excited."


text:
Snoop Dogg is effortlessly balancing the tightrope of street-cred and financial wizardry. The old school rapper never seems to age and is possibly cooler than he ever was. In fact, it seems his 90s pot-head persona has been upgraded to a grownup version, but no less likeable.
Snoop Dogg has an engaging personality and appeals to people of all ages, from all walks of life. He’s funny, down to earth, and clearly has a knack for spotting lucrative business opportunities when they pass by. Above all, his savvy investment prowess is glowing brightly as many start-ups he helped fund are well on their way to stardom.
When choosing whether to invest or endorse a company, Tha Doggfather has a checklist. First and foremost, it must be a quality product. He looks for innovation, solid management, and of course the potential for a decent return on investment.
He certainly appears to have made some excellent choices along the way.
So, let’s dive into some of Snoop Dogg’s savvy investments that are elevating his money-spinning wealth generation to new levels.
King of pot stocks
Cannabis stocks are enjoying a rebound into must-buy status. Snoop Dogg’s riding the crest of this wave from several angles thanks to Casa Verde Capital, an investment firm he co-founded in 2015. Furthermore, Casa Verde is a venture capital firm focusing exclusively on the cannabis industry.
The VC’s portfolio spans a selection of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and company fundraises. The fund raised $45 million in 2018, which it reinvested. Its great success since then meant it could open a second fund worth $100 million in December 2020.
Incredibly, the fund’s portfolio is now worth at least $200 million and includes the following innovative start-ups:
Proper, Metrc, Dutchie, Bespoke Financial, Vangst, Leaflink, OCT, Indose, Greentank, Miss Grass, Eaze, Merry Jane, Cargocast, Cannalysis, and Trellis.
Snoop Dogg loves cannabis – Photographer: Esteban Lopez | Source: Unsplash
Cannabis is an industry with a growing user base as states and countries move to legalise, particularly for medical needs. But it’s also becoming increasingly competitive to operate in, and consolidation is beginning to take shape. Research firm Cowen sees US total available market demand reaching $34 billion or more by 2025.
It seems, Snoop Dogg’s outstanding track record in the cannabis sector is easily on a par with cannabis ETF guru Dan Ahrens.
See the end of this article for a run-down on Casa Verde Capital’s investments.
Snoop Dogg’s side hustles and income streams
Aside from this lucrative selection of pot stocks, Snoop Dogg is invested in several side hustles of his own.
Before getting serious about his investments, he dabbled in many areas. Often in partnership with his brother Bing. Specifically, these include skateboards, malt liquor, foot-long hot dogs, Doggy Biscuitz shoes, scooters, mobile phone accessories, streetwear, and apps. He even went so far as to create an adult film produced by Hustler.
His entrepreneurial spirit has been firing his creativity since day one and he’s never been shy of trying new tricks to get him noticed. In 2007, he was the first star to release a track, It’s the D.O.G., as a ringtone before releasing it as a single.
In 2013, his unique spin on digital stickers through the launch of his Snoopify app earned him a pretty penny. This allowed users to buy digital stickers featuring his face, joints, walrus hat and other random items to stick on their photos. It even included an animated sticker of a joint called the Golden Jay, which sold for nearly $100 a pop. This cult app was bringing in $30k a week by 2015.
Snoop Dogg was an early investor in Reddit in 2014. This was part of a Series B funding round which raised $50 million and valued the business at $500 million . Fast forward to 2021 and Reddit was recently valued at $6 billion! This popular online discussion platform is going places.
He invested in Eaze the same year and set up Merry Jane, his cannabis digital media business.
Leafs by Snoop
Leafs by Snoop launched in 2015, and is distributed through Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC). The LBS brand includes marijuana flowers, concentrates and edibles.
He recently commented:
“Leafs By Snoop is truly the first mainstream cannabis brand in the world and proud to be a pioneer. LBS is blazing a trail for the industry.”
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) November 10, 2015
Leafs by Snoop launched in 2015
Other than the obvious music memorabilia, Snoop Dogg merchandise also includes vape pens, rolling papers, rolling tray and cradle, grinder, lighter, roach, bong, sunglasses, clothes, wine, slippers and much more.
And the emboldened character shows no signs of slowing down.
Gangsta Gaming League
In 2019, Snoop Dogg ventured into the video game business, creating an Esports league in 2019, in partnership with Merry Jane. Naming it the “Gangsta Gaming League” it debuted with a Madden NFL 19 tournament featuring eight of Snoop’s closest gaming friends, battling for the title of “Top Dogg” and a slice of an $11,000 prize pool.
Venturing into the Plant-Based Foods arena
Snoop Dogg helped promote Beyond Meat through its IPO period. It had the advantage of being the first vegan meat brand to publicly launch and its share price soared 163% on day one. Snoop took part in several adverts, promotional stunts, social media profile-raisers and product launches.
This led to Snoop creating his very own sandwich. Named the Beyond D-O-Double G Sandwich, it featured a Beyond Meat patty with egg and cheese between two glazed donut halves. On the day of the sandwich unveiling the Beyond Meat share price rose 20%.
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) January 13, 2020
Beyond D-O-DOUBLE G, only @Dunkindonuts @Beyondmeat
He’s conscious of healthy eating and although not a full-blown vegan, he does advocate for plant-based foods and encourages his family to eat plant-based too.
Snoop Dogg promotes Beyond Meat
Snoop Dogg commented:
“I’ve always known about the benefits of CBD and THC, long before it became popular. Adding more plant-based foods and veggies into my life only elevated what I already knew,”
Wine and snacks
Last year his investments continued to expand as he launched a debut wine in collaboration with 19 Crimes, an Australian brand. The label features Snoop Dogg’s face and the limited edition run included “Snoop Cali Red” and “Snoop Cali Rosé”.
He also invested in vegan food company Outstanding Foods, for which he’s heavily promoted their Pigless Pork Rinds.
Snoop’s even getting into Hydroponics with his Premium Nutrients range of plant food to encourage rapid shoot development and growth.
“I have a long-time passion for the best quality plants and have come to learn that you only get quality out if you put quality in. This is why I reached out to scientists worldwide who could formulate a line of nutrients, using only high-quality liquid ingredients that deliver exactly what plants need. Now that you’re using SNOOP’S PREMIUM NUTRIENTS, get ready for PREMIUM yields and quality.”
He’s been a seed investor in Philz Coffee, a customized US coffeehouse chain offering subscriptions, customized blends, and real-life coffee shops. GameOn Technology, a team of digital designers powering conversational AI for brands to get an edge on competitors. Convoz, an app for creating public collaborative conversation through video. And HOOKED, a mobile media company using AI to create hit content. It’s attempting to redefine entertainment for the Snapchat generation.
Further to this, recent successes include his early stakes in Klarna And Robinhood.
Klarna wears the European crown
Swedish Fintech Klarna, has exploded to prominence in the past year, allowing consumers to take finance on absolutely anything with its interest-free buy now, pay later phenomenon.
After achieving revenues exceeding $1 billion in 2020, it’s achieved the title of Europe’s highest-valued private fintech at $10.6bn (£7.6bn). And it’s now rumoured to be looking to IPO later this year.
Fashion group H&M invested $20 million in Klarna in 2018, while Macy’s, and Snoop Dogg, are also early stage investors.
Robinhood should boost Snoop Dogg’s bank balance
The GameStop (NYSE:GME) controversy that kicked off in January, hasn’t damaged Robinhood’s reputation in the way many feared. In fact, it’s just raised its profile and enhanced the likelihood of a successful Robinhood IPO. A recent SEC filing confirmed it will list on the NASDAQ and it’s now likely the company could fetch an astronomical valuation of $50 billion.
But that’s not all, Robinhood is yet again attempting to democratize the finance industry, by transitioning its platform to change the way investors take part in IPOs. It hopes to build a facility that will allow its users to buy shares in an IPO before they start trading. Starting with its own IPO, but hopefully offering the same option to other company IPOs in the future.
Snoop Dogg first invested in Robinhood way back in 2014, in a $13 million Series A funding round. Consequently, this means he got in when it was worth a miniscule fraction of what it could be worth at IPO. Being one of the very first people to see the potential, it may be safe to assume he’s made 100 times his money on this single investment.
Snoop and Martha
Over the years, Snoop Dogg has cultivated a questionable friendship with celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart.
It’s beginning to look a lot like cocktails! ?
— Martha & Snoop (@MarthaAndSnoop) December 23, 2020
Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg make cocktails
The two co-host a cooking show together, Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party. It involves cookery demonstrations, cocktail making, games and music. They get along very well and are a hit with viewers.
In 2019 Martha Stewart created a line of CBD products for his Leafs by Snoop cannabis product line. She recently launched her own line under his guidance.
Snoop Dogg’s personal life
Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., the Snoop Dogg name came from his childhood nickname of ‘Snoopy’ after the cartoon character. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident from a very young age as he took a newspaper round, sold candy, and bagged groceries to help support his family.
His early life was happy and filled with love and friendship. He enjoyed going to church, playing football and entertaining school friends with his confident rapping. But he hit a rough patch in his teens getting caught up in gang culture. This led to three years of intermittent jail time and troubles.
Nevertheless, his musical talent was noticed, and he got his first shot at stardom in 1992 when featuring on Dr. Dre’s debut solo single and album. Thus, saving him from a life of crime. Doggystyle, his own first solo album, was produced the following year by Dr. Dre.
“When I rapped in the hallways at school, I would draw such a big crowd that the principal would think there was a fight going on. It made me begin to realize that I had a gift. I could tell that my raps interested people and that made me interested in myself.”
To date, Snoop Dogg has sold over 35 million albums worldwide and 23 million albums in the US. With his ultra-smooth, laid-back delivery, he’s become a popular TV host and commentator.
Back in 2018, Snoop Dogg achieved the pinnacle of distinction when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The born-again Christian also coaches a youth football league in LA and high-school football team.
Snoop’s net worth is reportedly around $150 million, but contemplating all his business interests, this seems to severly underestimate the value of his many investments. With his fingers in so many pies, it seems he could be well on his way to becoming a Billionaire. There’s no doubt, this entertainment icon knows a good thing when he sees it. So it’s well worth watching Snoop Dogg for the next great investment opportunity to jump on.
Casa Verde Cannabis Investments:
The American rapper and media personality has invested in all these cannabis related companies via his Casa Verde Capital VC firm:
Proper develops and sells sleep supplements, including a hemp based one. It also sells sleep coaching solutions.
Metrc (Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance) is a digital software platform state-mandated for end-to-end tracking of the cannabis supply chain, from seed to sale. Its credible regulatory frameworks and tools allow the government to efficiently monitor and enforce compliance.
Dutchie is a platform helping cannabis dispensaries get online. It’s creating a unique and pleasant user experience while mapping dispensaries throughout the united states. It’s also creating an all-in-one database of pot products and educational resources. It recently acquired Greenbits, another Casa Verde backed venture. Dutchie just raised $200 million, valuing it at over $1 billion. Read all about it in our previous Dutchie article.
Bespoke Financial is a financial lender for cannabis companies, such as the dispensaries and growers that struggle to get financial help because banks are not regulated to do so yet. It’s founded by an ex Goldman Sachs banker and two agriculture entrepreneurs.
Vangst is a recruitment company solely focused on the cannabis industry.
Leaflink is a wholesale marketplace for cannabis products.
OCT (Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies) is a biotech researching cannabinoid-based medicines.
Indose is a technology company, the first medicinal device that measures dosage in medicinal cannabis products.
Miss Grass is a digital magazine with its own cannabis branded merchandise. This is a female led powerhouse, on a mission to blend female empowerment with plant-based wellness.
Greentank makes the hardware for stylish and covetable cannabis products. This includes vape pens with customizations for mouthpieces, chargers, and packaging options.
Eaze is similar to Dutchie, in that it’s a marketplace selling pot and other cannabis products from dispensaries. But it specialises on the distribution front, with 20-minute delivery times and a one-stop-shop, rather than Dutchie’s go-local.
Merry Jane is Snoop Dogg’s very own media platform for all things weed-related.
Cargocast is a digital platform, optimising warehouse and workforce using the internet of things location data. It can keep track of packages and pinpoint location within a two-foot radius.
Cannalysis operates a cannabis testing laboratory to meet or exceed state-level compliance standards.
Trellis is a cannabis inventory management software start-up.


text:
Triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth and partnerships with businesses, wireless carriers, and technology companies help Hiya make its first appearance on prestigious list
Hiya, the leading call performance management cloud, today announced it is ranked No. 86 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America now in its 26th year. Hiya ranked 21st out of 128 winning companies based in the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley.
“While we’ve grown a lot, we know there’s so much more we can accomplish. We can’t wait to continue to bring innovative technology to our customers and create a better voice experience for everyone.”
This is Hiya’s first year of eligibility and first appearance on the list, following four consecutive years of triple-digit revenue growth. More than 150 million people across the globe now use Hiya’s services every month through its partnerships with businesses, carriers, and technology partners.
“It’s amazing to see the growth of our company over the past four years. This is great recognition for the hard work of our employees and the support of our customers during that time,” said Alex Algard, CEO at Hiya. “While we’ve grown a lot, we know there’s so much more we can accomplish. We can’t wait to continue to bring innovative technology to our customers and create a better voice experience for everyone.”
Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 award is the latest in a series of awards for Hiya in 2020. Earlier this year, Hiya was named one of the Best Startup Employers by Forbes, the Best Companies to Work For by Seattle Business Magazine, and the Best Places to Work by Built In Seattle.
Hiya is trusted by global businesses, carriers and consumers to provide secure, engaging connections and stop unwanted calls. Built on the world’s leading Voice Performance Platform, Hiya connects businesses with their customers, helps carriers secure their networks, and protects people from spam and fraud calls. Hiya’s SaaS applications, Hiya Connect and Hiya Protect, serve more than 150 million users, power services like AT&T Call Protect and Samsung Smart Call, and deliver voice performance insights to businesses across the globe.
About Deloitte’s 2020 Technology Fast 500™
Now in its 26th year, Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies — both public and private — in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2016 to 2019.
In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company's operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $US50,000, and current-year operating revenues of at least $US5 million. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of four years and be headquartered within North America.
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the “Deloitte” name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
November 18, 2020


text:
Enterprise mobility company, Good Technology is recruiting three top executives, Dan Stoks, Lynn Lucas and Cheryln Chin from Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems and Motorola Mobility respectively.
Dan Stoks will join as chief revenue officer (CRO), Lynn Lucas as chief marketing officer (CMO) and Cheryln Chin as operations senior vice president. The trio will add more than 60 years of experience in strategic marketing, sales and channel programs to the company.
Christy Wyatt, chief executive of Good, said the company is focusing on designing a new secure mobility platform for the cloud-enabled workforce. "These additions to the executive team build on deep enterprise software and mobility expertise at Good," she said.
The new additions are in line with the company's expansion plans as it prepares for a reported IPO later this year. According to familiar sources, Morgan Stanley, Barclays PLC, Bank of America and Citigroup Inc are said to be working on the deal.
The Sunnyvale-based company is expected to be valued at over US$1 billion at the IPO.
Good is used by more than 3800 organizations worldwide, including eight of the top 10 financial services firms and five of the top 10 healthcare organizations in the Fortune 100 to securely collaborate and manage their information on mobile devices.
Stoks, who has more than 25 years of experience in sales and consulting for mobility, security and big data said he is drawn to Good's technology platform as it supports a global customer base for secure mobile collaboration and data sharing.
Lucas, the newly appointed CMO, expressed her excitement in joining the mobility forefront team. "With analysts predicting that smartphone and tablet shipments will reach a billion units worldwide this year, I'm excited about the opportunity in the marketplace for Good and our customers," she said.
Cheryln Chin, Senior Vice President, Operations
Chin, with more than 20 years of business development experience under her belt said she is impressed with Good's ability to execute and scale BYOD and secure mobile computing.
Sign up for CIO Asia eNewsletters.


text:
Commentary: Don't meddle with yuan
( 2003-09-02 07:12) (China Daily)
The presidential election campaign in the United States is certainly one of the most influential political dramas in the world. But it is often unpleasant to be thrust into having to play a role in it.
China's currency, unfortunately, is in a position of finding itself involved in the finger-wagging sessions that accompany this essentially American saga.
Politicians and pressure groups representing the interests of US workers in some manufacturing industries have been trying to draw presidential candidates' attention to the Chinese currency, known as the yuan or renminbi.
Their argument is -- China has been manipulating the yuan to keep it at a low value. China's aim, they allege, is to help Chinese-based exporters, whose inexpensive products have made lots of American workers jobless.
The critics that believe China manipulates the yuan's value assume that every currency in the world should be floated in the market.
This assumption itself is porous.
In fact, most developing countries and even some of the developed economies do not fully float their currencies.
Many have a pronounced peg to a strong currency -- the US dollar, in most cases -- and the others allow their currency to float within a set range.
Which system a country chooses is a matter to be decided by the nation itself. It is fair. No international agreement forbids that.
In fact, China has been moving towards a market-oriented foreign exchange administration system. It used to set an unchanged exchange rate. Now it enforces the range it favours by selling or buying foreign currencies at the market.
It is true that the yuan's exchange rate follows very closely with the US dollar's value. But the intention for doing this is to avoid uncertainties for its economy rather than to seek an unfair competitive edge for its exports.
During the late 1990s, when the US dollar strengthened, the renminbi rose in tandem with it. When many Asian currencies devalued in the depths of the 1997-99 financial crisis, the yuan's rate also remained unchanged.
China's financial officials made it clear they would give the yuan's exchange rate more flexibility to cope with changes in the trade sector after the country joined the World Trade Organization in late 2001.
But the unfavourable conditions in the world economy since 2001 and the September 11 attacks again have delayed the process.
But what will happen if China allows the renminbi to appreciate now?
Will American manufacturers, who cry hardest on the issue, benefit from a revalued yuan?
The competitiveness of China's manufactured products mainly comes from the country's low labour cost. According to calculation by the World Labour Organization, China's labour cost in manufacturing industry is just 2.2 per cent of the US figure.
Even if the renminbi appreciates by 100 per cent against the US dollar, the Chinese goods' competitiveness relative to their American equivalent is still there. But products from other places in the world, whose labour costs used to be a bit higher than China's, may replace Chinese exports to the United States.
So a revalued renminbi really will not do much for the US economy, and may only make many consumer goods in the US market more expensive.
On the Chinese side, a more expensive renminbi will artificially hurt the competitiveness of China's exports and smash the rice bowls of the workers whose livelihoods rely on trade. (Maybe Americans have forgotten that China also has its own workers, who are much poorer than their American peers.)
There are still no instruments for hedging risks from a fluctuating renminbi, so an unreasonable adjustment of the currency's value will rock Chinese enterprises and the entire economy, which is among the few engines in the world economy still running in high gear and creating growing markets for the rest of the world's economies.
With speculation favouring an appreciating renminbi now at such a fever pitch, allowing a bigger trading band for the currency at the moment will add more pressure for the renminbi to go up further.
A more undesirable consequence might be the impression that international browbeating can effectively mandate China's forex policy.
Then, the next time some international dignitary says something about the renminbi, market players will follow his or her comments and put pressure on the currency in the direction.
Should China now give in to pressure only to face the dire consequence later?
|.contact us |.about us
|Copyright By chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved


text:
French cable operator Numericable has launched a new on demand service that will bring subscribers over 2,000 movies, sports, documentaries, concerts and sports events. Le Vidéo Club will be available to any subscriber that has the latest decoder CableBox or its HD equivalent.
Individual titles can be purchased from €0.99, recent movies will cost €3.99, and two episodes from popular series cost €2.99.
Content for Le Vidéo Club is being drawn from a number of well known sources. The list is headed by the Canal+ on demand service Cineplay and also includes Shorts TV, MTV, cultural channel Arte, manga animation through Kaze TV, Ma Chaîne Sport and music from I-Concerts.


text:
Tax relief could be on the way to Michigan businesses and homeowners, under a new proposal.
Under the proposal, businesses in Michigan would pay no taxes.
Individuals would pay only property taxes and a higher sales tax.
The proposal could be on the November 2008 ballot.
Before that happens, 2/3 of the House and the Senate would have to approve the proposed Constitutional Amendment.
Those in favor of the bill say, it would help boost Michigan business.


text:
Arrowhead Mezzanine has raised at least $118 million towards a reported target of $500 million, according to documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. The $118 million includes a $3 million commitment from the general partner, according to the filing.
Arrowhead typically invests between $10 million and $100 million per deal. The firm specialises in the consumer products, value-added distribution, business services, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, packaging and chemical industries.
The filing lists managing directors Mary Gay, Phillip Krall, Craig Pisani and Paul Horton as executive directors of the fund. Placement agent Park Hill Group is listed as having received sales compensation.
Arrowhead spun out of Gleacher & Co. in 2010, according to reports. An SEC filing for Gleacher Mezzanine Fund II lists Gay and Krall as general partners. That fund had generated a 1.13x total value multiple as of 31 May, according to New Jersey Division of Investment documents.
The firm has partnered with several prominent mid-market private equity firms on deals, including Brockway Moran & Partners, Trilantic Capital Partners, Madison Dearborn, TA Associates and CCMP Capital Advisors.
Arrowhead did not respond to a request for comment.


text:
Niagara Bottling Plans Hammond, Louisiana, Production Plant
The highly automated 500,000-square-foot facility will contain advanced equipment and technology that will increase production efficiency to allow the company to meet growing demand, according to state officials. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2023.
“Niagara Bottling is grounded in principles that put strong business and community relationships first, and we look forward to deepening our connection with Tangipahoa Parish through the establishment of this facility,” said Niagara Bottling Executive Vice President Brian Hess. “Louisiana has a rich beverage manufacturing history, and Tangipahoa Parish stood out as a highly attractive partner for this project thanks to a combination of location, logistical support and potential workforce.”
To secure the project, the state of Louisiana offered Niagara a competitive incentive package featuring the comprehensive solutions of LED FastStart.
“Niagara’s new production facility will help grow Louisiana’s food and beverage industry while continuing to diversify and strengthen our thriving manufacturing sector,” Governor John Bel Edwards noted. “Manufacturing jobs have a powerful ripple effect on our economy, so the 170 new job opportunities this project creates will benefit not only Tangipahoa Parish but the entire Southeast Region.”
The incentive package also includes a performance-based $750,000 award through the Economic Development Award Program to support site infrastructure improvements. In addition, the company is expected to participate in the Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
“The growth of our region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector continues with the expansion of Niagara into the market, and furthers a vision for the North Shore to evolve into a logistics and distribution hub,” added Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “This announcement follows an extensive multi-state search, where company leadership found Tangipahoa Parish to demonstrate a business case that couldn’t be rivaled. Our region’s workforce will benefit from these emerging career opportunities, and resulting advantages of increased commerce taking place in our backyards.”
Headquartered in Diamond Bar, California, Niagara supplies some of the largest beverage brands, retailers, grocers and convenience stores in the U.S. with a variety of beverages, including sparkling, vitamin and flavored waters, teas, sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, protein drinks, non-dairy milk products and bottled water. The company operates more than 40 production facilities with over 7,000 employees worldwide.
"Working with Niagara Bottling Company over the past several months has truly been a team effort,” Tangipahoa Parish Executive Director of Economic Development Ginger Cangelosi said. “Every arm of Tangipahoa Parish government along with all of our ancillary services moved together to find the best solutions to land this project here. Niagara Bottling is a solid, well-established company that values quality, integrity, hard work and great customer service. We are proud and excited to welcome them to Tangipahoa Parish and look forward to continuing to support them long-term as they build and grow here."
2022 Top States for Doing Business Provide an Environment for Business Growth
Location Factors in the EV Industry — “Mission Critical” or “Nice to Have”?
2022 Auto/Aero Site Guide
Three Big Challenges Facing the Food & Beverage Industry
How Are Economic Developers Partnering to Solve Workforce Challenges?
36th Annual Corporate Survey: Executives Focus on Labor, Energy, Shipping Costs
Fixing the Supply Chain with AI and Robotics
18th Annual Consultants Survey: Access to Major Markets and Skilled Labor Are Clients’ Primary Concerns


text:
The Google Pixel 8 series is only a day away from its official reveal, with Google planning to unveil its latest flagship phones at the Made by Google 2023 event. It begins at 7 am PT / 10 am ET / 3pm GMT.
However, key info has leaked the day prior about Google’s Tensor G3 processor. Google has never boasted the strongest chips in the game, especially when compared to the iPhone, but preliminary performance metrics showcase a big boost in power.
Google Tensor G3 benchmarks leaked
YouTuber M. Brandon Lee has published an early hands-on with the Google Pixel 8 Pro, offering hardware information alongside Geekbench 6 performance scores. While we’re not far off from testing these phones ourselves, let's get right into these test results.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s Geekbench 6 scores were 1,760 for single-core and 4,442 for multi-core. Compared to the Pixel 7 Pro’s 1,407 single-core and 3,385 multi-core, this is a rather decent jump in performance.
EXCLUSIVE: Google Pixel 8 Pro Hardware information. https://t.co/ESwLhJLjni pic.twitter.com/83kDyFyCP5October 2, 2023
Through our own tests, however, the iPhone 15 Pro managed a multi-core score of 7,194 and single-core score of 2,890 with its A17 Pro. We still won’t have solidified performance scores until we do our own tests with the Pixel 8, but there is still a considerable gap between the two smartphones from these preliminary tests.
These two phones also feature a massive difference in price. If we compare the rumored $899 cost for the Pixel 8 Pro to the $899 iPhone 15 Plus, we can put their performance against one another with more fairness. While the iPhone 15 Plus’ multi-core score of 6,280 and single-core score of 2,551 is not quite as good as the Pro models, it’s still significantly better than what Google can offer.
As mentioned earlier in the article, this isn’t surprising. Google has never boasted the fastest processor, so it’s not like we were expecting the company to suddenly compete against Apple’s latest flagship phones. While we still have to perform our own tests on the Pixel 8 series, we expect it’ll be mostly accurate to what we’ve seen from these early results.
Stay in the know with Laptop Mag
Get our in-depth reviews, helpful tips, great deals, and the biggest news stories delivered to your inbox.
Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Momo finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Momo is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.


text:
Back to Mobile View
AOL.com Search Video - In Store 3d Printers
Make AOL My Homepage
Find a video
in store 3d printers|12|1
1 - 12
3D Heights Offers First Corner Store Appro...
3D printing can sound, well, complex. Even if you have something you'd like to print, where should you go to get it modeled? And if you'd like to buy ...
June 25, 2014
UPS Testing In-Store 3D Printing in San Di...
UPS announced Wednesday it will start offering in-store 3D printing to customers in San Diego. The idea is aimed at small business owners and startups...
August 02, 2013
CraftBot 3D Is Another Take On Making An A...
You wait ages for an affordable 3D printer and then two come along at once. Mota 3D’s Kickstarter campaign's goal is to raise $100,000 to get a fully ...
July 09, 2014
Mota $99 3D Printer: Too Good To Be True
An affordable yet high quality consumer 3D printer has turned out too good to be true, surprising...no one at all. Mota recently pulled its Kickstarte...
July 29, 2014
The Space Station Is Getting Its First 3D ...
The first 3D printer ever to fly in space will blast off this month, and NASA has high hopes for the innovative device's test runs on the Internationa...
September 04, 2014
Six-Year-Old Gets Prosthetic Arm From 3D P...
INSIDE EDITION was there as six-year-old Alex received his first prosthetic arm thanks to amazing new technology from a 3D printer.
October 09, 2014
Man Uses 3D Printer To Turn Kids Into Supe...
It started as a business venture but turned into making a difference for some kids in need. Using a 3D printer, a Michigan man is making prosthetic ha...
September 12, 2014
3D Printer Set to Be Installed Aboard Inte...
Astronauts will soon be taking delivery of a 3D printer for testing and practical use aboard the International Space Station.
September 21, 2014
First 3D Printer That Works in Zero Gravit...
Silicon Valley startup Made In Space shoots for the moon with a 3D printer that's heading for the International Space Station. CNET's Sumi Das explain...
September 19, 2014
The Zortrax M200 Is The Underdog 3D Printe...
TechCrunch has been following Zortrax for years. This small Polish upstart gathered some interesting PR when they first launched and they’ve built a f...
October 16, 2014
PrintToPeer Networks Your 3D Printer So Yo...
Calgary-based PrintToPeer is a crowdfunded project aimed at networking open-source and commercial 3D printers in one location or around the world, the...
May 09, 2014
Microscopic 3D Printer Has Wide-Ranging Ap...
Montreal's McGill University is the first in the world to buy a new type of microscopic 3D printer. Potential applications include faster computer pro...
April 25, 2014
Cost Of Thanksgiving Travel Up 17 Percent
Lindsay Lohan Denies Rumours That She's...
Celebrities Celebrate Another Way to Get to LA
Back to Top
Help & Feedback
About Our Ads
© 2014 AOL Inc.
All Rights Reserved.


text:
Police in Rosenheim in the German state of Bavaria raided a Lidl supermarket last week, seizing THC- and CBD-free food products made from industrial hemp, and prompting the German-owned international grocery chain to suspend sales.
Lidl had been advertising a range of 21 products such as “cannabis cookies,” “cannabis energy drinks,” and “hash brownies,” apparently drawing police attention, according to Abend Zeitung, which first reported the raid. Lidl confirmed the incident to Germany’s Cannabis Business Industry Association (BvCW), which criticized the police action.
“It is a positive signal that a large discounter is showing interest in hemp food,” said Marijn Roersch van der Hoogte, Vice President and Departmental Coordinator for Industrial Hemp & Food at BvCW.
“But the fact that after 25 years there are increasing controls and reprisals against food suppliers for harmless hemp products clearly shows that the police and public prosecutors are interpreting the existing laws more and more restrictively without need,” Roersch van der Hoogte said.
Police said the products seized are undergoing analysis at a laboratory of the State Criminal Police Office in Munich, which could take several weeks. The discounter is apparently taking the range off the shelves for now but it is unclear if that removal is nationwide across Germany. Lidl is reported to have sourced roughly 1.5 million units of the products in a deal with a supplier.
“These measures still breathe the spirit of a long-outdated ban policy,” Roersch van der Hoogte said. “Tax money is wasted and the domestic economy is damaged.”
German CBD sellers have repeatedly been targeted by local police – particularly in Bavaria – often facing criminal charges. But the seizure of products that contain no CBD and no THC ramps up the conflict between law enforcement agencies and hemp food producers.
“In the last two years we’ve experienced an unimaginable arbitrariness of the authorities when it comes to hemp and CBD products,” said Daniel Kruse, CEO at Hempro International GmbH, which successfully sued the city of Düsseldorf last year, leading to the lifting of a ban on the marketing and sales of products containing CBD in natural extract form.
“This partly affects the whole of Europe, but Germany, in particular, is the sad frontrunner in this respect,” said Kruse, who is also President of the European Industrial Hemp Association.
“There is an urgent need for a scientifically based approach in the development of guidelines and limits for THC in food, and commercial hemp should be deleted from the BtMG (Germany’s Narcotics Act),” Kruse said.
Jürgen Neumeyer, BvCW ‘s managing director, said crackdowns by regional authorities have been “disproportionate and superfluous.”
“It clearly shows that clarification is required at the legislative level,” Neumeyer said.
“Our goal is clear: industrial hemp must finally get out of the Narcotics Act,” added Neumeyer. “It’s good that the general election is coming soon.”
BvCW said it is currently querying Germany’s political parties on a wide range of issues affecting cannabis, including funding, research, narcotics laws, CBD, medical cannabis and trade.


text:
Middle East Economic Survey
Market Remains Tight Due To Old Fashioned Supply Squeeze, Says CGES
Oil markets are tight because they have been subjected to a good old fashioned supply squeeze over many quarters, the Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES) concluded in the latest issue of its Monthly Oil Report, released on 21 November. The London-based consultancy said the squeeze was the result of the combination of much stronger than expected global demand in the...
Please log in to read the rest of this story.
You may purchase access to entire MEES digital archives by subscribing. This subscription gives you access to all the content of MEES digital archives up to 1978!


text:
Tickets for Vision Live at Vicar Street will be released today for lots of popular music and comedy acts set to hit the stage at the legendary venue next month.
At noon, tickets will be available for all October shows, which will be at 60 per cent capacity for vaccinated attendees, as per current guidelines.
Vision Live at Vicar Street
Tickets for the likes of Damien Dempsey, Villagers, Ardal O'Hanlon, Jason Byrne, Tony Cantwell and Des Bishop go on sale at noon today.
This follows September and early October dates featuring Christy Moore, Tommy Tiernan, Jason Byrne, Ardal O'Hanlon, Foil Arms & Hog and Enya Martin, which went on sale yesterday.
There is already very low availability for several of the gigs next week, despite tickets being on sale for less than 24 hours.
Vision Live at Vicar Street will see the iconic Dublin comedy and events venue reopen for the first time since the pandemic began.
Shows will be fully seated at 60 per cent capacity, based on current government guidelines, with tickets available in pods of two and four.
The event series is being supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, as part of the Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS).
Vicar Street first opened its doors on 30 August 1998 and has hosted over 5,000 shows to over five million people since then, but has not been open since the pandemic began in Ireland in March 2020.


text:
New Zealand Government has implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags, which is intended to help the environment and oceans.
Prior to the ban taking effect, businesses across the country were given six months to phase-out single-use plastic bags in shops.
New Zealand Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said that shoppers carrying their own reusable bags will help local businesses and markets and contribute towards the cause.
Sage said: “New regulations mean such businesses can no longer provide their customers with a single-use plastic shopping bag to carry their purchases.
“The ban should ensure less plastic ends up in rivers, streams, stormwater systems and the ocean so seabirds, fish, turtles, and marine mammals are less vulnerable to being harmed by it.
“At the start of plastic-free July, the plastic shopping bag ban is one step to tackling New Zealand’s waste issues. We also need to recharge our materials recovery and recycling systems and shift to a circular economy.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below formBy GlobalData
In a move to educate businesses about the ban, the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is offering an information pack on its website.
In addition, an online portal has been created on MfE’s website to allow people to report businesses that still offer single-use plastic bags.
The government also noted that mainstream supermarkets have already removed single-use plastic shopping bags, saving tens of millions of bags.
Sage added: “Government regulations and the sum of many individual actions make a difference. New Zealanders remembering to take their reusable bags is stopping tens of millions of single-use plastic bags becoming waste each year.”


text:
Posted at: 03/28/2014 8:13 PM
A fashion show will be held this weekend to benefit a good cause, and it will also be a place to get some one-of-a-kind dresses.
The Sewn Seeds Fashion Show is this Sunday at the Good Luck Restaurant. Cocktails will be served at 2 p.m. and the runway show starts at 3 p.m., you can click here for ticket information.
Organizers were on Roc City Tonight with Lia Lando on Friday to talk about the event. You can watch that interview by hitting play on the video.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Girls Rock! Rochester and Verona Street Animal Shelter.


text:
Another new start-up from China that goes by the name ‘Byton’ showcased its new “intelligent electric vehicle” concept at the CES 2018 in Las Vegas.
Byton says that the car is built for the coming era of truly shared, smart mobility and autonomous driving. The vehicle features an innovative human vehicle interaction.
Passengers at the front are welcomed by a massive 49-inch coast-to-coast “Shared Experience Display”, that features gesture control and voice recognition among others. There is an onboard bandwidth of up to 1000 MBPS. The car features a facial recognition camera on the B-pillar for unlocking the vehicle.
As for the exterior features, there are front and rear LED lights and a luminescent logo that can switch to different display modes to suit different driving scenarios.
Moving on to the powertrain, there is a single rear motor that makes about 272 hp and gets 250 miles (402 km), and there’s also an option of dual motor with 476 hp and 325 miles (523 km) range.
Byton’s “intelligent electric car” will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Nanjing, China and will be available in China in 2019. The car will be available in the U.S. and Europe in 2020. A sedan and multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) will be designed and produced based on the same platform, the company said.
While the global headquarters and R&D is located in Nanjing, China, its North American headquarters is devoted to intelligent car experience, autonomous driving, whole vehicle integration and other cutting-edge technologies. The company’s vehicle concept and design center is located in Munich.
Byton said, the management team is made up of the world’s top experts from China, Europe and the U.S., all of whom have held senior management positions in companies such as BMW, Tesla, Google and Apple.
Current shareholders include Byton’s founding team, Harmony Auto, Auto Investments, League Automotive Technologies, Legend Capital, and industrial investment fund in Jiangsu, China, and Chengdu Group among other investors.


text:
Edmund Murphy was named managing director and head of defined contribution retirement plan business at Putnam Investments, confirmed spokeswoman Sinead Martin.
He will report to Jeffrey Carney, senior managing director and head of global marketing and products.
Mr. Murphy replaced David Tyrie, managing director, who will now be focusing on DC products and marketing. Mr. Tyrie will report to Mr. Murphy.
Mr. Murphy came from Fidelity Investments, where he was executive vice president of distribution for personal and workplace investing, confirmed Fidelity spokeswoman Jennifer Engle. She declined further comment.


text:
Update: Valve clarified the availability of Steam Deck controls in an email to IGN, stating that users see no delays but “additional specification of when ‘after Q2’ means.” Some users are now reporting a firmer Q3 window while others are saying they will have until “After Q3” after previously being in an “After Q2” spot.
“Reservation holders have always stayed in a queue based on when they booked – we are now able to relay these more specific estimates to the rest of the queue,” said a porter. word of Valve to IGN. “Those who receive ‘after Q3’ see this specification where they already belonged online.”
Valve continues to roll out the Steam Deck, which began shipping on February 28. Some users of the first wave of releases are still waiting for the email that will allow them to order a unit.
The original story continues below.
Following the release of Steam Deck last week, many fans are eagerly awaiting the email giving them the green light to order their own unit. Meanwhile, some further down the line are reporting what appears to be a longer wait for Valve’s new handheld unit.
On the Steam Deck subreddit, some users are reporting that their order availability has been pushed back from “Q3 2022” to “After Q3 2022”. Others report that their previously nebulous “After Q2 2022” is now a firmer “Q3 2022”, while some say they have moved from “After Q2” to “After Q3”. It looks like some clients are being pushed back while other users further ahead of them are stuck in a release window.
These reports are corroborated by the experiences of IGN staff, some of whom also had their estimated availability updated to Q3 2022. A Reddit user encouraged users sitting in the “After Q3” window to not not get discouraged, saying the estimate is probably the worst case scenario.
Top rated games of 2022


text:
My Neighbor Alice 2021 In Review
Originally posted here.
By: My Neighbor Alice @
Hey Neighbors! We are moving forward into what is sure to be our most exciting year yet, 2022. We would like to take this opportunity to look back at the important events and successes of 2021, while also looking ahead at the mainnet launch of our game. Let’s go! Market Development The ALICE token was introduced […]
The post My Neighbor Alice 2021 In Review appeared first on NFT News Today .


text:
Online marketplaces to sign agreement tackling VAT fraud
HMRC wants all online marketplaces operating in the UK to sign an agreement to ensure their sellers understand the tax rules and to help tackle online VAT fraud and errors taking place on their platforms, with estimates suggesting a tax loss of between £1bn and £1.5bn in 2016 to 2017
26 Apr 2018
The agreement asks online marketplaces to commit to educating online sellers from the UK and abroad about their VAT obligations in the UK either via their own help and support or by directing them to HMRC’s Gov.uk guidance.
Marketplaces are asked to agree to respond swiftly when notified by HMRC that sellers are not playing by the VAT rules, and to set up a system to take appropriate action. They are also required to find a suitable and lawful way to provide HMRC with information about their sellers, when requested.
HMRC says it may ask for information in bulk form and on an individual business basis, either voluntarily or via a legal notice. This could be a one off request or require provision of a regulator flow of data over an agreed time period.
At a minimum the data provided will be sufficient to allow HMRC to identify individual business sellers; calculate the value and volume of UK sales of individual businesses over a prescribed period (eg, one year); and contact the individual business directly.
HMRC says it will publish the list of all online marketplaces that sign up to this agreement. If an online marketplace that signs the agreement fails to meet the commitments, HMRC will remove them from the list.
Mel Stride, financial secretary to the Treasury, said: ‘The growth of online marketplaces has helped many businesses to sell more products across the UK and has contributed greatly to the economy.
‘However, there is a small minority of sellers not paying their fair share of tax, and we’re committed to working with marketplaces on multiple levels to tackle tax evasion.’
The government has already introduced legislation using the joint and several liability (JSL) rules, which hold online marketplaces accountable for VAT fraud committed by sellers on their platforms.
These were first introduced in September 2016 and were strengthened further in March 2018.
Jon Thompson, HMRC’s chief executive, said: ‘The agreement goes even further to tackle this issue, with online marketplaces committing to helping their sellers understand their tax responsibilities and ensuring we have the information we need to take action against those who do not play by the rules.’
HMRC has opened about 2,100 investigations into non-compliant overseas businesses selling via online marketplaces since the JSL measures were first introduced in September 2016. This resulted in it issuing around 1,300 JSL notices to online marketplaces by 31 January 2018.
The tax authority says there is ‘considerable evidence’ that the measures have been effective in tackling online VAT fraud and error. There have been about 27,550 applications to register for VAT from overseas online retail businesses since the measures were announced in March 2016, compared with about 1,650 for 2015.
Report by Pat Sweet


text:
This startup combines e-commerce and offline shopping with 'camera commerce'
Through 'camcom' you can now do product discovery from offline and online merchants as well as do transactions.
It was an article about the ridiculous number of food and beverage pictures on Instagram that started the conversation. For three techies based in Bengaluru, the idea was to enable product discovery with pictures taken from a mobile camera.
Fifty-four-year-old Andhra-ite from Chandigarh Uma Mahesh, who goes by Umesh, and his ex-colleague Ajith Nayar, 45, from Kerala were keen to startup. So was Ajith’s ex-colleague Pramod Solanky, 29, a Rajasthani from Chennai.
Their idea was simple: Offline shopping is the best way for product discovery, provides proximity and intimacy with a product, while ecommerce provides easier checkouts.
CamCommerce (Camera Commerce) can bridge this gap, and provides a unique way of product discovery (closest to the in-store experience) using a phone camera, assisted by computer vision Artificial Intelligence technology, and the ease of online checkouts.
CamCom app defaults to the phone camera. The consumer has to just click a picture of any product and CamCom analyses the image, classifies the product, and detects details about the product. It then uses NLP (Natural Language Processing) techniques to construct the product description. This description is shown to the consumer and the same is passed on to the merchant site to bring out options and prices for the consumer. The consumer can then select the product from options presented, and make a transaction.
The team, with their company Gifto, started off by trying to enable the gifting experience using a mobile phone camera. Their strategy was to sign up offline merchants in the category, and earn a commission on every transaction. The initial investment was around Rs 10 lakh.
The gifting use case was launched across seven outlets of Smoor Chocolates in Bengaluru in July-September 2017 as a pilot. It got them Rs 1 lakh in transaction revenue on app. (They trio had started operations at Mobile 10X incubator in February 2017.)
Umesh claims Gifto’s technology can be used by any large grocer to grade the quality of perishable items like vegetables. This technology can also be embedded in warehouse goods to grade and identify the quality of the lot, and Umesh claims it can even help identify rotten vegetables from good ones.
The same technology can be used by offline and online retailers to create product catalogues. “Today, this is very cumbersome and involves high level of human interaction. With this technology they can do it faster, more accurately and with far less workforce,” says Umesh.
Sustainable business model
Gifto enables visual discovery on multiple use-cases like mobile apps, and backend cataloging, enabling offline and online stores to integrate visual discovery on their platforms and apps, to pharmacy checkouts etc.
Umesh explains, “We provide two engagement models: platform as a service, and licensing and support model. A large US-based IT services provider in the travel space is using this technology to identify dog breeds so they can make the right choices for the kennels, food, and temperature requirements for pets to be transported from one place to another. Their consumer-facing app has our technology built into it for recognition.”
Gifto has already got two B2B paid assignments and has 12 more in the pipeline.
The B2C model is driven by Gifto’s App CamCom which enables instant recognition of transactable merchandise in the photo clicked. Gifto has partnered with Flipkart in India as the fulfillment partner.
“We are also in the process signing up other merchants. This will help us popularise visual discovery as a serious way to product discovery in future,” Umesh adds.
The company’s main target is women in the 18 to 34 age group. Umesh says, “Available data indicates that women are more trigger happy than men, and buy and gift on impulse more often than men.”
According to Umesh, not many are trained in this technology, and a lab-to-field dissemination is still being thought about. However, being based in Bengaluru has provided Gifto with the best available talent. Currently, the team has four engineers, one marketing resource, and three interns, besides the co-founders.
Since the technology for camera commerce is still in the nascence stage, research is on globally. Umesh adds most labs, from the US to Israel to Singapore to Japan, that are dabbling in visual AI are potential competition for Gifto.
“So are companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google who are also exploring the space seriously. At the end, the accuracy of recognition in the area of its application will see a clear winner. We feel we are on the right track on this one,” he adds.
Team Gifto is mentored by Ramprasad K, the creator of Holmes (Wipro AI Platform) in AI and Machine Learning, and data sciences expert Manohar Mulchandani for analytics.
Gifto is working on Product-Category wise merchant affiliation model. In the future, Gifto could have Myntra for all fashion apparel and accessories, and Bigbasket for daily need items.
Gifto is targeting revenue of Rs 2 crore in FY2019, a bulk of it from B2B. Umesh says they will be profitable by FY 2020-21.
Gartner’s latest report says that by 2021, around 30 percent of commerce revenue will be influenced by visual and speech discovery. But for Gifto, the holy grail - unlike lots of tech companies - is not the US.
“We would like to be in South Korea and Japan because they are at least three years ahead of the rest of the world in tech and early adoption of anything new. Deep Learning is an evolving technology, we must continue to work hard to stay on top and keep experimenting,” Umesh says.
He adds their biggest success is being able to bring to market a monetisable version of a technology that is still very much lab-bound.
“We look up to companies and models like Facebook and Google who have changed the behavior of the consumers in the last 15 years. Hopefully, we can bring in that change using visual discovery,” he concludes.