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Government report looks at where British manufacturing might stand come the year 2050
Most people reading this website would probably agree that manufacturing here is essential if this country is to achieve long term economic growth. However, the rapid changes taking place in the modern manufacturing world could see Britain left behind if it doesn’t keep up with the competition when it comes to new ways of doing business, according to the latest report published by the Government.
The position where we stand today, whilst improving on recent years, doesn’t make for great reading – manufacturing currently contributes £139bn a year to UK GDP and yet most firms are small, with 87% employing less than 20 people. And whereas 9 million people worked in manufacturing in Britain in 1966, there are less than 3 million today, a decline that has been much more rapid here than in other developed countries, as can be seen in the graph below.
However, the Future of UK Manufacturing report, which was published this week, reveals that there are some great opportunities on the horizon, and if Britain acts now we could be in a position to take advantage of some of the trends that are going to effect the way things are made in the future.
With a growing world population and increased demand for materials, water, energy and land, supply chains will become much more volatile and manufacturing closer to home will make the country more resilient to these effects. Reshoring production, where manufacturers who had previously moved their production overseas bring it back to this country, is already a reality, with it now much easier for Britain to compete with lower cost locations on quality, delivery speed and customisation. Firms such as Hornby, John Lewis and Bathrooms.com have all begun reshoring production over the last 12 months, and many more are likely to follow suit in the next decade or so.
It goes without saying that technology will also play a massive part in the manufacture of goods in the future. Mass personalisation of low-cost products by methods such as 3D printing will enable everyone to become their own manufacturer, and increasingly manufacturing will become more urbanised and less based around large factories with many workers. Companies that do well will be those that make use of ‘big data’ to learn more about their customers and use it to their advantage to improve their products and enhance their competitiveness.
But perhaps the most interesting of trends are those based around sustainability. Remanufacture, where new life is breathed into old products rather than replacements made, is likely to play a big part in the revenue stream of many manufacturers going forward. Already JCB are selling a comprehensive range of remanufactured parts for its machines and more are likely to follow suit as resources and raw materials become more scarce. Shared ownership of products is also likely to become much more widespread, calling for considerably more durable things to be made. Britain has always been thought of as a place to buy quality and so should be in good position to take advantage of this.
One of the more shocking facts set out in the report is that more and more British manufacturers are becoming foreign owned, and that by 2020 it is likely that these firms will account for over 50% of UK output. Is this a bad thing if these companies are still creating jobs for the British people that they employ on their production lines? Well, despite a rise in manufacturing capacity, the increased us of technology will mean that there will be less people working in manufacturing in the future than there is now.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a huge need to find people to work in the manufacturing sector – Over the next 7 years there will be around 800,000 UK manufacturing jobs to fill as people retire or leave the industry. Sir Richard Lapthorne, who lead the team behind the report, describes the situation thus:
“The quality and skills of the workforce will be a critical factor in capturing competitive advantage. It is essential that UK policy makers focus on the supply of skilled workers, including apprenticeship schemes, support for researchers, and the supply of skilled managers.”
But finding people for these jobs may be a hard sell, particularly to young people and woman who are apparently the ones with a negative perception of manufacturing. Yet jobs in the industry can be both highly skilled and well paid – manufacturing remuneration is generally 10% higher than average UK wages, reflecting the high levels of skills required in the roles.
The report concludes that without a doubt action needs to start now if the UK is to take advantage of the rapid changes taking place in the modern manufacturing world. As well as keeping up with technology, sustainability and training skilled workers, we need to ensure that we are exporting the goods we make to the right countries – sales of our home made goods to developing countries are still lagging behind compared to many of our European neighbours.
Without a doubt there will be a huge transformation in manufacturing over the next few decades which present major opportunities to those who take advantage of it – but will Britain be quick enough off the mark? Let’s hope so.
The Future of Manufacturing report can be read here.


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Google on Tuesday launched Drive, a cloud-based storage,. The service, which would compete with popular apps like Dropbox, Microsoft’s Sky Drive and Apple’s iCloud, would allow users to store up to 5GB data in Google’s servers for free.
However, the upgrades are not free. To upgrade to 25 GB will cost $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month and 1TB for $49.99/month. When upgraded to a paid account, the Gmail account storage will also expand to 25 GB.
Initially, Google Drive would be available for Android devices, PC and Mac. The company said that support for iPhone and iPad would be added later.
Sundar Pichai, Google’s vice president for Chrome and apps, says that
Google Drive is a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.
According to Pichai, Google Drive will work with Google Docs, hence giving users ability to edit or create documents within the app itself. This will give Google an advantage over Dropbox, an extremely popular cloud-based service, through which users can only sync their files.
Though for now users would be only able to attach photograph from Drive into Google+ posts, Pichai said that in future, it would also support Gmail.

domain: news


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There's a new Vogue in town: Vogue Netherlands
15 February 2022
The new Vogue Netherlands is all about joy, connection and celebration.
More inclusive, more accessible and more engaging than ever, the new Vogue Netherlands will hit newsstands on Thursday, February 17th.
The March issue, the first under the helm of new editor-in-chief, Yeliz Çiçek, features Dutch model Jill Kortleve with a fresh layout and renewed focus on fashion and its communities.
"I am incredibly proud and pleased that the world’s most beautiful platform for celebrating fashion, art, culture and beauty together is relaunching in the Netherlands. This is the country where we will hopefully, more than ever before, listen to each other, give each other space, embrace diversity and celebrate the fact that life is for everyone - not only with regard to the content, the topics and personalities that we cover, but also with the team behind the scenes," said Yeliz Çiçek.
Cover model Jill Kortleve – photographed by international sensation Greg Harris – is in every respect the embodiment of Vogue Netherland’s new path. “I could not think of anyone I would rather have than Jill to grace the cover of our first edition. She is the fresh breeze from the Netherlands who is shaking up the fashion world. Down-to-earth, witty, beautiful and fun, with a healthy dose of positivity, making an impact, initiating change. That is exactly what we, just like Jill, hope to do with the new Vogue.’” said Çiçek.
Vogue Netherlands, in collaboration with The City Dressers, has created Vogue – The Ultimate Gift, a larger-than-life physical artwork that this month, will be travelling through various Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven. Visitors will be able to use an AR filter to open the gift box and see the March cover, as well as order the issue as a limited-edition gift box.
“Our goal with this is to really be a luxury gift for the Dutch readers.” said Maria Nanette Schaepman, Founding Editor, Vogue Netherlands.
Vogue Netherlands produces all of its content entirely in-house, which makes it unique in the Dutch fashion magazine landscape. Its print edition is published ten times per year.
Vogue Netherlands is published under a license agreement between Condé Nast, Bloom Publishing together with LINDA. Condé Nast’s media licensing business publishes editions of the global media company’s iconic brands with local partners around the world.


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The FDA is notifying the public to not purchase or use three male sexual enhancement products that contain hidden drug ingredients.
“Vicerex” and “Bullet Proof” capsules were found to contain tadalafil, the active ingredient in prescription drug Cialis (Eli Lilly). “Lightning ROD” capsules were found to contain hydroxythiohomosildenafil, a similar ingredient found in Viagra (sildenafil; Pfizer). Cialis and Viagra are prescription drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.
The undeclared ingredients are PDE5 inhibitors that may interact with nitrates found in prescription drugs (eg, nitroglycerin), and further lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.
Consumers are to stop using these products immediately and throw them away. Those that have experienced any negative side effects should consult a health care professional as soon as possible.
For more information call (855) 543-3784 or visit the FDA website.


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Kiwis are already rushing to snap up holiday packages and flights to the Cook Islands after a much-anticipated travel bubble was officially announced.
Travel group Flight Centre has recorded a huge surge of interest on its website overnight - while resorts in Rarotonga reporting the phones going "crazy" since the announcement.
Although figures for bookings via Flight Centre would not be known until later, a spokeswoman confirmed the company had seen a massive jump on its site overnight.
"Comparing yesterday to last Monday, (the) views on Cook Islands holidays packages at flightcentre.co.nz saw a 4100 per cent increase."
Searches for Rarotongan flights on the site were up 6333 per cent yesterday and blog views for "What to pack to take to the Cook Islands" was up by 540 per cent.
Other top searches included "Top Rarotongan Resorts" - up 2700 per cent - and "Best time to visit Rarotonga and how to get there" - up 8400 per cent.
Thousands of Air NZ bookings made on first day
The dramatic increase came after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern officially announced a new two-way travel bubble with New Zealand and the Cook Islands; starting from Monday, May 17 (NZT).
Air New Zealand reported "thousands of bookings" on the first day of the announcement - calling it a positive response from customers.
The majority of those bookings are across next month and July, a spokeswoman said.
The airline will start running flights to the Pacific nation two to three times a week from Tuesday, May 18; before daily services are added from July - just in time for the school holidays.
One of the cheapest return airfares now available that first week will cost $973 for a seat plus bag.
Phones started going off during live announcement
Pacific Resort Hotel Group, which has four luxury hotels in the Cook Islands, said they had to bring in its sales and reservations team on yesterday (Sunday, local time) to cater to all the inquiries coming through.
Chief executive Marcus Niszow said: "It was almost immediate. The live (announcement) feed was still going and people were phoning up and the email started going off."
Niszow said they had been lucky to keep staff on and that the only staff members who had left had done so voluntarily or for their own reasons.
"Addressing the team today, the relief of the team is tremendous. We're hospitality people, so we're really looking forward to having people back."
Staff at Crown Beach Resort & Spa - a private, adults-only luxury resort on Rarotonga's sunset coast - also reported a surge in phone calls and online bookings and inquiries.
A reservations staffer said she opened her inbox to 20 new bookings overnight - the most she had seen in months.
"After the announcement, it went crazy," she said.
Two couples from New Zealand who had booked to have their weddings at the resort last year had also been in touch - this time to book a holiday, after holding their weddings in New Zealand instead due to the pandemic.
General manager Sierra Glade said staff members were "happy and overwhelmed" about the travel bubble opening up.
"We're definitely excited, but there's also some hesitation because we have been Covid-free and we want to keep our little island Covid-free.
"The private sector has been struggling, so we are definitely excited for this."
Asked for any words to entice Kiwis to make the trip over she said: "We have the perfect escape - and it is hot."


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The Zap Lightning Network wallet’s Olympus feature is almost ready for launch — well, sort of.
The much-anticipated addition to Zap’s services, which would allow the wallet’s users to buy bitcoin via Lightning with USD for direct deposit into their Zap wallets, is being rolled out in a new form.
“Strike,” as it’s now being called, serves the same function that Olympus was supposed to, but through different means. With Olympus, Zap users would have a Lightning Network payment channel “pushed” to them with whatever amount of bitcoin they purchased through the service. With Strike, instead of instantly converting the cash to bitcoin for each user, Zap will hold a static dollar balance for each user and send Lightning payments for them on a transaction-by-transaction basis.
Yes, the model is custodial, Zap Founder Jack Mallers explained to Bitcoin Magazine. But it comes with plenty of upside. For instance, now Zap users can top off their accounts with, say, $20 and use this to spend bitcoin as needed. They aren’t buying bitcoin directly, but rather a claim on $20 worth of bitcoin at any point in time, so the service removes any exposure to volatility (instead of having a balance of 0.002 BTC, you have a balance of $20).
Zap decided to ship this model after it began testing the Olympus beta and confronted a few hurdles in the way of tax implications and user experience.
“There were many obstacles and aha moments,” Mallers said. “Volatility, taxes and the need to set up a Bitcoin wallet and own bitcoin were all barriers to mainstream adoption.”
Striking the User-Friendly Balance
The panacea, then, was to remove the complexity all together. Given Lightning’s technical barriers to entry and demanding upkeep, Zap decided that it would be best to neutralize the user’s need to interact with the network directly. If users really want self-sovereignty, they’ll find it on their own; for everyone else, Mallers espoused, there’s Strike.
“The biggest aha moment for me was the fact that a user doesn’t need to own bitcoin or have a wallet to scan and pay a Lightning invoice,” Mallers said. “Instead of ‘spend and replace,’ why not ‘buy and spend in seconds under the hood without even noticing’? If you want privacy and censorship resistance, run a full node, a Lightning node and drive it with Zap. If you want to invest, get a hardware wallet and HODL. If you want to participate in this new global economy, connect your debit card to Strike.”
Zap holds all USD deposits with an FDIC banking partner which services “many cryptocurrency companies,” Mallers said. On the Bitcoin side, all transactions are handled by Zap using the infrastructure it erected for Olympus — so, the original tech stack is still being used, it’s just going on behind the scenes. This work behind the curtain “not only handles application and protocol interaction but also real-time risk management and automated trading/hedging,” Mallers said.
Hedging is important here, as Zap will “take on all the balance sheet risk,” as Mallers put it. For instance, if they have 100 orders for $100 each, they owe $10,000 worth of bitcoin transactions to these customers. If bitcoin drops 25 percent, then they still have $10,000 in obligations even though, theoretically, they now only have $7,500 of the original money deposited. Zap conducts the leverage trading (longing and shorting) to keep its reserves on par with deposits.
Finding a Base
Mallers mentioned that the team demoed the product with nearly 100 testflight users who “really helped to shape the product” and its use cases. One that Mallers is particularly excited about comes from Colorado, where he onboarded a few local marijuana dispensaries to help them circumvent the banking restrictions that continue to choke the access these businesses have to cash accounts.
This, among other use cases, are why Zap is building this infrastructure: to provide a cheap, fast payment option that simultaneously eases access to these services for its users.
“I think users will use it to buy and sell bitcoin, to make remittance payments, to give financial tools to those that don’t have them, for internet commerce like pay-for-content and more,” Mallers said. “But I am most excited about what we have enabled and all the possibilities to come. The barrier to entry to this new economy has never been lower, all you need is a debit card.”
Though he’s excited, Mallers told us that this is still “very much the beginning.” Notwithstanding the basic fact that the Lightning Network itself is still a very young protocol with plenty of its own growing pains to come, Strike still has a balance to find with its automated algorithms and risk management before it’s able to support millions of users. It’s also got some work on the legal and compliance side of things.
So, for now, the service will accept new users on a rolling, weekly basis from its beta program list. Mallers hopes to have Strike ready for full public access by the end of Q1 2020.
The post With Strike, Zap Rethinks Its Olympus Fiat-to-Bitcoin Feature appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.


text: Butter brand Kerrygold is running an on-pack promotion offering a one-in-four chance of winning a stylish 100 per cent pure-cotton bag. It is at the heart of an integrated campaign created by Woo Communications, part of the Engine Group of agencies, and is aimed at engaging with “household grocery decision-makers”. The campaign also involves direct mail, trade-focused mailers and bespoke brand activation activity complementing the overall brand positioning. It worked with WCRS, another agency within Engine. It targets women aged 35 to 50 and aims to lure them away from their regular choice of dairy brand with the overall objective of improving sales and creating lasting brand relationships. The activity is rolling out through July, with over 100,000 bags available. Consumers find out if they have won from looking at sleeves on promotional packs of Kerrygold Softer Butter 250g or Kerrygold Lighter Softer Butter 250g.


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By now, we all know the saga: "Power struggles" at Konami turned out to be symptoms of a much deeper rift and eventually, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima left to open his own studio .
And now, he's out searching for new talent.
PlayStation 4 lead architect Mark Cerny has finally joined Twitter, and perhaps he did so to make this announcement : He's going on a "world tour" with Kojima and according to Kojima Productions producer Ken-ichiro Imaizumu, the duo is looking for "high-end technology." Then, Kojima tossed up his Tweet:
Maybe Kojima and Cerny are out searching for a new game engine, as the Fox Engine that powered last year's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is owned by Konami. Well, we hope they'll keep us updated on their travels!


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Update includes ability to see which friends are currently using the standalone app, along with capability to send messages to people who are not Facebook friends.
Officials in the Lone Star state have given Samsung the green light to expand chip production lines at an investment cost of $3.9 billion.
The app's fundamental change is a philosophy christened "mobile-to-mobile," which is meant to signify that people using Messenger are immediately available to each other.
The person who allegedly burglarized the home of the late Steve Jobs was apparently found when he connected the stolen Apple hardware.
The late Apple co-founder's home was burglarized by an alleged thief who didn't even seem to know whose home he was robbing.
Ancient amphitheater is leaning, authorities say, with north side more than 15 inches lower than south.
The Web giant has been working on the "next generation of search" over the last couple of years and now it's ready to start rolling it out.
Thanks to a low-cost camera and companion cloud service for snappy processing, creating models of 3D space just became a whole lot easier.
Nvelo's "SSD caching" systems are used in both consumer and enterprise platforms to speed up retrieval of data in devices including desktops and smartphones, from both hard drives and solid-state drives.
Independence Day 3D has been cancelled, but are 3D movies still going strong? We look at what's on the horizon.


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Diplomat promotes Cretu to support EnvoyHealth
FLINT, Mich. — Diplomat Pharmacy is moving one of its executives to help support its Envoy Health Management business. Jennifer Cretu — most recently VP marketing and public relations — has been named SVP pharma services and marketing.
In the new role, Cretu will manage pharma services for EnvoyHealth, which offers comprehensive program solutions for manufacturers to help bring their medications to market. She will continue overseeing Diplomat’s corporate communications, marketing and public relations.
“We are excited to announce the expansion of Jennifer’s role,” Diplomat CEO and chairman Phil Hagerman said. “With a proven track record of developing innovative marketing strategies to drive Diplomat’s business objectives, she is the ideal leader as we grow and expand our EnvoyHealth services arm. Her new role represents a significant step for the development of our company. She joins a dynamic team that is providing complete solutions that meet the specialized needs of our customers.”
Cretu joined Diplomat in 2012, and has served in information technology roles, rising to VP information technology and marketing, managing operations and strategic planning. Before joining Diplomat, Cretu was a senior business manager of Walmart.com’s pharmacy and vision divisions. In that role, she oversaw the end-to-end business, managing products and services, customer experience and cross-functional partnerships. Before Walmart, she worked with HP to manage the growth of its worldwide OEM business.


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US-based fast casual franchise concept Tropical Smoothie Cafe has reported a 6.6% increase in year-to-date same-store sales during the first half of 2018, compared to sales for the same period last year.
The company has opened 47 new cafes and signed 113 franchise agreements during the first half of this year.
These new openings and agreements mark the expansion of the company’s footprint into various markets such as Atlanta, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth and is part of its plan to open 120 new cafes by the end of this year.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe chief development officer and interim CEO Charles Watson said: “We’re thrilled with the impressive strides we’ve made as a brand in the first half of 2018.
“From new cafe openings, strong same-store sales, to record-breaking donation efforts for Camp Sunshine, along with our continued focus on innovation, we are determined to make this year the biggest and best to date.
“With over 670 locations open nationwide and over 100 franchise agreements signed so far this year, nearly 55% more deals than this time last year, we’re positioned for continued success in 2018 and on pace to reach our goal of 1,000 locations by the end of 2020.”
In addition, the smoothie chain has launched a range of limited-time menu offerings such as citrus cactus smoothie in April as well as pressed sandwiches such as chicken caprese and cuban pressed sandwiches.


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Will Carney become Apple’s PR guy, or are these rumors way off base?
With WWDC 2014 right around the corner, we round up the most intriguing Apple rumors about Mac OS X, iOS 8, and more.
Google is launching two big things in July: Android 4.5 and the Google Nexus 8 tablet. Here’s what we know so far.
There’s a new HTC One on the horizon. Satisfy your curiosity with the latest rumors before the phone is announced on March 25.
It’s rumored that Apple and Microsoft are interested in purchasing Sirius XM, the satellite radio service. Here’s what we know so far.


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There will be a lot of ghost on streets if Rolls Royce ambitions are anything to go by. The baby Roller is all set to have many cousin sisters in the future.
Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, the CEO of Rolls Royce said to Bloomberg -
I'm quite confident that we're going to see a Ghost derivative to come. There's still a lot of potential in the market.
The RR Ghost utilizes the BMW 7 Series platform and the company managed to sell the full consignment of 60 Ghosts in less than 2 weeks.
The major focus of the company will be on emerging markets like China, India and the Middle East. The CEO’s enthusiasm is buoyed by the recent increase in the sales. Rolls-Royce had a 17% drop in sales in 2009 due to recession. But as the economy is recovering so are the sales and the company has set an ambitious target of 2,000+ cars in 2010.
Although he didn’t give any hint as to how the product line up will expand, we are expecting a longer wheel base model for the emerging markets following it up with a Drophead.
Source - Car Scoop


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We are oh so very pleased and excited to announce that Kavita Parmar, founder and creative director of The IOU Project has been selected to be part of the New York City Venture Fellows, in recognition of her extraordinary achievements as an entrepreneur!
Each year, between 20-30 “rising star” entrepreneurs from New York City and around the world are selected through a competitive nomination process. The IOU Project is the only Spanish company that has been awarded with this distinguished honor.
NYC Venture Fellows is a selective, international program to help successful entrepreneurs take their ventures to the next level. The program connects emerging business leaders from around the world with mentors from leading companies, increasing collaboration among startup and established businesses and encouraging national and international startups to locate and grow their businesses in New York City.
For more information visit: www.nycventurefellows.org


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Singlepoint (SING) Builds Its Payments Footprint in the Cannabis Industry
January 30th, 2017
News, Top News
The cannabis industry is expected to exceed $50 billion in revenue by 2026, which could create a $1 billion market opportunity for the credit card processing and payments industry. With seven out of eight states legalizing marijuana in November’s elections, there is a growing political will to open up the banking sector and create an overnight opportunity for these companies. Investors looking to capitalize on the industry may want to take note.
In this article, we will look at Singlepoint Inc. (OTC: SING) and its unique position within the cannabis payments industry and why investors may want to watch its stock.
Big Payments Opportunity
The cannabis industry could exceed $50 billion in revenue by 2026, according to Cowen & Co., driven by the ongoing legalization of medical and recreational marijuana throughout the United States. With the passing of California’s Proposition 64, the size of the cannabis industry is expected to roughly triple in the near-term as recreational legalization goes into effect. This represents a key tipping point for the industry and an opportunity for startups and investors.
“A 24 percent, 10-year revenue compound annual growth rate is hard to find in consumer staples, in particular one with a $50-plus billion end-point,” said Cowen analysts to Bloomberg. “Cannabis prohibition has been in place for 80-plus years, but the tides are clearly turning.”
The payments industry could be a lucrative opportunity in the space over the coming quarters. Since cannabis remains illegal under federal law, most commercial banks have kept their distance from the industry. But, those attitudes appear to be rapidly changing as a growing number of states legalize the drug. For instance, politicians like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are fighting hard to open banking access to the cannabis industry.
“You make sure that people are really paying their taxes. You know that the money is not being diverted to some kind of criminal enterprise,” said Ms. Warren in remarks quoted by the LA Times earlier this month. “And, it’s just a plain old safety issue. You don’t want people walking in with guns and masks and saying, ‘give me all your cash.’”
The revenue opportunity for banks is difficult to overstate. According to CardFellow, the average credit card processing cost for a retail business ranges from 1.95% to 2.50%. A 2% transaction fee on $50 billion in revenue could create a $1 billion market for credit card processing alone. These numbers could be even higher if cannabis remains a high-risk product, which can justify much higher credit card processing fees than those standard rates.
Building an Early Footprint
Singlepoint initially recognized the enormous potential for cannabis credit card processing a couple years ago and placed cashless ATMs at around 200 medical and recreational dispensaries throughout Colorado and Washington State. While red tape has kept this business on hold, the network of clients could prove invaluable if and when regulators open up the market by giving the company an ‘in’ to payment processing for cannabis clients.
Fast-forward to today and the company has setup SingleSeed.com to start building a list of interested clients, while retaining its cashless ATM terminals as a way for clients to get a cash advance to finance cannabis purchases. The company also launched a connect-by-text marketing platform that enables cannabis businesses to communicate directly with customers in a way that adheres with strict cannabis marketing regulations.
“We are geared up to offer innovations that will usher continued advancement while offering safe and secure ways to transact monies for business owners who operate within the boundaries of state law and guidelines set forth by federal authorities,” said CEO Greg Lambrecht in a recent MicroCap Equity Research report.
Finally, the company also aims to expand its presence through acquisitions. With its strong performance of late, the company’s stock has become a valuable currency for executing strategic acquisitions to position itself in the space. CEO Greg Lambrecht told MoneyTV in a recent interview that at least one of its planned acquisitions was in the cannabis space and that the company remained focused on capitalizing on the new industry.
Singlepoint Inc. (OTC: SING) represents a compelling opportunity within the cannabis payments space. With the likelihood of banking reforms on the rise, investors may want to take a closer look at the stock given its strong foothold in the market. The company is also looking to uplist to a higher exchange later this year after it completes an audit of its 2016 financial statements – a move that could increase transparency and open the door to institutional investors.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.singlepoint.com.
This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.
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About CFN Media Group
CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) owns and operates CFN Media Group, the premier agency and financial media network reaching executives, entrepreneurs and consumers worldwide. Through its proprietary content creation, video library, and distribution via www.CannabisFN.com, CFN has built an extensive database of cannabis interest, assisting many of the world’s largest cannabis firms and CBD brands to build awareness and thrive. For more information, please visit www.cfnenterprisesinc.com.
Disclaimer: Matters discussed on this website contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may from time-to-time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and will increase or decrease such positions without notice. The Information contains forward-looking statements, i.e. statements or discussions that constitute predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, or projections as indicated by such words as "expects", "will", "anticipates", and "estimates"; therefore, you should proceed with extreme caution in relying upon such statements and conduct a full investigation of the Information and the Profiled Issuer as well as any such forward-looking statements. Any forward looking statements we make in the Information are limited to the time period in which they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward looking statements that may change at any time; The Information is presented only as a brief "snapshot" of the Profiled Issuer and should only be used, at most, and if at all, as a starting point for you to conduct a thorough investigation of the Profiled Issuer and its securities and to consult your financial, legal or other adviser(s) and avail yourself of the filings and information that may be accessed at www.sec.gov, www.pinksheets.com, www.otcmarkets.com or other electronic sources, including: (a) reviewing SEC periodic reports (Forms 10-Q and 10-K), reports of material events (Form 8-K), insider reports (Forms 3, 4, 5 and Schedule 13D); (b) reviewing Information and Disclosure Statements and unaudited financial reports filed with the Pink Sheets or www.otcmarkets.com; (c) obtaining and reviewing publicly available information contained in commonlyknown search engines such as Google; and (d) consulting investment guides at www.sec.gov and www.finra.com. You should always be cognizant that the Profiled Issuers may not be current in their reporting obligations with the SEC and OTCMarkets and/or have negative signs at www.otcmarkets.com (See section below titled "Risks Related to the Profiled Issuers, which provides additional information pertaining thereto). For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice and that of their own professional advisers. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may be compensated for its Services in the form of cash-based and/or equity-based compensation in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure, please visit: https://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/. A short time after we acquire the securities of the foregoing company, we may publish the (favorable) information about the issuer referenced above advising others, including you, to purchase; and while doing so, we may sell the securities we acquired. In addition, a third-party shareholder compensating us may sell his or her shares of the issuer while we are publishing favorable information about the issuer. Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and will increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice and that of their own professional advisers. CFN Media Group, which owns CannabisFN, may be compensated for its Services in the form of cash-based and/or equity- based compensation in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure please visit: https://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/.


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- JD(U) under Nitish decides to become part of NDA, denies split in party
- Customs arrests Air India cabin crew for smuggling ganja
- Government, RBI in talks to shore up PSU bank capital
- Bihar flood toll mounts to 153, 17 districts affected
- IndiGo cancels 84 flights over engine issues
- Trai gets tough on call drops; slaps penalty of upto Rs 10 lakh
- Yogi Adityanath targets 'Yuvraj' Rahul Gandhi: 'Will not permit Gorakhpur to become picnic spot'
- Shivraj to lead BJP in 2018 election: Amit Shah
Netflix CEO reacts to HBO’s streaming service
MUMBAI: With HBO planning to launch its streaming service early next year, it will compete with the likes of Netflix, Hulu and more with a strong library of content. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has not taken too kindly too it, saying the ‘imitation’ won’t stop there.
Multiple reports quote Hastings as saying that the cable network will inevitably start releasing all episodes of a series at once, just as Netflix does, and the two are set to go head-to-head when the streaming-only HBO service arrives.
However, terming it as healthy competition, Hastings said a direct face-off in the online space between his streaming video service and the premium cable network would push both companies to get creative, including in the rival’s programming release patterns.
“Think about us doing the binge-viewing window, where you get all the episodes at once. For a couple of years they’ll protest, ‘Oh, that doesn’t make sense,’ of course. And then they’ll do it. That moment will be the marker for when Internet TV is more important than the linear stream of programming that binds traditional TV channels,” he said.
He termed the entrance of HBO into online only streaming in US as exciting rather than threatening.
He said, “On the consumer side it’s one more channel. Consumers subscribe to many of these. We and HBO have completely different content.”
The two companies have already gone head-to-head in Nordic countries, where Netflix expanded in 2012 and HBO first offered a subscription service untethered to a pay TV package in the same year. But HBO’s service is priced higher than Netflix in the Nordic countries.
Speaking about the performance of both services in those countries, Hastings added, “They’ve done pretty well, and we’ve done very well.”
HBO recently announced that it would launch a standalone, over-the-top offering next year that will let people watch programming purely online without subscribing to any pay TV provider like a cable or satellite company. Its popular HBO Go app already provides the full breadth of the network’s past and current original series as well as movies, but it’s accessible only to those who pay for TV the traditional way.


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New banks and credit unions across the United States have joined Apple’s list of participating partners as part of the first expansion of Apple Pay in September. Check out the latest Apple Pay banks below:
- Community National Bank & Trust of Texas
- First State Bank of Mendota
- First State Bank Southwest
- Great Plains Bank
- Great Southern Bank
- Holyoke Credit Union
- Icon Credit Union
- Landings Credit Union
- Mascoma Savings Bank
- McIntosh County Bank
- Park National Bank
- Texas Brand Bank
- Xplore Federal Credit Union
In addition to the latest participating banks to work with Apple Pay, Apple announced some new features at WWDC coming to the mobile payment service with iOS 11 and watchOS 4.
Person to Person will let you send money to friends and family over iMessage using Apple Pay. The new feature will be available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch when iOS 11 and watchOS 4 ship later this month.
Apple Pay Cash is another new feature coming this fall. This is a virtual debit card that appears in the Wallet app and holds money that you receive from Person to Person transfers. You can withdraw the money to your bank account, use it to send to other people, or use it as payment in stores that accept Apple Pay.
Since launching in the United States, Apple Pay has expanded to Canada, France, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Spain, Ireland, and Taiwan.
Although Apple Pay is available in over a dozen countries around the world, Person to Person and Apple Pay Cash will be limited to users in the United States when it launches. iOS 11 and watchOS 4 are currently in developer beta, although the new Apple Pay features aren’t available to test yet.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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2018 Nissan Micra Concept And Rumour
New 2018 Nissan Micra was seen in the test street and received a confirmation of rumors surrounding this car for a new vehicle for some time a new generation begins. This is the fifth generation, and it seems that many changes are applied. However, it is difficult to recognize everything under the heavy camouflage, but it is clear that Japanese auto workers recently occupied developed a new compact car. According to the first spy photos, Micra has been revised and a new platform offers interesting solutions. However, what we can see in these photos, it is not set in stone, as the vehicle will not be released quickly, and many changes are still possible.
The 2018 Nissan Micra comes about a year after the launch of the next generation. Completely new model will arrive in October. Therefore, it is likely that there will be no change from the new model years 2017 go up the new company CPM-B highly modular platform, which also under print new Juke. This platform will provide many benefits. A massive use of lightweight materials is present, which promises better performance. In addition, the new model will have a longer wheelbase, which will provide more space on the inside, as well as other advantages. Regarding the exterior design Nissan Micra 2018 is much better. It will be bolder, with a more angular shape. Clean lines provide streamlined look with makeup, making new extremely attractive and sporty model.
Not many details on the interior of the 2018 Nissan Micra. We’ll have to wait to see 2017 years model. The differences between these two will be minor, barely noticeable. We expect to see the interior design business even other models like Juke, press, etc. This means spacious cabin, a large number of features and high quality materials.
While parts of the 2018 Nissan Micra could be predicted from spy photos, we still have no evidence of what was under the hood. No official information, but we heard that the new 0.9 petrol drive train liter appropriate. This turbo unit is coupled to the 5-speed gearbox. Corresponds to buyers if collected manually or automatically. With many changes in the body structure is to reduce weight. This means that 2018 Nissan Micra will be more effective. diesel propulsion system could still develop as well as other components, the structure lighter.
The 2018 Nissan Micra will probably come somewhere at the end of next year. We do not yet know the exact price, but it should not be very different from the current model, which starts at around $ 11.500.


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When it comes to valuation and value, EV stocks are all over the map. There are names that have important advantages but stretched valuations; Lucid (NASDAQ:LCID) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) are in that category.
On the other hand, multiple companies with many difficult problems still have unwarranted valuations of close to $1 billion or more. I’m primarily talking about Canoo (NASDAQ:GOEV), Workhorse (NASDAQ:WKHS) and Lordstown (NASDAQ:RIDE).
Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) has a very high valuation, but given its contract with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), I think that the stock could very well have much more room to run over the next six months or a year. Similarly, Nio’s (NYSE:NIO) valuation is quite high, but the company’s huge growth, gigantic home market and overseas expansion could still enable its stock to climb meaningfully over the longer term.
Finally, there are multiple EV stocks that are tremendously undervalued. These names could easily triple in the next year.
In addition to making money from selling EVs, the automakers in this category can generate revenue and profits from software subscriptions, including charging extra for automated driving assistance systems.
The undervalued EV stocks that can easily triple in the next year are Arrival (NASDAQ:ARVL), Xpeng (NYSE:XPEV), Electrameccannica (NASDAQ:SOLO), and EVgo (NASDAQ:EVGO).
EV Stocks to Buy: Arrival (ARVL)
Arrival has huge deals with two gigantic companies: UPS (NYSE:UPS) and Uber (NYSE:UBER). Of course, UPS is one of the biggest package deliverers in the world, benefiting a great deal from the e-commerce revolution, while Uber is one of the largest ridesharing companies globally.
UPS has ordered up to 20,000 EVs from Arrival and raved about Arrival’s progress on the deal earlier this year. Arrival is collaborating with Uber on developing a new ridesharing EV.
What’s more, Anaheim, Calif. has agreed to buy $2 million of buses from Arrival, and the bipartisan infrastructure law has appropriated up to $5 billion for zero-emission buses, leaving Arrival well-positioned to sell many more of its electric buses to municipalities.
Also importantly, the number of EVs ordered from Arrival has jumped to 64,000, while the company has said that it can manufacture EVs for similar average selling prices as conventional, internal combustion engine vehicles.
ARVL stock plunged on Nov. 9 because the company said that it expects only “modest” EV production this year. It had previously predicted that its 2022 revenue would be $1 billion. ARVL stock sank on Nov. 17 after announcing that it would sell 25 million shares of stock and issue $200 million of convertible notes.
I think the news, especially the revised guidance, led many to conclude that Arrival could be a problematic EV maker along the lines of Workhorse and Lordstown.
Given Arrival’s partnerships with UPS and Uber, along with UPS’ very enthusiastic statements about Arrival and the deal with Anaheim, I believe that the EV maker is actually poised to be one of the most successful EV makers.
Yet ARVL stock currently has a market capitalization of just $4.5 billion.
The Chinese EV maker has delivered tremendous growth and its EVs have gotten great reviews for the most part. Taken together, that suggests that the company has developed very high-quality vehicles.
For October, the Chinese EV maker’s deliveries soared 233% year-over-year to over 10,000 EVs. For the first ten months of 2021, its deliveries surged nearly 300% YOY to over 66,000 vehicles.
On Nov. 18, the company introduced its new G9 flagship smart SUV. The EV includes Xpeng’s XPILOT 4.0 advanced driver assistance system.
According to the automaker, the system “will be the first to deliver full-scenario assisted smart driving from vehicle start-up to parking.”
The company says the G9 is made for both Chinese and international markets. It’s slated to be launched in China in Q3 of 2022.
Speaking of international markets, Xpeng has officially made a long-awaited foray into Europe. Specifically, the company has begun shipping its G3 SUVs and P7 sedans to Norway, TechCrunch recently reported.
Norway is a small country but has become a leading EV market on the continent. Xpeng, however, intends to enter other European markets, the company told TechCrunch.
XPEV stock has a market capitalization of over $35 billion. Yet given its success in China, its rapid growth, the good reviews its EVs have gotten, its strong ADAS system and its entrance into Europe, the stock has a great deal of room to run.
The EV maker only delivered 21 EVs in Q3, but it had produced 182 vehicles from August 2020 to early November 2021.
Much more importantly, there are numerous signs that there is strong demand for Electramecchanica’s EVs.
“We are more focused than ever on ramping production to meet the significant demand for our flagship SOLO EV,” said CEO Kevin Pavlov in the company’s earnings press release
What’s more, Pavlov said that the company still intends to open a plant that will be able to produce up to 20,000 vehicles annually. It’s difficult to believe that the automaker would spend a great deal of money on developing such a sizeable plant unless there was a large amount of demand for the Solo.
In another superb sign for Electramecchanica, the company’s manufacturing partner, China’s Zongshen Industrial Group, exercised 1.4 million warrants at a CAD$4.00 strike price, as of Oct.28, generating CAD$5.6 million in proceeds for Electramecchanica.
I agree with Electramecchanica that the exercise of the warrants by Zongshen does indeed show confidence in Electramecchanica and its shares.
As I’ve written in the past, I believe that Electramecchanica’s Solo is very well-suited not only for food delivery but for work-from-home consumers as well. SOLO stock has a market capitalization of less than $300 million, which is quite cheap for an EV maker.
EV Stocks to Buy: EVgo (EVGO)
According to a March 2021 presentation by EVgo, the company owns the largest U.S. Public DC Fast charging Network, with roughly 1,400 DC Fast Chargers and 800+ Dc Fast Charging sites.
Under EVgo’s initial partnership with General Motors (NYSE:GM), the company is expected to add another 2,750 DC fast chargers. With a recent upgrade of the deal, the companies agreed to increase the total by 500, bringing its chargers to 52 regions in the U.S., up from 40 under the initial agreement.
Like Arrival, EVgo has a deal with Uber. Under the companies’ agreement, which was also recently expanded, Uber’s drivers can use EVgo’s chargers.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure law allocated $7.5 billion to public chargers, meaning that new chargers built by EVgo could be subsidized by the federal government.
EVGO stock has a market capitalization of just $756 million, versus $6.5 billion and $1.25 billion for two of its competitors, ChargePoint (NYSE:CHPT) and Blink Charging (NASDAQ:BLNK), respectively.
On the date of publication, Larry Ramer held long positions in Arrival, Electramecchanica, .EVgo, and Xpeng.
Larry Ramer has conducted research and written articles on U.S. stocks for 14 years. He has been employed by The Fly and Israel’s largest business newspaper, Globes. Larry began writing columns for InvestorPlace in 2015. Among his highly successful, contrarian picks have been GE, solar stocks, and Snap. You can reach him on StockTwits at @larryramer.


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Former celebrity chef, Conrad Gallagher, has lashed out at the Irish media for reporting on his past failures.
The Letterkenny native recently launched two new businesses in South Africa.
The new ventures come after Gallagher (50) moved around the US, Ireland and South Africa, with a string of his restaurants closing with bad debts.
This week he accused some sections of the Irish media of launching ‘poison venom’ attacks against him.
He posted on his Twitter account: “Running a successful business for over seven years, over 120 full time employees working directly and 380 indirectly, through Covid and with some of the roughest ever trading periods for hospitality. Nice to see the Irish media are never far away with their knives and poison venom attacks.”
Speaking about Bistro Vin De Boeuf in St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa, he said: “The countdown has officially begun!
“This week Bistrovindeboeuf is teeming with excitement as tables get set, the bar is being stocked with only the finest wines and our team of servers, hosts and chefs begin setting the wheels in motion for our first service.
“Are you as excited as I am? Reservations now open for Mid-October!”
The launch comes after Gallagher recently opened Off the Menu Food Emporium in St Francis Bay, a delicatessen, coffee and wine shop serving tapas-style meals.
He also owns Food Concepts 360, a consultancy for the hotel and restaurant industry with clients across the Middle East, Africa and the US.Tags:


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So earlier today Google unveiled the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. So far there have been some who have compared Google’s launch of the phones to be a direct challenge to Apple and the iPhone’s premium status. There is some proof of this, such as how features like Google Assistant will be exclusive to the Pixel for the foreseeable future.
As if that wasn’t enough, it looks like Google has made it easier for iPhone users to jump ship by including an adapter inside the boxes of the Pixel phones. What this adapter does is that it lets users connect your Pixel phone directly to the iPhone, thus allowing for data to be transferred between devices on the spot.
This includes contacts, photos, and even iMessage messages. Now making the switch and transferring data from an iPhone to an Android device (and vice versa) isn’t exactly new and there have been solutions offered in the past, such as apps. However with Google actually including hardware that makes the switch possible, seamless, and relatively painless, it should make things rather interesting.
Of course whether or not users will take advantage of this and make the switch remains to be seen, but at least the option is there for those who want to take advantage of it.


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22 Dec Tecnica Finds New Equity Partner
The Zanatta family and Italmobiliare have finalized the deal whereby Italmobiliare becomes a shareholder of Tecnica Group, the maker of outdoor footwear and ski equipment. The transaction, which is based on a €60 million financial commitment part regarding a capital increase and debenture loan for Tecnica and part related to the direct purchase of a stake from the Zanatta family, allows Italmobiliare to own 40 percent of Tecnica Group.
The operation was particularly comprehensive as the entrance of Italmobiliare has brought a total restructuring of the financial structure of the Group to further strengthen the company’s growth.
Alberto Zanatta, president of Tecnica Group, said, “This agreement represents a very important step for our company, I am proud of our families business history. On the other hand though, we are aware that international competition requires different strategies compared to 57 years ago when the company was founded. For this reason, we are happy for this new path: we have found in Italmobiliare and the Pesenti family a partner that shares our passion and business vision. Benefiting from a unique know-how which has its roots in craftsmanship, but also in unique technological and innovative skills, today we can be enthusiastic about our future and ready to reach our ambitious goals.”
Carlo Pesenti, CEO of Italmobiliare, said, “With this agreement we are joining one of the world leaders in the Sportsystem sector. A company that is well-know on international markets, thanks to its iconic brands. Italmobiliare will support the Group’s plans for diversification and growth through its financial and management know-how of business development. This investment will integrate perfectly with our investment portfolio and strengthen our industrial profile in a sector with great potential for growth.”
Technology, customization, brand reinforcement: these are the elements necessary to face the global challenge in the Sportsystem market which Tecnica Group plans to maintain its leading role. The Group was founded in 1960 by the Tecnica shoe factory through Giancarlo Zanatta, father of the current President Alberto Zanatta. Over the years it acquired some iconic ski equipment brands of the world and today it is amongst some of the few Italian industrial groups to own important foreign brands: Tecnica (ski boots and footwear), Nordica (skis and ski boots), Moon Boot (footwear), Lowa (German brand of trekking footwear, a point of reference on the global market), Blizzard (historical Austrian ski brand) and Rollerblade (inline skates and ice skates).
Antonio Dus, CEO of Tecnica Group said: “The addition of Italmobiliare is a strategic move towards the plans for development of the Group which, after its reorganization in recent years, has started to grow again as per current data. If 2016 was officially marked as the turning point with a consolidated turnover of €334 million, the plans for 2017 were for €360 million, an 8 percent growth more or less. In truth, the preliminary data estimates a final statement of about €370 million which would mean a growth of 12 percent. With regards to the EBITDA, the great leap took place between 2015 and 2016 when it settled around €27 million with respect to the €21 million of the previous year, therefore a growth of 30 percent, confirming the 2017 forecast where the EBITDA will be in further growth, potentially above €31 million.”
Even the data regarding each single brand is positive with Tecnica up by 11 percent with respect to 2016, Blizzard by 8 percent, Nordica by 15 percent, Moon Boot by 50 percent and Lowa by 15 percent. With regards to the “snow” market, this data is reflected in the positive sell-in and is a good omen for the upcoming winter season, even if it is early to make an assessment. Moreover, it should be remembered that the Group’s work is seasonally adjusted and more than 50 percent of the turnover is linked to the “summer” brands like Lowa, Tecnica Outdoor and Rollerblade. Export is still going strong, around 94 percent: only 6 percent is produced for Italy, 25 percent goes to Germany, 39 percent to the rest of Europe and 20 percent to North America.
In January 2016 an industrial development plan to lead the Group towards €500 million was put into place. Antonio Dus affirmed: “This goal was defined by estimating the potential for development of each brand and includes dedicated projects for each one of them. In general, at a corporate level, we decided to push four main strategic lines: the reinforcement of each brand by taking the final customer into consideration; an increase in investment in innovation so as to have a highly differentiated product, as the Group has always done; the investment in additional resources for digital distribution tied to the new trends and habits of the consumers; the implementation of the specific programs for production and logistics efficiency.”
This operation was handled by a pool of experts which involved Studio Boffa & Associati for the Zanatta family for the financial side and Latham & Watkins for the legal side. Italmobiliare was assisted by Leonardo-Houlihan Lokey as its financial advisor while the legal side was handled by Studio Gatti Pavesi Bianchi. Roland Berger took care of the commercial due diligence while PWC handled the financial and fiscal due diligence. Moreover, Latham & Watkins, Studio Boffa & Associati and Leonardo-Houlihan Lokey assisted Tecnica Group with regards to the renegotiation of its financial debt with the banks (Gruppo Intesa, Gruppo Unicredit, Gruppo Banco BPM, Friuladria and MPS) which were assisted by Studio Gattai Minoli Agostinelli.
Tecnica Group operates across eight branches and four production sites distributed around the world and employs 1.400 people. The company headquarters are in Giavera del Montello (TV), in the heart of the Sportsystem district, which led the Italian economic boom and still today is home to prestigious companies in this sector.
Italmobiliare is an Investment Holding which owns and manages a diversified investment portfolio with a strategic vision sustained by a financial and industrial history that has been active for over 150 years. The company, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, has a Net Asset Value of about €1.5 billion.


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Before the Google Pixel duo were introduced to the public, we were referring to the two as Marlin and Sailfish. Marlin turned out to be the bigger fish, the Google Pixel XL, while the Sailfish was the known as the smaller Google Pixel. We don’t really expect the tech giant to use fish names this year but looks it will as we’ve heard of the terms Muskie and Walleye. The new Pixel phones were sighted on the Android Open Source Project gerrit. Actually, only the walleye was listed. Not much information was published but we’re hoping similar and related details will be uncovered in the coming weeks or months.
Google isn’t due to release new Pixel phones yet. The company still needs to fix some issues and deliver orders. However, like any other premium flagship devices, we’re curious to know this early what the next-gen devices could look like or have.
Just the other day, we mentioned the Pixel 2 may no longer include a headphone jack. We were also comforted to know that a next-gen Pixel will still be coming this year as a premium flagship device.
The Pixel phones are relatively new so we’re assumming Google is really serious in putting them on the map. They replaced the Nexus phones but the Pixel and Pixel XL plus the Pixel C are more known to be high-end. We don’t know exactly how they are doing in the market but Google definitely needs to look into the numbers.
VIA: Android Police


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The Indiana-based animal health company Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) held its first-quarter earnings call for 2021 Friday morning.
One product, not surprisingly, dominated the hour: Seresto flea and tick collars. We clocked CEO Simmons at 4 minutes 30 seconds into the earnings presentation when he first said “Seresto”:
“I’d like to take a moment to address Seresto,” Simmons began, directing call participants to two slides, “before progressing to a more detailed review of our performance [Seresto Slides: Slide 5, Slide 6 ].”
Simmons focused on describing ELAN’s efforts to “correct the misinformation spread through media reports.” He was, of course, referring to the USA Today story in early March which, despite being discredited by the veterinary community almost as soon as it was published, was amplified by additional outlets, such as CBS News.
The allegation — that Seresto collars, a product that’s been on the market since 2012, had fatally poisoned hundreds of cats and dogs — had initially and not surprisingly, sent Elanco’s stock tumbling. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) then appeared in a CBS News report on March 18 that parroted USA Today’s story, publicly rebuking Elanco and calling on the company and Bayer, the original manufacturer, to produce documents and recall the product. That, in turn, triggered an even larger, more amplified wave of media reports, still parroting the original and problematic USA Today story.
Today, CEO Simmons highlighted steps the company has taken to double down on Seresto’s safety profile, including data and reports they’ve provided to regulators.
“In the first quarter today, in a separate 8-K filing, he said, “we released additional scientific data to correct the misinformation spread through media reports regarding Seresto flea and tick collars. The filing includes conclusions from a comprehensive review of adverse event data, which we have also provided directly to regulators and legislators.”
CEO Simmons continued:
“Our team has worked tirelessly to clarify the science and safety around this trusted brand. So let me summarize and be clear on Seresto. First, the product’s strong safety profile is supported by registrations from more than 80 regulatory bodies around the world and our robust pharmacovigilance process. Also, there is no scientific evidence in clinical studies or pharmacovigilance reporting to substantiate that Seresto’s active ingredients caused pet deaths. We are providing additional product surveillance information on Seresto to the EPA, and we’ve shared information with the House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Economic and Consumer Policy to set the record straight. We continue to actively cooperate with both on any supplemental requests for facts. Our proprietary market research indicates high levels of confidence among consumers and veterinarians bolstered by our proactive efforts to share the facts with pet owners, retailers, and veterinarian clinics. Importantly, in terms of revenue in the first quarter, we saw no deviation and two-year growth for global Seresto compared to historical trends. April revenue in the US is ahead of our original expectations from the start of 2021. And we are on track towards full-year expectations for the Seresto brand.”
News about Seresto was not without some disappointment. “Global Seresto revenue declined 9 percent against a difficult comparison of 49 percent growth in the first quarter of 2020,” the Q1 earnings release said. The release continues: “April revenue for Seresto in the U.S. is ahead of our original expectations from the start of 2021, and
a global brand is on track toward full-year expectations.
Seresto, Seresto, Seresto Q&A
Most of the Q&A portion of the Q1 Earnings presentation was also dominated by Seresto. We’ll have more when we can cross-check with an official transcript, which has not yet been published.
One question that did not come up in the Q&A portion was any question about litigation and what, if any, settlement fees there were to date and what the fees were costing the company. The same line of questioning on which Simmons and company spokeswomen Parr and McGrath declined to engage TCR in March in the first days and weeks following Collargate.
Since Collargate landed on March 2, eager plaintiffs’ attorneys have been circling Elanco like vultures, apparently as unaware as Gannett’s editors that the story had problems.
In late March in an interview with TCR for an earlier, related story, plaintiff’s attorney Spencer Sheehan of Great Neck, Long Island acknowledged that the complaint he and his colleagues had recently filed against Seresto relied solely on the USA Today story.
Responding by telephone to a question about whether he and his colleagues planned to introduce any evidence in addition to the USA Today story, Mr. Sheehan offered:
“You know, the way our system, I guess, legal system is that, you know, and it might seem silly and, you know, glib to say, well, the evidence comes later, you know, I guess lay person says, well, how do you file a lawsuit without evidence? Well, you really, in many instances, evidence, such as what would be relevant here is in the possession of, you know, the opposition. So a lawsuit in this case has to, you know, do enough, show enough allegations that seem, you know, like, I guess the word is used plausible and, you know, that’s something that can be done without, let’s say, you know, what most people would describe as evidence, meaning, you know, the documents…”
Asked, again, he or any of his colleagues had spoken with any veterinarians or planned on introducing veterinary records or necropsies as evidence, Mr. Sheehan responded, “That’s not necessarily required at this early stage or, you know, the early stage and the beginning of any litigation.”


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Google has recently released its March 2023 Core Algorithm Update. This update is expected to impact search rankings, and website owners and SEO experts are advised to take note of the changes to adjust their strategies accordingly.
Changes Made in the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update:
The exact changes made in the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update are still unclear. However, Google has stated that this update is a part of its ongoing efforts to provide users with the most relevant and helpful search results.
Impact on Search Rankings:
The impact of the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update on search rankings is yet to be fully understood. However, Google has emphasized that website owners and SEO experts should focus on creating high-quality, user-focused content that meets the needs of their target audience.
Tips for Adjusting Your SEO Strategy:
To adjust your SEO strategy to the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update, here are some tips to consider:
- Create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience and meets their needs.
- Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
- Focus on building a strong backlink profile with high-quality links from reputable websites.
- Optimize your website’s speed and performance to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Utilize schema markup and other structured data to make it easier for search engines to understand your website’s content.
The March 2023 Core Algorithm Update is a reminder that Google is constantly working to improve its search algorithm and provide users with the best possible results, concludes NIX Solutions. By following the tips outlined above, website owners and SEO experts can adjust their strategies to ensure their websites continue to rank well in search results.


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The Hamburger Sparkasse (Haspa) and the Logistik-Initiative Hamburg have launched the Next Logistics Accelerator (NLA) to boost start-ups in the logistics sector and offering up to EUR 50,000 in equity in return for a 3 to 10 per cent share of the company, a press release said Monday.
Commenting on the development, Frank Horch, Senator for Economics, noted: “Apart from the successful work by the Next Media Accelerator which is launching its second fund this summer for up to 100 media start-ups by 2021, and the Next Commerce Accelerator that is due to open its doors in the second half of 2017, the Next Logistics Accelerator complements perfectly the entire value chain from customer to product. This is happening in relation to national and international start-ups in our liveable city – a true ‘Gate to the World’.”
Extensive logistics network in Hamburg
The Next Logistics Accelerator offers capital and a six-month accelerator programme as well as access to Hamburg’s extensive logistics network. Around 12,000 companies in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region offer multiple opportunities for testing products and services on the market. The members of Haspa and the Logistik-Initiative Hamburg include over 2,000 clients and companies in the logistics sector who take an interest in start-ups’ products and services.
Prof. Dr. Peer Witten, Chair of the Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, noted: “Most logistics companies are open to change, but often do not have the resources and in some cases the competence to effect change themselves. The innovative power of start-ups is thus most interesting and worthy of support. The Next Logistics Accelerator and the digtial ‘Logistics Hub’ will offer an excellent ecosystem in Hamburg.”
Sources and further information:


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A large percentage of logistics companies still do not heed the benefits technology or a digital makeover brings to their organization. But times are changing and logistics companies need to reconsider their position on a digital makeover. They will do well to realize that technology is their lifeline — that adopting automated cutting-edge software extends their company’s capability beyond internal operations to across the organization, and increases their agility and performance capabilities, leading to streamlined productivity and swift response to obstacles.
New logistics technologies help disintegrate the system of compartmentalized operations and streamlines processes across the enterprise. The impact is seen not only the cost side but also on growth through the capability to deliver efficient, customer-centric operations with faster shipment cycle. Technologies likewise enable flexibility to quickly integrate, communicate and collaborate with stakeholders across logistics processes.
The increasing convergence in logistics operations requires a new generation of web-based, enterprise logistics applications that allow collaboration and optimization through a digital backbone, one that provides visibility across the enterprise and the extended supply chain.
This is the time to consolidate digital strategies and develop a cohesive digital ecosystem that will prepare the company for future challenges. Doing so will help control the organization and place the customer at the center of the digital ecosystem, taking businesses beyond the traditional sphere.
A new dimension of data analysis and intelligence will be introduced, giving the company a complete digital makeover.
Logistics companies cannot wish away a digital makeover. The choice is between sustainable growth and an uncertain future. A digital makeover can bring about sustainable growth and also equip the company to face future challenges; the absence of a digital strategy could, on the other hand, lead to inefficiencies that may severely impede growth of the company.
Technology makeover will become increasingly significant in the logistics industry, allowing even small companies to have a global reach and compete with large ones. The race to join the transformation to digitalization will certainly be dominant in the next few years.


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Airtel Rwanda has launched a highly affordable 4G smartphone as part of the government of Rwanda’s ConnectRwanda2.0 initiative.
Residents of Kayonza district will be among the first to benefit from this pioneering venture.
By the end of 2024, this strategic effort aims to put a high-speed, cutting-edge smartphone in the hands of over one million Rwandans, many of whom will be experiencing the digital world for the first time.
This smartphone is now offered at a highly discounted price of Rwf20,000.
Subscribers are eligible for unlimited calls and texts, and a 1GB of 4G data daily, all for a monthly fee of just Rwf1,000.
All other Airtel smartphone customers will enjoy new rates as follows: Rwf3,000 monthly 1GB of 4G data daily + unlimited calls and SMS.
Rwf5,000 monthly 2GB of 4G data daily + unlimited calls and SMS.
This offering has been made possible in part through the philanthropic support of Reed Hastings, former Executive Chairman of Netflix, who has generously contributed to smartphone affordability under the initiative, in partnership with Airtel and ConnectRwanda 2.0.
Emmanuel Hamez, Managing Director of Airtel Rwanda, said that Airtel Rwanda is extremely grateful to be able to join forces with the Government of Rwanda’s ConnectRwanda2.0 initiative, to pave the way for a digital revolution.
“We are immensely proud to be part of this initiative that promises to foster Rwanda’s digital access, starting right here in Kayonza, Eastern Province.”
Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation graced the launch.
“This exciting partnership between Airtel Rwanda and Netflix founder Reed Hastings marks a significant milestone towards unlocking smartphone affordability,” she said.
Minister Ingabire added that today, smartphone ownership in Rwanda stands at 27% and the biggest barrier to smartphone ownership has been affordability.
“The launch of this smartphone financing initiative is a continuation of the Connect Rwanda initiative and it is well aligned with our policy to drive inclusive and accessible broadband connectivity across Rwanda.”
The initiative represents an ambitious effort by the Government of Rwanda and the industry to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies, narrowing the technological gap and propelling the nation into a more connected and promising future, which includes providing citizens with smartphones as a key component of the digital transformation agenda.
Rwanda like India now in data rates. Less than $3/month for unlimited everything, and good 4G phones available for less than $20. Airtel + subsidies from me. Jio tranformed India digital and Airtel now doing that in Rwanda. Unlimited data = freedom to learn. https://t.co/g7y9W8JSEF
— Reed Hastings (@reedhastings) October 16, 2023


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2017 has been a very eventful year for the tech industry, with its steady stream of new gadgets and major game-changing events in major corporations that have swung the pendulum in one particular direction for better or worse. We’ve been witness to a mixture of terrifying and awe-inspiring news that could continue to drive on into the next year. Now, it’s time to refresh our memories and look back at everything that’s made a mark on the year.
Many Major Security Breaches
Although 2017 hasn’t brought with it as many breaches as 2016 has (1050 for the former, 1985 for the latter), the sheer size of this year’s breaches boggles the mind. In September we discovered that Equifax, a massive credit reporting agency, lost the records of just over a third of the United States’ population, potentially exposing all of their personally identifiable information.
Not even two months later, Uber admitted to attempting to cover up a data breach that happened way back in 2016 that affected 57 million users of the platform.
Earlier in the year – in March – a major spam email company named River City Media accidentally leaked the information of 1.34 billion email accounts.
Another two months passed, and there was the WannaCry ransomware that ran amok through hundreds of thousands of systems across 150 countries, affecting institutions such as the National Health Service in the UK. The software encrypted its victims’ files and would only unlock their systems after a ransom was paid in Bitcoin.
In short, it’s been a very great year for hackers and a messy one for anyone with their information up on the Web.
Amazon Keeps Swallowing Everything
Amazon has been around for some years already, but this year was probably its best. It’s not only had its best Prime Day, Cyber Monday, and holiday season in its history but also acquired Whole Foods in June to expand its grocery business.
There was also the release of Alexa, the home assistant AI that comes installed in its Echo devices. Although there have been concerns about the device listening in on people’s conversations inside of their own homes, the convenience that it presented has convinced 35.6 million people to purchase it.
Cryptocurrencies Are Running Wild
The world of alternative currencies has expanded a lot since Bitcoin first saw the light of day in 2009. Although not a favorite of banks, the cryptocurrency world has gone through some massive changes that gave it a total market capitalization at one point in the year of $630 billion. As the year came to a close, Bitcoin has experienced a roller coaster ride in which it hit $20,000 in value and then suddenly experienced a price correction, finishing the year trading at just under $15,000.
Some of this growth could be attributed to the online hype surrounding cryptocurrencies, but citizens of countries like Venezuela see them as a way to survive the calamity and volatility of their own local currencies. There’s been some government backlash, including an outright ban in Vietnam with penalties of up to $8,800.
Their impact on the world economy is already visible, with Bitcoin’s market capitalization alone surpassing the entire gross domestic product of many countries around the world. If the market crashes, it certainly won’t be a pretty event.
Apple Gets Busted
As the iPhone hits its 10th anniversary, it was hit with a scandal once the developers at Geekbench revealed that older phones were being intentionally slowed down over time.
The reason? Battery age.
As a lithium-ion batteries age, they develop an uneven collection of nanocrystals on their electrodes, reducing the capacity of the battery significantly. You’ll notice this if you ever kept a smartphone for more than 4 years. Battery life seems to drop like a stone in freefall at some point.
Geekbench published a blog confirming that iPhones tone down their performance to counteract this issue, attempting to ensure a normal battery life for the phone regardless of what its owner desires.
When users would get new batteries, their Geekbench score shot right back up to the level it was at when they first purchased their phones. Although Apple may have had good intentions here, this may have frustrated many people that didn’t understand why their phones were performing sluggishly even though they aren’t very much past their prime.
Which of these stories do you consider to have affected you the most? Tell us all about it in a comment!
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R-Class up and running in Mishawaka
Partnership a testament to area's skilled workers
MISHAWAKA — Last August, executives with Mercedes-Benz were visiting AM General's Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, asking themselves if northern Indiana and AM General were a good fit for the luxury vehicle brand.
Tuesday, barely a year after that visit, the white-gloved hands of workers polished away final flaws from the sleek, black exterior of a Mercedes-Benz R-Class — the Mercedes vehicle now in full production and being made exclusively by AM General.
Mercedes and AM General executives, elected officials and invited guests gathered in Mishawaka Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the vehicle in Mishawaka. AM General announced in January that the German-based luxury vehicle producer would be moving its R-Class manufacturing from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Indiana.
"One year later to actually be building cars on a production line is an incredible accomplishment," said Jason Hoff, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, about the short turnaround time from making the deal to full production. "It's a great statement and testimony to the people who are here."
It was AM General's ability to adapt quickly, like retooling its plant to build a new car, and the longstanding reputation of the company's workforce that made the company an ideal partner, Hoff said. This makes AM General the first and only U.S. company to be contracted to produce Mercedes vehicles. The deal runs for multiple years, but for competitive reasons, executives would not say the exact length of the contract or how many total units will be produced.
AM General does expect more than 200 jobs to be created at the plant, though, with many of the new employees having already been hired. It's because of the hardworking employees at AM General that the deal with Mercedes was possible, said Gov. Mike Pence. The deal also is a statement about the business environment of Indiana and should be seen as a source of encouragement across the state, he said.
"On days like today, there's a lot of credit to go around," Pence said Tuesday, "but most of the credit goes to the hardworking people in this community."
Two members of Congress were also in attendance Tuesday celebrating the success of AM General. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Jimtown, said she couldn't be more grateful to the workers of northern Indiana because they are working together, forging a future for the state.
"We have shown the world again that there is no better place to invest in vehicle manufacturing than in AM General," Walorski said.
Having watched AM General come back from high job losses during the recession to growing today in the global economy, is "inspiring and touching," because of the tough time workers and the company have been through, said Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.
The R-Class vehicles, which are being made in Mishawaka, have been sold exclusively in China since 2013.
Speaking to a crowded assembly plant floor Tuesday, Howard Glaser, president of AM General's commercial business, spoke about the kind of product they would be producing for Mercedes. Chinese consumers can rest assured that all of the same quality and luxury expected with Mercedes will still be found in AM Genera's products, he said, but there will be one thing special no car in China has ever had. A label reading "Made in Mishawaka."
Confident in the long-term demand for quality American manufacturing, Glaser echoed the statements of others that this is just the beginning of growth for the commercial side of AM General. Whether there are future deals with Mercedes down the road no one could say, but it's apparent AM General has left an impression with the luxury vehicle company.
"We are not going to let just anyone build this (R-Class)," Hoff said, "but we are confident we have picked a good partner."


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The grand rollout of the coming year’s wares — Toy Fair 2014 — happened in New York this weekend, already kicking out news of the next Transformers game earlier today. It’s also a showcase for the new collection of figures, both fully posable and less so. Take a peek inside.
Evan Narcisse patrolled Toy Fair 2014 for us, bringing back these looks at Transformers, Star Wars, LEGO and GI Joe, sometimes in combination (is that a LEGO Wolverine? — no, the GI Joe missile tank, not the Mr. Potato-head thing at the bottom).


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We’re not very sure why companies are coming with these “new year” editions of current smartphones. Earlier this year, Xiaomi launched a Redmi Note 8 2021 Edition, but it was mostly a disappointment than an actual upgrade. Now, Samsung is doing the same with its Samsung Galaxy M21 2021 Edition. The device isn’t really impressive if we compare it with the new 2021 mid-ranges. Still, Samsung is confident that the M21’s legacy will be enough to push a new generation forward. Today, the device had some of its key specifications revealed.
Amazon has just confirmed that the upcoming smartphone will carry Samsung Galax M21 2021 Edition moniker. The new handset will go official on July 21st at 12:00 PM IST. The company has also revealed some of the design languages of the handset. The handset will stick with the original phone’s design bringing a waterdrop notch at the front. The rear part will serve as a home for a triple-camera setup that sits at the top-left position. The phone will also pack a physical fingerprint scanner, which sits right next to the camera cutout. The right side serves as a home for the volume rocker and a power button. The back panel features a stripe design and apparently it is made of plastic.
Gizchina News of the week
Samsung Galaxy M21 2021 Edition alleged specifications
Samsung has already confirmed that the smartphone will come in two colorways – Arctic Blue and Charcoal Black. The handset will flaunt a 6.4-inch Full HD+ display that has AMOLED technology. So it’s safe to assume that it will be totally compatible with the company’s Always On features. In terms of optics, the primary camera is a 48 MP Samsung GM2 sensor. For now, it’s not easy to determine the purpose of the other two sensors. Anyway, rumors suggest that the secondary camera is an 8 MP ultrawide shooter and the third sensor is a 5 MP macro shooter. Further, it is expected to pack a 20MP selfie snapper. The device will draw its powers from a huge 6,000mAh battery. Hopefully, it will have at least a 15 W charging, otherwise getting this battery charged will be painful.
Unfortunately, there aren’t details regarding the processor inside this smartphone. Some reports suggest an Exynos 9611 SoC which will not be a massive upgrade. Other details include a USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, dual-SIM 4G, dual-band Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.2. The device will run Android 11-based One UI 3.1 straight out of the box.
The device will go official in India on July 21st.


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Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) were quoting higher for the fifth straight trading days, hitting new high of Rs 940, up 2% on the BSE, after the government last week increased the minimum support price (MSP) of kharif crops for 2018-19.
In past six trading sessions, M&M has rallied 6% as compared to 1.5% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. In past four months, it surged 29% against 7.5% rise in the benchmark index.
According to M&M, the Government’s plan to double farmer income by 2022 is expected to open many new opportunities for Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector.
With the Government’s strong focus on improving farm productivity and the adoption of better agricultural practices, the sector is poised for sustained growth. With a normal monsoon forecast by major global weather forecasting agencies, the Farm Equipment Sector is ideally positioned for the near and mid-term, the company said in FY18 annual report.
The Indian auto industry is expected to continue with its growth momentum of F18 when all segments, Passenger Vehicles (PV), Commercial Vehicles (CV), Three Wheelers (3W) and Two Wheelers (2W) reported their highest-ever sales. Excluding 2-Wheelers, the industry grew at 11.9% over the previous year, registering double-digit growth for the first time in seven years, it added.
Analysts at Prabhudas Lilladher maintain ‘BUY’ rating on M&M with a price target of Rs 1,041 as the brokerage remain confident of the company’s domestic tractor business.
“The company’s strategy for its global business ramp up further boosts our confidence as the company is focusing on products & segments which are similar to its domestic tractor portfolio. However, we continue to have concerns over M&M’s domestic UV business, although the 3 upcoming launches in this space can boost volumes ahead,” the brokerage firm said in analyst meets update.


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John Palmer, left, the shop and gold and watches advertised online
The 65-year-old, who earned his nickname due to his role in melting down the bullion from the £26million Brink's-Mat robbery at Heathrow Airport in 1983, was once dubbed Britain's richest criminal.
His killing is currently being probed by murder detectives, after Essex Police faced criticism for originally ruling his death a "non suspicious."
Six days later, a post-mortem found he had been blasted in the chest with a shotgun.
Officers are currently investigating several lines of inquiry over Palmer's death, including the gangster's businesses.
Now, exclusively revealed by Express.co.uk, it has been found Palmer - together with girlfriend Christina Ketley - was behind Essex Pawn Stars in Brentwood, Essex.
The town is most famous for its popularity with stars of reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE).
A used watch being offered on Twitter by the shop for £25k
Christina Ketley in 2001
The store offers loans against luxury valuables from £1,000 to £100,000.
Palmer, once ranked 66th on the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated £300million fortune, was said to be one of the country's most successful crooks with after masterminding a £30million Tenerife-based timeshare scam.
An investigation by Express.co.uk can reveal Palmer and Ketley's six UK limited companies owe creditors a total of £914,219, with a value of -£230,269, according to latest accounts filed to Companies House for 2014.
Essex Pawn Stars owns Twitter and Instagram accounts festooned with pictures of watches, including luxury brands Cartier and Rolex, ranging from a few thousand pounds to at least £25,000.
The accounts also promote diamonds and gold bars that have been pawned by rich people apparently having money troubles.
Living up to his 'Goldfinger' moniker, Palmer's shop advertises Umicore Feingold pure gold bars at £2,620 for 100g, and pure diamonds for made to order rings.
Gold for sale at shop on twitter
Goldfinger: More bullion on offer
Customers include former Another Level singer Dane Bowers.
He tweeted after a visit: "Just been to @Essexpawnstars...need to get saving!"
Celebs following Essex Pawn Stars' Twitter account include TOWIE stars Gemma Collins and Jake Hall, as well as footballers and boxers.
Alarmingly, the firm has "permission" from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to lend cash.
The tightly-regulated activity must involve professionals meeting "fit and proper person" tests and signing anti-money laundering regulations.
A spokesman for the National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA), a voluntary trade body, said granting permission raised questions of how thorough checks had been, as they were usually very stringent.
Diamonds also on sale there
Dane Bowers Tweets after visit
He said about 90 per cent of pawnbrokers were members of the NPA.
Referring to Essex Pawn Stars, he added: "Members sign a commitment to honour our strict code of conduct. None of these individuals or businesses have ever been a member."
The FCA refused to answer specific questions or confirm if it was aware of Palmer and Ketley's criminal convictions when Essex Pawn Stars was approved last April.
At a 1987 trial Palmer convinced the jury he had not known the Brink's-Mat gold he smelted was stolen. He was later acquitted.
In May 2001 he was jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey for masterminding the timeshare swindle and Ketley, who was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud, got a two-year suspended sentence.
In 2005, Palmer was declared bankrupt, owing £3.5million.
Trustees were still trying to secure funds for victims in 2013, according to an update report filed by accountants Irwin Mitchell.
In July 2007 Palmer and Ketley were arrested by Spanish police, on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.
An array of expensive watches available through the shop
Just been to @Essexpawnstars...need to get saving!
Their pawnbroking enterprise began while they remained under investigation.
Due to Palmer's bankruptcy, Ketley is the registered owner of the Brentwood home they shared and, on paper, runs all their UK business interests.
In the 2001 trial, Palmer admitted Ketley "worked to his orders."
A source said: "He couldn't have his name on anything after the bankruptcy, but just ran things behind the scenes."
In 2011 the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) granted Ketley a "consumer credit licence", which allowed her to run a pawnbrokers and to loan cash.
This was despite her background and connections to Palmer.
The OFT ceased to exist in March 2014, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which took over the role.
Essex Pawn Stars in Kings Road, Brentwood
Since April 2014 the FCA has allowed the firm "interim permission" to carry on as a pawnbroker and lend money, pending a full application.
Ketley is the firm's "approved person", meaning she is responsible for compliance.
Palmer was charged by Spanish authorities in May with new fraud and money laundering offences and a firearms count.
Ketley was also charged with fraud at the same time in connection with the same inquiry.
The FCA refused to say why it approved the interim permission, if it had been aware of her background with Palmer, or if it would investigate the issuing of the licence now this has surfaced.
A spokeswoman said: "We are unable to comment on individuals or firms."
However, she added: "All firms who wished to continue providing consumer credit services had to have interim permission to operate.
One of the last pictures of John Palmer before he was killed
Just a small amount of the watches advertised on Instagram
"This enables firms to continue operating until such a time as they are assessed for FCA authorisation.
"During the authorisation process they will have to demonstrate that they are operating within the rules and meet the high standards expected of them.
"Any firms who have interim permission to carry out consumer credit activities are starting to be assessed for authorisation. At this time, firms’ business models will be assessed in detail, they will have to demonstrate they comply with the rules and that they treat customers fairly.
"In terms of suitability, firms will also have to demonstrate the competence and ability of management and that their affairs are conducted in an appropriate manner. The FCA will also review any criminal records, if appropriate."
Essex Police launched a murder probe six days after Palmer's body was found at their £800,000 property in Essex on June 24.
Officers were criticised for orginally classing his death as "non-suspicious", before a post-mortem found he had been blasted in the chest with a shotgun.
One theory over Palmer's death suggests he may have been about to turn "supergrass" before an upcoming Spanish fraud trial.
An Essex Police spokeswoman said: "Detectives are following several main lines of inquiry and will not comment on specific historical incidents."
Palmer's relatives have asked through Essex Police that they are not contacted by media while they grieve.


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(Yicai Global) Sept. 27 -- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA] has unveiled a brand new Internet of Things operating system, dubbed AliOS, for use in vehicles and IoT terminals.
The firm announced the system with the slogan 'drive everything toward intelligence.' The AliOS business team will ramp up investment in the Internet of Things and develop the operating system to run in vehicles, IoT terminals and chips, it said. It will also integrate AliOS with YunOS, the smartphone operating system it developed, tech media outlet Kuai Keji reported.
US-based research firm Gartner Inc. [NYSE:IT] forecasts the number of global IoT devices will reach 8.4 billion this year, up 31 percent from 6.4 billion last year and exceeding the world's population for the first time.
The consumption sector is still the biggest user of IoT devices, with 5.2 billion, making up 63 percent of the total. Internet of Things devices in cars are the kind most commonly used by consumers.