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Pinoy food tagged as one of the emerging cuisines in Dubai
UAE-based publication Khaleej Times had tagged Filipino food as one of the fast emerging cuisines in the Dubai, citing numerous restaurants in UAE offering delectable dishes that caters to both foreign and Filipino palate.
The publication cited 5 main reasons why Filipino food in UAE is set to soar to greater heights, saying that Pinoy food is cheap, offers a ‘colorful’ experience, an ‘indulgence to the core’, and even added the sunny and cheerful outlook of Filipino people,
“There is huge curiosity that surrounds around the Filipino cuisine, so much so that expats from various countries try it themselves”, the report said.
The report also cited Satwa, Deira and Karama as the main cities in UAE to relish Filipino ‘taste of home’.


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Reckitt lowers its aim on growth
HOUSEHOLD goods group Reckitt Benckiser has signalled a slowdown in profits and sales growth this year. The shares tumbled to a year low as Reckitt dashed hopes of an early share buyback, and its largest investor said it would sell stock worth £670m.
The group, which sells Finish/Calgonit dishwasher products, Lysol disinfectant and Mr Sheen polish, lifted net profits 22% for last year to £408m. That's broadly in line with market forecasts.
But Reckitt said net income growth this year was likely to be in the low double digits, compared with its 2002 target of 18% growth. The sales growth forecast was 4-6%, compared with a 2002 target of 6%. 'These targets demonstrate our commitment to shareholder value,' said chief executive Bart Becht.
Becht and a new management team have revived Reckitt over the past three years by cutting costs and spending more on marketing new product lines to add to its stable of well-known brands such as Dettol antiseptic, Harpic toilet cleaner and Lemsip for treating colds.
Shares in Reckitt, which twice edged up its 2002 sales and profit forecasts, have beaten the FTSE 100 by 31% over the past year. But since the New Year they have been hit by worries about an economic downturn, price deflation in household products markets and Reckitt's exposure to the weaker dollar.
The firm is also under pressure to return cash to shareholders after losing recent bid battles for Bayer AG's pesticides unit and Pfizer's razor maker Schick.
Becht said the group was still considering a share buyback, but that the company would not borrow to fund such a move.
Investor JAB said its shareholding fall from 24.3 to 20% following the share placing. The privately-owned company said the proceeds of the sale would allow it to repurchase an indirect investment in JAB from a member of the controlling family, and to diversify its investment portfolio and cut debt. 'JAB will retain a significant voting and economic interest in Reckitt Benckiser,' it added. 'JAB remains a committed long-term investor in Reckitt Benckiser and is fully supportive of Reckitt Benckiser's management and business strategy.'
The shares dropped 60p to 985p. Reckitt kept its dividend for 2002 at 25.5p a share. It has kept the payout steady since the merger that created the group in 1999, as it wants its dividend cover to match the average of its international peers.
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RFID medical sensor specialist Gentag‘s GT-601 phone is aimed at “people who are concerned only with basic voice communication, mobile payments, social networks, and diagnostics using a low-cost mobile wireless device.” The candybar handset is expected to retail at $119 or 89 euros, incorporates an NXP PN544 NFC controller and will go into volume production in 2011.
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2018 marks the fifth year of FIS’ report “Flavors of Fast”. It was originally inspired to capture the early but remarkable influences of faster payments schemes around the world. In 2014, it counted a total of 14 live schemes. By the time the 2017 report went live, there were 25 countries live with faster payment schemes.
This year, that number jumped to an astounding 40 countries live with faster payment schemes, fuelled in part by regions like Australia, the United States, and the launch of the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) scheme, created by the European Payments Council (EPC). SCT Inst is expected to progressively bring faster payments to more than 30 countries over the course of the next year.
Real-time payments are about more than just speed. They create frictionless commerce and enable a financial world in which the entire payment process occurs seamlessly and immediately. An open payments system can also provide opportunities for financial institutions to help commercial and retail customers better understand and manage their financial picture with greater ease.
By developing innovative overlay services on top of the faster payment rails, whether through Open Banking initiatives or new ways of initiating payments through QR code scanning, all parties in the value chain benefit.
Initiatives like the sharing of application programming interface (API) access among financial institutions, as an introduction to customers and their customers’ data, has shifted the conversation about the potential for faster payments.
The discussion is no longer about the business case for faster payments but adding real business value to commerce in all spheres of operation. What is driving increased interest in the deployment and uptake of real-time payments, what has changed and what does this mean for consumers, merchants, governments and corporations?
Are instant payments primarily a P2P instrument, or will they become a mainstream tool used in the business-to-business (B2B) sphere too? Once the instant payment infrastructure is in place, the real debate lies in the solutions and use cases that are available in the market and how to tailor the characteristics of these services to each customer segment.
The research found that overlay services – chat, retail apps, instant loans and more – and open APIs provide innovations that encourage consumers and businesses to use real-time payments. For example, a supermarket chain in France implemented instant payments through its shop app; this simplified payments for shoppers and reduced card acquisition, processing fees and check usage for the company.
Meanwhile, India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), which runs through the country’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI), has allowed money transfer apps to feature chatting capabilities. This further encourages public use of real-time innovation.
“The growth of real-time payments programs around the world speaks to consumer demand and the rapid innovation that exists today,” explains Gareth Lodge, senior analyst, Celent. “Real time payments is a competitive differentiator for the bank that gets it right.”
The 2018 report highlighted three particularly innovative real-time payments programs as part of its “Faster Payments Innovation Index.” The index, which rated programs on a scale of 1-5 (5 being highest), measured the comprehensiveness of real-time payments projects and how well they meet the needs of consumers and corporate customers.
- India’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) took home the report’s only 5 rating for the second year in a row. The fastest growing immediate payment system in the world, IMPS daily transaction volume grew from about two million per day in 2017 to approximately 2.8 million per day this year. The project’s high rating was based on the system’s standard, published API and strong participation from third-party vendors.
- Australia’s New Payments Platform (NPP), which went live in Feb. 2018, received a 4+ rating. NPP enables real-time clearing and settlement 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides Australian businesses and consumers with a fast and versatile payments system for making their everyday payments.
- Singapore received a 4+ rating for its Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST) service. Covering credit transfers, direct debits, bill payment, P2P, merchant payments, mobile and more, FAST allows customers from 20 of Singapore’s participating banks to move funds almost instantly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Twelve other programs received 4+ or 4 ratings in this year’s index. That includes China, which now makes 25.9 million faster payment transfers every day – up from 12 million in 2017; Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) Instant Credit Transfer Scheme, which expects to have 34 countries live with real-time payments by 2019; and the United States, which saw the launch of its first real-time payments system in late 2017.
The report also calls out Germany and Hong Kong as two countries poised to make significant strides forward in implementation of real-time payments schemes.
To read the report click HERE
The post Faster payments – 40 countries live as global roll-out gathers pace appeared first on Payments Cards & Mobile.


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Gary Erickson doesn’t mince his words when he talks about his new Bass Pro Shops in North Gate that is set to open Nov. 14.
“It’s Disney World on steroids,” said Erickson with a grin, who is the owner of the Northgate Properties, LLC. “This will actually be the coolest thing ever in Colorado. Opening day will be fun for our town”
Erickson grew up in Colorado Springs (he is a 1973 graduate of Wasson High School) and has taken great pride as the city has grown and evolved. He and his company are likely to be a major reason why expansion to the north will likely set “Little London” on its ears.
“The average stay at a Bass Pro Shop is about 2 ½ hours,” Erickson said. “People will drive from Pueblo, south Denver, all around. Bass Pro is just a phenomenal magnet for destination retailing.
“Bass Pro showed me a graph of 120 million people who visited their 67 stores last year. That compares with Disney’s with 67 million. It’s just an incredible deal.”
In February, Erickson’s company signed a letter of intent to build the 120,000-square-foot store in the 200-acre Copper Ridge development near North Gate Boulevard and Interstate 25. The future extension of Powers Boulevard is to the south, Meadowgrass Drive and a future extension of Spectrum Loop is to the east, and the existing Western Museum of Mining and Industry sits to the west. Off in the distance is a perfect view of the Air Force Academy and Pikes Peak.
“When I took the Bass Pro Shops guys out here and showed them this spot, they didn’t hesitate to sign the lease,” Erickson said.
Erickson grins when he saunters through the construction zone. He is now beginning to see the fruits of months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees.
“We’re getting ready for the imagery team from Bass Pro to come in on Aug. 16,” Erickson said. “They come in and make this thing into a Disneyland experience. The interior finish of this building is about $20 million. That’s the level they take it to.
Bass Pro Shops is more than just a hunting, fishing and boating store. The shop also offers equipment and clothing for hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, bird watching, camping, outdoor cooking and more.
The Colorado Springs store will also have Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl & Grill, a combination of a 12-lane bowling alley with an under-the-ocean feel and a casual family dining restaurant. The North Gate location will also have a gift and nature center and a boat showroom, as well as a 28,000 gallon fish aquarium with six waterfalls flowing into it, along with a mountain and big horn sheep.
Erickson’s vision for the Copper Ridge development is lofty, yet realistic. Next spring, his company will break ground on 15 acres to the east side of Bass Pro Shops on a 400-room Grand Resort and Hotel and offices that will also house a 70,000-square foot indoor water park - the largest even in Colorado. The area will include residential units and other amenities in more than two million square feet of development. It should be open in spring 2015.
In coming years, a mall will be built that Erickson believes will rival Park Meadows Mall in Denver. Also, the completion of Powers Boulevard is expected. It will connect with Interstate 25 just south of the current North Gate exits. The ramp project will cost $1.5 billion, according to Erickson.
“When that three-mile stretch of Powers is finally built, it will be the No. 1 interchange this side of Denver,” Erickson said. “It’s completely designed. It’s shovel ready.”
Copper Ridge was designated as an urban renewal site in the spring of 2010 by the Colorado Springs City Council. It was viewed as a controversial decision at the time, mostly because the suburban-like, grassy area lacked decaying conditions that are usually typical of urban renewal projects.
The City Council and Erickson agreed that property and sales taxes generated by Copper Ridge would be set aside to fund the completion Powers Blvd. Powers currently ends at Highway 83.
Erickson’s Bass Pro Shops will generate at least 250 jobs. Erickson estimated that the entire development could generate as many as 4,000 jobs at build out.


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ShopRite Raises Funds to Fight Hunger During Hunger Action Month
Keasbey, NJ (Sept. 28, 2023) – In recognition of National Hunger Action Month this September, ShopRite Partners In Caring once again raised awareness around the issue of food insecurity while raising funds for food banks. The campaign theme this year is ‘Harvesting Hope’ and the effort is designed to raise awareness around the issue of food insecurity and inspire action within local communities not only during month of September, but throughout the entire year.
Approximately 200 ShopRite stores in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland fundraised all month long with a goal of raising $1.5 million to support local and regional food pantries and hunger-fighting organizations. Associates from the top fundraising ShopRite stores will get their photos on special edition-Cheerios boxes in the spring.
To raise awareness about ShopRite’s hunger-fighting initiatives, many stores also marked the month by inviting community leaders and first responders to be celebrity guest baggers at checkout. ShopRite customers also have the option to support their communities by rounding up their change at checkout as a donation to local hunger-fighting organizations. In addition, shoppers who use self-checkout will have the ability to make a donation to fight hunger on the self-checkout screen.
With nearly 34 million Americans, including more than 9 million children, suffering from food insecurity, ShopRite Partners In Caring is focused on helping end food insecurity in the communities where ShopRite stores operate. Since its inception in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has raised approximately $62 million for local food banks and organizations that support more than 2,500 charities focused on helping fight hunger in the communities they serve.
About ShopRite Partners In Caring
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With hundreds of ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Since the program began in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated $62 million to food banks that support more than 2,200 worthy charities. As a title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $34 million to local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.


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The Fed's initiative undergirds government efforts to combat fallout from the economic shutdown imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Costco says it is giving priority store access to first responders and health care workers as the company rolls out new initiatives aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
The gains have lifted the S&P 500 out of its bear market, which would officially end with the index closing above 2,684.88.
A new survey shows small businesses fear they might not recover from the coronavirus shutdown, without some help. New federal and local programs offer some assistance.
More people are trying to enjoy some outside activity, and local bike shops are able to be open to help cyclists be prepared.
The S&P 500, which was close to exiting its bear market, ended the session modestly lower.
The company said in a statement, "Halliburton confirms we are significantly reducing our workforce. This was a difficult decision, but is a necessary action as we work to successfully adapt to challenging market conditions."
Lowe's says it is closing all of its locations in North America for Easter Sunday.
The number of new cases over the weekend in New York City, the U.S.’s epicenter for the virus, rose by 30.4 percent versus last week, down from a 46.1 percent jump the week prior.
The major futures indexes are indicating a decline of 1.3 percent when trading begins.
Grupo Modelo, the producer of the beer, announced the suspension in a press release on Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose over 469 points, or 2.2. percent.
Target is taking new steps to combat the spread of coronavirus at its stores.
Grocery store chain Kroger has announced it will pay all hourly frontline employees extra during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On their website, Trader Joe's said, "All Trader Joe's Stores will be CLOSED on Easter Sunday, April 12th to give our incredible Crew Members a much needed day of rest."
Hackers have been intruding on Zoom teleconferences, according to the FBI.
The Dow, which through Monday had fallen almost 22 percent this year, was on track for its biggest quarterly decline since 1987.
The national retailer said it will also be offering gloves and masks to associates as supplies permit.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) released a warning to individuals involving a text message scam impersonating government agencies in an attempt to obtain sensitive information.
Monday’s advance comes after President Trump on Sunday evening announced the extension of social distancing guidelines through at least April 30.


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RIDGELAND — Cellular South plans to offer what it says is one of the world’s most advanced Android-powered touchscreen smartphones – the Motorola Milestone. The Milestone is the first of several new Android-based smartphones the carrier plans to launch this year.
Featuring high-speed web browsing, access to thousands of applications from Android Market, voice-activated search and a 3.7-inch widescreen display over the company’s 3G network, Cellular South said the Android-powered Motorola Milestone sets a new standard for speed, performance and reliability.
The Milestone features a full QWERTY keyboard and advanced touchscreen navigation integrated with built-in Google mobile services, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps Navigation BETA with voice-aided turn-by-turn directions.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of the Motorola Milestone and other Android devices to our customers,” said Kevin Hankins, COO of Cellular South.


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Facebook began testing a new version of Offers in February that gives members the option to redeem immediately or to be notified before the promotion expires. It appears that functionality is now coming to mobile.
Previously, when selecting an Offer, individuals could only choose “Get Offer,” putting the responsibility of redeeming the discount solely on the customer. This wasn’t a very effective method of generating online sales. Now, as part of the test, members see two buttons: “Shop Now” and “Remind Me.”
These buttons were only available on desktop, until today. Inside Facebook reported that the new options have been spotted on Facebook’s mobile app for iOS — there’s no word on whether Android has the same functionality. We should also note that “Shop Now” and “Remind Me” are only available for retailers working directly with the social network for this test.
The general expansion of these buttons will be good for companies utilizing Facebook Offers, but especially on mobile. According to Facebook, its members spend the most amount of time in the News Feed, but that didn’t happen by people waiting until they got home to browse.
While there’s plenty of down-time viewing, many consumers scroll through their News Feeds while they’re waiting in line or commuting to and from work. In most cases, these aren’t ideal times to make a purchase. By introducing the “Remind Me” button on mobile, consumers will be reminded about their claimed Offer at a later date.
On the other hand, mobile shopping is picking up steam, especially around the holidays. According to an earlier study, 28 percent of smartphone and tablet owners planned on shopping from their mobile devices this past Thanksgiving. By prompting consumers to “Shop Now,” those that are ready to make a purchase can do so with little effort — clicking the button takes people directly to your website.
Since you can’t predict which option your customers will choose, we recommend making sure that your website is optimized for mobile before you create a Facebook Offer. If someone decides to shop immediately, you don’t want to miss out on a sale because your mobile website doesn’t support transactions.


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Grown Here at Home: Virginia Grown gets new look; upgrades to program
RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - If you’re a lover of all things Virginia Grown, you might have noticed some changes recently, a new website and a fresh logo.
“The Virginia Grown program was established in 1995. It helps support farmers, producers, and growers, along with farmers’ markets through our website where they can search our database to find out where to buy fresh produce throughout the Commonwealth,” explained Rob Davenport, director of marketing and development for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The program is run through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The new look to Virginia Grown is part of a push to better market farmers and agribusinesses.
“It had just never been executed to the highest potential that it could be and so it opens up a lot of opportunities for us to really work closely with our farmers, producers, and growers to help them,” Davenport said.
As part of the rebrand, the program now includes new participation levels.
“In addition to our membership level, we’re offering bronze, silver, and gold certification levels. These different levels will be offered to farmers so they can increase the marketability of their products to retailers such as Kroger. The levels will focus on GAP, which is an industry standard that stands for Good Agricultural Practices. This just allows us to make sure that the consumers and the retailers understand that farmers are doing the right thing and that they’re trying to make sure that they’re growing the best product possible with the highest regard for global smart practices,” Davenport said.
The sole purpose is to bring awareness to consumers and retailers of the great products being grown and produced in our hometowns.
“In Virginia, we have a lot of small and medium-sized farmers and so a lot of them day-to-day, they’re facing challenges on where to sell their product and how to sell more of their product, and for us to be able to help them do that, to me, is just very exciting,” Davenport said.
Copyright 2022 WDBJ. All rights reserved.


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Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Joly heads to UNESCO this week where, according to the Globe and Mail, she will be focused on making the case for a common approach on mandatory cultural contributions from companies such as Netflix. Joly states:
I’ve always said we are ready to have conversations with those companies and those platforms. We are already engaged with them, and will continue to do so. But on a general level, it is obvious that the more we are able to have a concerted approach among countries on this issue, the better we will be able to make sure it is a priority.
Joly’s goal would appear to be to develop a universal position at UNESCO that countries could then leverage to force companies such as Netflix to comply with local content regulations. I’m quoted in the article to the effect that efforts to harmonize sales taxes on digital services makes sense at a global level, but targeting companies like Netflix with new regulations or tinkering with the Internet in violation of fundamental net neutrality principles does not.
I think Joly’s seeming interest in creating a global cultural regulatory framework for digital services is unnecessary at best and harmful at worst. First, the emergence of global digital giants has largely been fuelled by the absence of content regulation. Platforms such as Netflix and Google have grown by providing consumers more choice and flexibility than the regulated system. By responding to market demands, the companies have developed enormously popular, well-priced services that offer great potential for creators to find new markets and call into question the relevance of many legacy regulations.
Second, even if there is a role for domestic regulation, UNESCO, a United Nations agency, is surely not the right venue to address these issues (the U.S. is not even a signatory to the 2005 convention referenced by Joly). There may be value in discussing cross-border issues such as harmonized sales taxes or ensuring that countries do not block access to online video services at a global level (which already takes places in venues such as the OECD), but a U.N. policy on domestic cultural regulation is a poor fit for the issues raised by online video services.
Third, the Netflix response to the government’s consultation on Canadian content provides a compelling argument against the need for domestic regulation in order to attract investment. Despite the absence of regulatory requirements, Netflix has emerged as one of the leading backers of Canadian content, reporting that it commissioned hundreds of millions of dollars in original programming in Canada in 2016 (a Netflix tax comparable to that paid by cable and satellite companies would generate a fraction of that amount). In fact, Netflix says that Canada now ranks as one of its top three locations worldwide for original productions. Given that the company spends billions each year on content, the activity in Canada is likely larger than all but a handful of regulated sources. The Netflix submission provides a full sense of the scope of its support for Canadian content. It includes:
Original Cancon co-productions with Canadian producers and broadcasters in 2016 (Netflix obtains rights outside Canada )
- Anne (with CBC)
- Alias Grace (with CBC)
- Between (with Rogers’ City TV)
- Travelers (with Corus Entertainment’s Showcase)
- Frontier (with Bell Media’s Discovery Channel)
- Degrassi: Next Class (with DHX Media’s Family Channel)
- Orphan Black (with Bell Media)
- Some Assembly Required (with Corus Entertainment YTV)
Original CanCon that may not qualify as such due to Netflix financing and global distribution
- Trailer Park Boys
Netflix originals produced in Canada for global distribution making use of Canadian creative and other resources
- Special Correspondents
- Van Helsing
- I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives In the House
- Lost in Space
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Altered Carbon
- Death Note
- Dirk Gently
- Hemlock Grove
- Haters Back Off
Netflix original kids titles produced in Canada for global distribution making use of Canadian creative and other resources
- Little Prince
- Beat Bugs
- Lost and Found Music Studios
- Inspector Gadget
- Hilda, Luna Petunia
- True and the Rainbow Kingdom
- Project MC2
- Justin Time Go!
- Magic School Bus 360
Rather than looking for new forms of global Internet regulation, perhaps Joly should be asking why there are still Canadian groups calling for regulation of an entrant that would appear to be one of the leading investors in Canadian content and working on ways to ensure that Canadian content can be exported worldwide.
The rather impressive list you posted is the best argument yet that CanCon rules are an archaic remnant of a bygone era, pointless in today’s digital world.
Write your MP, make sure they stop Melanie’s un-holy crusade for a Netflix tax.
Because at best, this is a waste of our tax payer money!!! And that’s not good.
I think it’s time Canadian content focused on quality vs. quantity. For a young Minister, she’s entirely off-base and out of touch with the reality of today. She needs to be put on a shelf and let someone more experienced in to run the ship.
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I agree that UNESCO is the wrong place to promote the wrong approach to funding Canadian content. However we should be clear that Netflix original content being shot in Canada is not Canadian Content – it is American Corporate content designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the international market place. Netflix shoots in Canada not to make use of our creative talent – but because of our generous provincial tax credits and the low Canadian dollar. (At least a 40% saving over many unsubsidized US production centres)
The strategic importance of Netflix “original” content is that Netflix owns the international distribution rights to these shows. Currently over 60% of the 80 odd million Netflix subscribers pay $10 a month in order to access this “original” content. So at the same time Netflix is emptying its coffers making episodic TV it reduced the size of its non Netfilix library by 30% in the US – last year alone.
So the end game for Neflix is probably to distribute exclusively netflix content globally and to do away with library’s of regionally owned content all together. This would mean that national subsidiaries like Netflix Canada would become obsolete as customers subscribe to “Netflix Global” accessing only content owned and produced by Netflix. Accessing Netflix in US dollars without paying GST or HST and without a penny of profit being returned to Canada.
So as Netflix becomes a global HBO – Crave TV will likely go the way of Shomi. The point being that taxing subscription based video on demand platforms will be both impossible and irrelevant. Canada needs to abandon protectionism in a digital world and start concentrating on ways enter the distribution market and make Canadian content economically viable. Attempting to turn UNESCO into the CRTC is just plain goofy.
Good blog you have here.. It�s difficult to find good quality writing like yours these days.
I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!


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Posts Tagged ‘ Bhavish Aggarwal ’
Monday, January 2, 2017
Manu P Toms
It turns out that Ola’s head of new initiatives Sundeep Sahni’s wasn’t the only senior-level exit from the company last week. Abhimanyu Rawal, head of Ola’s luxury cab category, also left the taxi aggregator last week and joined a US retail firm, he told TechCircle. TechCircle fi...
Cab hailing service Ola’s vice president new initiatives Sundeep Sahni has quit the company, two people with direct knowledge of the development told Techcircle. Sahni, a former MD and co-founder of Rocket Internet-incubated e-commerce marketplace Lazada Indonesia, is quitting Ola a year-and-a-hal...
29 December, 2016 |
Amazon is planning to ramp up its investment in India in the new year as it continues to take on home-grown e-commerce players Flipkart and Snapdeal. Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s India chief, in an interview with The Economic Times said the firm “will demonstrate massive scale in 2017,” investing he...
22 December, 2016 |
A nationalistic fervour has taken over the Indian startup world with two of the largest homegrown consumer internet companies seeking protection from resourceful global rivals. Co-founders of Flipkart and Ola have demanded a level-playing field for domestic companies and even suggested blockades aga...
8 December, 2016 |
As the country’s internet and mobile economy is booming in a battle for ideas and capital, Indian founders of startups are increasingly taking aggressive stands against foreign-origin firms. Sachin Bansal, co-founder of India’s biggest e-commerce firm Flipkart and Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of...
7 December, 2016 |
Winning in a competitive market is as much about making tactical pronouncements at opportune moments as it is about making the right business decisions at the right time. It ain’t politicians alone who pick ideas or popular beliefs they know will resonate with their target audience and use them ag...
23 November, 2016 |
Amidst a fierce battle with Uber for dominance in the Indian online cab hailing market, Ola said on Tuesday it would launch a connected car platform, Ola Play. Ola Play will use custom user preferences and ride information like time and destination to offer recommendations in the ride. It will also ...
22 November, 2016 |
Ahmedabad-based specialty tea startup The Kettlery has raised seed funding from shooter and investor Abhinav Bindra’s fund Shooting Star Sports LLP and Franchise India Brands. CPK Food and Beverages Pvt. Ltd, which runs The Kettlery, received $1 million (Rs 6.71 crore) in the seed round, Sandeep K...
26 October, 2016 |
In their bid to cut costs and attain profitability in the long run, cab aggregators Uber and Ola are raising fares in major cities and reducing driver incentives. San Francisco-headquartered Uber Technologies Inc has increased taxi fares for long distance rides in Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Gu...
18 October, 2016 |
ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd, which runs cab-hailing app Ola, is reportedly in talks with its existing investors that include Japan’s SoftBank and US-based General Motors, for a fresh round of funding to raise $500 million. Ola has held preliminary discussions with US automobile giant General Motors (...
13 October, 2016 |


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Hyderabad: Cyberabad police on Sunday issued an advisory for general public to inform them how cyber-fraudsters are taking advantage of the lockdown which has forced people to remain indoors.
A sstudy on trending cyber crime shows cyber criminals are taking advantage of the situation as large number of people are using online banking services to be updated with their banking updates.
“Cybercrime has surged amidst the unprecedented coronavirus lockdown. Cyber threats are constantly evolving in order to take advantage of online behaviour and trends. The COVID-19 outbreak is no exception. Cybercriminals are attacking the computer networks and systems of individuals, businesses and even global organizations at a time when cyber defences might be lowered due to the shift of focus to the health crisis.”Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, VC Sajjanar
Online fraud through Malware
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the widespread global communications on the coronavirus to mask their activities. Malware, spyware and Trojans have been found embedded in interactive corona virus maps and websites. Spam emails are also tricking users into clicking on links which download malware to their computers or mobile devices.
There are a considerable number of registered domains on the Internet that contain the terms: “coronavirus”, “corona-virus”, “covid19” and “covid-19”. While some are legitimate websites, cybercriminals are creating thousands of new sites every day to carry out spam campaigns, phishing or to spread malware.
Hospitals, medical centres and public institutions are being targeted by cybercriminals for ransomware attacks – since they are overwhelmed with the health crisis and cannot afford to be locked out of their systems, the criminals believe they are likely to pay the ransom. The ransomware can enter their systems through emails containing infected links or attachments, compromised employee credentials, or by exploiting a vulnerability in the system.
PM CARES Fund fraud:
A lot of people are making donations to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations or PM CARES Fund. The fund’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) ID is pmcares@sbi. However, many fraudsters made similar UPI IDs, such as pmcares@pnb, pmcares@hdfcbank, pmcare@yesbank, pmcare@ybl, pmcares@icici, and so on, to defraud people.
Beware of criminals pretending to be WHO
If you are contacted by a person or organization that appears to be World Health Organisation (WHO), verify their authenticity before responding. The World Health Organization will never ask for your username or password to access safety information.
Loan moratorium fraud
Fraudsters call up gullible borrowers and pose as bank representatives. They inform the targets that their lenders are giving a moratorium on the loan and the borrower won’t need to pay two EMIs, as per the Reserve Bank of India’s directives. In the process, they can trick borrowers into sharing their bank details. Once they convince the borrowers, fraudsters ask them to share the OTP (one-time password) by giving them the impression that the OTP is the confirmation code for availing the moratorium, when actually it is for a bank transaction that borrowers may be doing. Once the borrower shares the OTP, he loses money.
Many items such as face masks and sanitizers are in short supply because of the lockdown. Cybercriminals have made fake e-commerce websites selling such sought-after items that are in short supply. The website may look like original e-commerce marketplace, where you select items, quantities, provide the delivery address and make payment through different means. However, the items never get delivered, and the site is shut down after a while.
Fake links and Websites
Then there are emails and mobile messages saying the government is releasing funds to help citizens. The message asks the victim to click on a link, which takes him to a fake government website. The site asks the victim to enter sensitive bank account details to avail the fund. Without realizing, the victim gives away his confidential information that would help the hackers transact on behalf of the account holder.
Free Netflix Scam
Fraudsters claiming to provide free services such as Netflix subscription for the entire lockdown period. As soon as the person clicks on the link or attachment, the malware is installed on the computer or the mobile phone.
Fake News or Rumours
Fake news or rumours that are spreading rapidly across the country. Recently misleading information on social media where it was declared that ‘chicken is a carrier of Coronavirus’.
Cyberabad Police Advisory
Cyberthreats are constantly evolving in order to take advantage of online behaviour and trends. The COVID-19 outbreak is no exception. Cyber criminals are using new ways to defraud mobile phone and computer users, using covid-19 as a cover. Cyberabad Police giving the following guidelines and prevention tips:
- Most of the covid-19-related frauds are easily executed by taking advantage of the lack of awareness of the victim.
- With an increasing number of countries encouraging citizens to stay, learn or work from home, now is the moment to focus on cybersecurity, whether it’s for yourself or your workplace.
- Ensure you have the latest anti-virus software installed on your computer and mobile devices;
- Download mobile applications or any other software from trusted platforms only.
- Back up all your important files, and store them independently from your system (e.g. in the cloud, on an external drive)
- Always verify you are on a company’s legitimate website before entering login details or sensitive information.
- Check your software and systems
- Perform regular health scans on your computers or mobile devices. Be vigilant.
- Secure email gateways to thwart threats via spam;
- Strengthen your home network;
- Secure system administrations vulnerabilities that attackers could abuse;
- Disable third-party or outdated components that could be used as entry points.
- Talk and discuss with your family including children about how to stay safe online
- Regularly check and update the privacy settings on your social media accounts
- Update your passwords and ensure they strong (a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters);
- Do not click on suspiciouslinks or open attachments in emails which you were not expecting to receive, or come from an unknown sender.
- Many fraudsters are making UPI IDs that look similar to that of PM CARES fund.
- An individual should never share any details with anyone.
- There are also other fake donation messages sent out to help the poor during the covid-19 pandemic. Don’t donate to any social or religious organization unless you are sure where the money is going.
- Fraudsters have hacked Facebook accounts of individuals. Using Facebook messenger, criminals reached out to people in the friends list and asked for monetary help. Avoid sending money to someone unless you have confirmed it’s the same person seeking help.
- Never share your password or any other confidential details on the phone
- Never click or download links, attachments or images that come with forwards, even if they are from known sources.
- Cyber fraudsters were registered in the past three months with keywords including corona, covid, vaccines, virus, and so on. These domains are mostly used by criminals for phishing attacks
- Beware of Cyber attackers are making phishing calls or sending phishing emails or SMSes to bank customers pretending to be bank officials and asking them for sensitive information such as their account number, credit or debit card number, CVV, OTP etc.
- Misinformation on What’s App groups, the ‘Group Admin’ shall be held personally liable for such content in his/her group and will be punishable under the relevant laws.
- Changing passwords frequently, alerting employees of the probability of phishing emails, two-factor authentication and anti-virus or anti-malware software and secure VPNs are all ways that both companies and individuals should use to ward off potential threats.


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Hello! Welcome back to the channel and this weeks episode of 180 Tech Chat. It’s actually been a pretty quiet week for news, with our inboxes being full of Black Friday deals that aren’t really that much of a deal. Let’s run through the news that has made the headlines.
First up, Apple and AR or augmented reality. According to some recent research published online, Apple will be releasing their first AR headset in the fourth quarter of 2022. Nothing has formally been announced by Apple yet but the headset may come with two processors, one equating to the same level of computing power as their M1 chip, the other somewhat lesser but will be used for more basic tasks. The headset is also said to come with two 4K OLED microdisplays from Sony. Who and what this will be used for has not yet been defined. Will it be an attachment to your iPhone or Mac? Or will it have its own ecosystem, allowing third parties to get involved? Time will tell and there is plenty of scope in the market for a new headset.
On the TV front, we’ve heard Amazon is nearing a deal with EA to develop a TV series based upon the Mass Effect video games. If you’ve played the games and have enjoyed them, this will be right up your street. Amazon are pushing into their Sci-fi/fantasty more than ever, Wheel of Time has recently premiered and we cannot forget about the Lord of the rings series thats set to come out next year. If they are still in the negotiation stage, it needs to be written and shot, so likely we will see anything next year but spring 2023 sounds do-able right? I’m all for it and it’s great to see Amazon getting well and truely stuck in with some new series.
We have to give a shoutout to Mr Beast. I’m fairly sure you’ve seen his latest video, some 60 million people have so far. It’s his recreation of the hit Netflix show, Squid Game. It’s been reported to cost a cool 3.5 million dollars and I have to take my hat off. He’s changing the game, no expense spared and it’s such a quality video. So if you haven’t seen it, go right now and watch it.


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SEATTLE and CANTON, Mass. — Building upon the continued success of their company mobile apps, both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are debuting mobile ordering through their apps.
Starbucks last week launched its Mobile Order & Pay platform in the Pacific Northwest at participating locations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska. The coffeehouse chain’s plans call for a full national rollout in 2015.
Mobile Order & Pay allows customers to place orders and pay through the Starbucks app before arriving at the store, so their food and drinks are ready when they arrive.
Starbucks also announced its intent to start delivering to customers in select parts of Seattle and New York City later this year.
The delivery model in Seattle includes a collaboration with Postmates, a leading on-demand delivery service. Customers can place their order through the Starbucks app and receive on-demand delivery to homes and offices. Postmates operates in 22 markets with more than 1.5 million deliveries to date. This pilot will begin in the second half of 2015.
In New York, a “Green Apron” barista delivery option will enable customers in specified office buildings to order food and beverages for delivery by Starbucks baristas. This will also begin in the second half of 2015.
Starbucks Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman said there will be no minimum purchase required for delivery, but deliveries will require "a small flat fee," according to the Associated Press. Delivery workers will also accept tips, and the average time for deliveries will be 30 minutes starting from when the order is placed.
Meanwhile, Dunkin’ Donuts is currently testing mobile ordering and will debut it sometime this year in select markets, Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement for Canton-based Dunkin’ Brands, said in a Boston Business Journal report.
"We are currently testing mobile ordering and are excited about the opportunity that this feature would present from both a payment and speed standpoint," Hudler said in a statement. "As we delve more into the mobile space, we are continuously enhancing our mobile app to provide our guests with new levels of speed and convenience so that people can run on Dunkin' more quickly than ever before. ... We feel mobile ordering will be another great feature to add to our mobile app in the future to improve convenience and speed of service at our restaurants."


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Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the largest companies in the world. In fact, it’s one of the largest stocks in history. That gives it virtually unlimited funds to make strategic acquisitions. One TSX stock is likely at the top of its list.
These dots aren’t hard to connect. Amazon took a stake in the company in 2019. But it didn’t take a direct stake. Instead, it acquired options to eventually purchase 14.9% of the outstanding stock.
Looking at the strategic importance of this business, it’s not difficult to see Amazon ramping its interest even further in 2020.
Amazon already wants this stock
Last August, Amazon announced a strategic partnership with CargoJet (TSX:CJT).
According to the press release, “CargoJet will issue warrants to Amazon to purchase variable voting shares that will vest based on the achievement of commercial milestones related to Amazon’s business with CargoJet. CargoJet expects the agreement to generate additional revenue growth and be meaningfully accretive to CargoJet’s earnings and cash flows over time.”
Here are the nitty-gritty details. Amazon will receive warrants to acquire up to 9.9% of CargoJet’s voting shares at an exercise price of around $92 per share. These warrants will vest over the next six years, but only if Amazon contributes $400 million in sales to CargoJet.
Amazon will also receive warrants to buy an additional 5% of CargoJet stock, with vesting based on whether the company adds another $200 million in sales for CargoJet. In total, Amazon could end up with nearly 15% of CargoJet’s stock while contributing at least $600 million in revenue.
The future is clear
What does all of that mean in plain English? It means that Amazon understands how important CargoJet is to its business in Canada. Without CargoJet, Amazon will struggle to grow. If you’ve been paying attention, this strategic move should have been obvious.
“You likely know that speed is the name of the game right now,” I wrote in 2019, highlighting how important rapid delivery was for Amazon’s business model. “Amazon will eventually push for one-day shipping on all Prime orders, after which it will focus on same-day shipping, so the value placed on speed won’t dwindle for years to come,” I’d concluded.
Meanwhile, CargoJet is by far the largest overnight shipper in Canada. It dominates the country’s rapid-transport industry, covering 95% of the entire population. Unless Amazon wanted to build its own network from scratch, its only option was to go through CargoJet. Again, it’s not hard to connect the dots here.
Long term, partnering with CargoJet is Amazon’s cheapest and most effective way to service the Canadian market with rapid delivery. That’s why the initial 15% stake and revenue guarantees are only the first step to an eventual acquisition. Foreign ownership regulations may prevent an outright buyout, but make no mistake: Amazon will solidify its partnership with CargoJet over time.
CargoJet currently has a $1.8 billion market value. Amazon has a $1 trillion valuation. In one fell swoop, the company can secure the Canadian market for itself. All it needs to do is acquire CargoJet.
The path is clear. Now it’s only a matter of time.


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Bordeaux, for good reason, will always be associated with its wine, but...
NEW PREPAID SIM CARD SERVICE AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESS TRAVELLERS IN SEOUL posted on: 10/8/2012 10:39:19
ASIA - South Korea's mobile phone service system has launched a new and streamlined prepaid sim card service to make it easier for business travellers in Seoul to keep connected with co-workers.
The prepaid sim service allows inbound tourists to use their existing smart phones purchased overseas, and this new option serves as a cheaper and more convenient alternative to existing roaming services and phone rentals.
Two options are currently available and are dependent on the length of stay. Stopover tourists in Seoul can have their current sim cards switched with a fully-functioning local Universal SIM card (USIM) by visiting O2 Mobile centre at the Coex City Air Terminal located next to Seoul's largest convention centre. Those staying longer can opt for the 'OLLEH Simple' prepaid sim card plan by visiting a KT Global store. All devices need to be WDCMA and 3G compatible.
The prepaid service means visitors do not have to worry about any last-minute fees owed when departing the country, and O2 Mobile international calls may work out cheaper than local calls with claims that calls to the US will cost $10 per 138 minutes.


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Shares of Choice Hotels International Inc. gained nearly 11 percent yesterday on news that its directors had voted to split the company, creating a hotel owner and operator and a separate company that only franchises hotels.
The company, which is based in Silver Spring, Md., said that it planned to spin off its franchising operations, which include Comfort Inn, Quality and Clarion. For each share they currently hold, shareholders would receive one share of the new company, which will take the Choice name with it.
The remaining company, which owns and manages 70 hotels and is developing 20 more, would be one of Choice's largest franchisees and would be free to acquire more properties. Its name has not been determined, Choice said.
The company hopes the spinoff will eliminate concerns that it gives preferential treatment to its company-owned hotels. Some franchisees have sued Choice, charging that reservationists who answer the company's toll-free phone number steer guests to company-owned hotels.
The new Choice Hotels would account for about 63 percent of Choice's current cash flow, the company says. In the last 12 months, franchise operations had $245 million in revenue and $74.5 million in cash flow, or earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation.
Choice stock rose $1.375 yesterday, to $14.125 a share.


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A controversial diet supplement linked to liver damage and hepatitis has been recalled.
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration announced that Dallas-based USPlabs is recalling certain OxyElite Pro sports supplement products – used for muscle building and weight loss – linked to an outbreak of liver illnesses. The recall follows a letter from the FDA which notified the manufacturer that if it did not recall the supplements voluntarily, the agency would order the company to stop distribution of the products.
After linking the products to dozens of hepatitis and liver failure incidents in Hawaii, investigators traced the pills to cases in other states as well. ABC News Reports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had confirmed 56 cases of liver illnesses since April 1 in the outbreak. Products covered by the recall include OxyElite Pro Super Thermo capsules, OxyElite Pro Ultra-Intense Thermo capsules and OxyElite Super Thermo Powder. The products are sold for weight loss.
In the letter to USPlabs, the FDA told the company that a review of liver illnesses reported in Hawaii indicate a connection to the OxyElite Pro products. The FDA’s review of 46 medical records provided by the Hawaii Department of Health indicated that 27 patients — 58% — had taken an OxyElite Pro product before they became ill. Of those 27 patients who had taken OxyElite Pro, 63% said it was the only supplement they used. USA Today Report
The supplement first came under fire two years ago. At the time OxyElite Pro and other fitness supplements that contained a stimulant called DMAA were pulled from military shelves – following the collapse and death of three soldiers during training at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The FDA continues to warn consumers not to take any supplements labeled OxyElite Pro or VERSA-1. The agency said consumers who think they have been harmed should contact a doctor and can file a report with the FDA by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.


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Lidl has launched a new smart fan heater, which is perfect for those of us working from home and concerned about mounting heating bills.
The affordable radiator connects to the Lidl Smart Home System using Wi-Fi and can be controlled from a phone or remote control without you having to leave your desk, or the sofa.
Lidl’s new Smart Heater is available in store from Sunday, 21st February, priced at £49.99. Other features include 3D air circulation to ensure even room temperatures, two heat settings and a timer function for added control.
And wait for it... The heater also doubles up as a fan, making it ideal for the summer months too, which feel less faraway now that the weather is less artic.
The product follows the launch of Lidl’s Smart Home range last year, which includes products such as Smart Light Bulbs (£7.99), Smart Colour Changing Light Bulbs (£9.99) and Smart Plugs (£7.99), including a Smart USB extension lead (£19.99).
Meanwhile, Lidl was recently named the cheapest supermarket in the UK, beating the likes of Aldi, Asda and Tesco, according to Which? research.
The low-cost supermarket received the golden accolade following a comparison of 45 popular branded and own-label products across eight major supermarkets for at least 100 days between January and December last year.
Shoppers will be able to pick up Lidl's Smart Ceramic Fan Heater along with the full range from Sunday 21st as part of your weekly shop.
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A new apparel online store is about to launch and the company is named TeeBrite.com. This company said that they will offer big discounts on all of the latest clothing items they sell. Every shopper has the chance to save as much as 20% on all items available.
For the past few years, people have embraced the habit of purchasing almost everything they need through the web. When it comes to fashion, most shoppers prefer to look for items they need online and they feel so lucky to find TeeBrite.com. This brand new apparel online shop has in store a bunch of surprises for all of their customers.
TeeBrite.com is an online clothing shop that offers a large selection of awesome shirts for men and women. Authentic, stylish and comfy…these are the three words that can be used to describe the items that can be found in this shop. TeeBrite.com comes with a wide selection of cute and trendy shirts for ladies who look for something that will express who they are. Also, the said company comes with a collection of uniquely designed men shirts. TeeBrite.com is also happy to announce to sell a bunch of items that were made even more affordable. They want to inform their customers that they will be conducting a sale wherein customers will have the chance to get as much as 20% off. This will be held in the upcoming grand opening of the said online shop. There are more surprises awaiting the customers so those who want to learn more about this may visit their official website.
TeeBrite.com is now inviting everyone to visit and sign up to their website to get as much as 20% off. They may sign up and get 20% off on their first order.
TeeBrite.com is the new online shop that offers a selection of t-shirts for both men and women. They are selling uniquely designed shirts to choose from. The company now guarantees to offer great discounts for all of their customers. The shirts available in this online clothing store come in various sizes, colors and designs to choose from.


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BY: Lee Fehrenbacher
Tags: Apple store
An undisclosed “retail tenant” widely rumored to be Apple received approval from the Bureau of Development Services’ Design Commission on Thursday for a new store at the corner of Southwest Yamhill Street and Fourth Avenue.
BY: Reed Jackson
Tags: Apple store, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
A proposal for a one-story glass structure in downtown Portland was pitched at a design commission meeting last week. Some observers have speculated that the building would house an Apple retail store.


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February 17, 2023 - 8 min read
As digital transactions continue to grow, central banks around the world are exploring the possibility of issuing their own blockchain-based digital central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs. CBDCs have gained significant appeal among governments due to the need for a safer and more efficient payment system, and while inspired by the rise of crypto, CBDCs are actually quite different in nature. In fact, one could argue that CBDCs, due to their centralized nature, are actually the polar opposite of cryptocurrencies– as they increase government control over financial systems, instead of promoting economic decentralization.
While CBDCs have become increasingly controversial, they do offer a variety of potential benefits for central banks, including making it easier to regulate individuals and institutions, providing them advanced tracking and monitoring capabilities, allowing for the quick implementation of monetary policy, as well as giving them the ability to counter the growing dominance of fintech and financial institutions. Additionally, CBDCs can reduce inefficiencies related to printing and transferring physical money, saving banks time and resources.
In their most basic form, CBDCs are simply a digital version of fiat currency– and each unit of digital currency is fully linked to the value of a fiat currency, such as the U.S. dollar or the Euro. In contrast to decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, CBDCs are subject to regulation and control by central banks. Like all fiat currency currently circulating, CBDCs are not tied to or backed by any physical commodities such as gold or silver.
A major reason why central banks may prefer CBDCs to traditional currencies is that CBDCs may be able to provide more efficient and secure electronic funds transfers between individuals and businesses, all while preserving the central bank’s stability and control over the currency supply.
While most CBDCs are currently in their testing stages, CBDC transfers are considered to be far more secure than fiat electronic money transfers (and less susceptible to hacking and fraud) due to the immutable nature of blockchain technology. This is reinforced by the fact that CBDCs establish a highly reliable public record of transactions.
In addition, CBDCs can also enable seamless cross-border payments, eliminating expensive and ineffiecnet payment processors. With CBDCs, central banks will, in theory, also have more control over the money supply, improving their ability to enact monetary policy.
Currently, there are two main categories of CBDCs: retail and wholesale. The general public is the target market for retail CBDCs, which lets users store digital currency in electronic wallets and make payments with it.
In contrast, wholesale CBDCs are explicitly created by banks and other financial organizations, enabling faster money transfers and transaction settlements. Ideally, these wholesale CBDCs will greatly increase the efficiency of international payments, such as inter-bank money transfers. Since wholesale transactions are recorded on a public digital ledger, wholesale CBDC transactions could also prevent counterfeiting.
However, there are many potential downsides to CBDCs. One potential negative is that central banks could use CBDCs to prevent or manipulate business transactions that they don’t approve of, causing economic disruption and infringing on individuals’ economic rights. In addition, the widespread adoption of CBDCs may decrease demand for bank deposits, a significant source of funding for banks, resulting in liquidity problems and potential financial instability. CBDCs also present significant privacy and security concerns, and, even if implemented in a well-intentioned manner, would provide governments and banks unprecedented levels of information on– and financial control over– ordinary citizens.
Just as with business transactions, many fear that CBDCs could be used to prevent people from making purchases that the government doesn’t approve of– even if these transactions are fully legal. For instance, some commentators fear that CBDCs could be used to enforce draconian environmental regulations on individuals, limiting the amount of meat they purchase or gasoline they buy.
In today’s economy, retail consumers have a variety of digital payment options to choose from, including physical credit cards and debit cards, mobile wallets, and, in some situations, cryptocurrencies. Consumers’ may weigh several factors when deciding which payment method to use. For example, credit cards– whether physical or digital– may offer bonus points and cash back rewards. Some also consider credit cards to be safer than debit cards, since it may be harder to cancel a debit card transaction when compared to a credit card transaction. Mobile wallets, pre-loaded with credit card, debit card, or bank account information, are extremely efficient, but some consumers may be worried about hacking, and might consider mobile wallets to be less secure than physical cards. In general, many consumers feel that cryptocurrency offers the greatest level of transaction privacy, so, when possible, they may opt to pay in crypto for more private purchases.
Although certain vendors do accept cryptocurrency payments, most cryptocurrencies experience significant price volatility. In general, this makes them unsuitable to use as instruments for frequent payments. Unlike crypto, fiat-denominated transactions using CBDCs or credit cards do not involve the same price volatility.
However, it should be noted that there are a wide variety of privately-issued stablecoins that individuals can pay with, including many, such as USDC, that are fully, 1:1 backed by the U.S. dollar. However, even these fiat-backed stablecoins can experience temporary price fluctuations during periods of market turmoil, meaning that they temporarily “de-peg” from the U.S. dollar. Decentralized and crypto-backed stablecoins are another potential payment method, but they are generally more volatile than fiat-backed stablecoins.
As previously mentioned, consumers can experience several benefits by using credit cards, including liability protection for fraud and cashback rewards. Many credit cards provide cash back rewards of 1%, which can add up significantly over time. Bonus cashback rewards may also be available in specific spending categories, such as gas, groceries, or travel.
While credit cards place liability on commercial banks and other authorized financial institutions, CBDCs place direct liability on the central bank as the main issuer of the currency. While many merchants and vendors accept credit cards, they also risk incurring late fees, interest charges, foreign transaction fees, and other associated fees. However, credit cards are still relatively secure, making them a good choice for both consumers and businesses in many situations.
As we touched on before, privacy is again, a major concern when it comes to CBDCs. CBDCs may provide some degree of privacy for users, but the level of anonymity can vary depending on the specific design choices made by central banks and policymakers. However, most believe that CBDCs are far less private than traditional fiat transactions, and even less private than cryptocurrencies– and, unlike credit cards, your central bank will not be providing a 1% cash back offer on everything you spend.
When using a credit card, individuals still give up a certain level of privacy to the retailer or vendor– which could sell their information to a third party– or, as more usually happens, consumer information may be exposed in a cybersecurity breach. This can allow hackers to steal credit card data and use it to rack up fraudulent transactions on a credit card. On the other hand, cryptocurrency transactions eliminate this risk, as they go directly from the sender’s wallet to the recipient without intermediaries. Moreover, crypto transactions are irreversible and can only be refunded by the receiving party, whereas credit card transactions can be canceled.
Both credit cards and cryptocurrency are secure payment methods that offer users discretion over their transactions. In contrast, CBDCs are produced and governed by governments and, as a result, are under their authority. This implies that users of CBDCs might have less flexibility to transact than they would with credit cards or cryptocurrency. Ultimately, consumers will continue to choose payment methods that best align with their individual needs and preferences.
In the eyes of central banks and government regulators, CBDCs could offer a solution that combines the convenience of credit cards or cryptocurrencies with the privacy of cash. In theory, CBDCs can be designed to ensure privacy and confidentiality– though in practice, this may be very difficult to achieve.
In an ideal scenario, CBDCs transactions would not be linked to personal identity data, providing greater anonymity than credit cards or cryptocurrencies. In general, legal experts consider financial privacy and the idea of freedom to transact to be essential human rights- as people should be allowed to make financial transactions without worrying that their personal information will be misused by corporations and governments.
In theory, a government would need to have a warrant– or some other type of valid legal reason, in order to mine an individual’s personal information from a CBDC ledger. However, some commentators believe that governments cannot be trusted to avoid spying on their citizens, and, much like the myriad of scandals involving the U.S. NSA, in practice, there might be little to prevent governments from using information from CBDC transactions for a variety of purposes.
In fact, public concern about CBDC privacy has grown so great that, in late March 2023, Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced legislation to ban CBDCs in the state, due to fears of increased government surveillance and the negative impact that CBDCs would have on local and regional banks.
However, CBDCs would still have some benefits, such as cutting out intermediaries like banks and credit card companies. This, in turn, could reduce transaction costs for businesses and consumers. Additionally, CBDCs could provide a means for central banks to stimulate the economy through monetary policy directly, such as by providing direct, digital payments to citizens. This could cut down on the types of fraud and inefficiency that were commonly seen during the process of giving stimulus checks to individuals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, CBDCs could be far more useful for large, enterprise transactions, such as bank-to-bank transactions and short-term inter-bank lending facilities, rather than for consumer purposes. Plus, these types of enterprise transactions wouldn’t put individual citizens’ privacy at risk. CBDCs might also be useful for international remittances, in which individuals that have immigrated to a new country send money to their families back home. Remittance fees are incredibly high– often as high as 7%, and CBDCs could eliminate these costs.
Despite some potential benefits, the implementation of CBDCs would require centralization that could amplify existing cyber vulnerabilities and increase the risk of cyber attacks on central banks. This would transfer the risk from individual banks to central banks, which could erode the credibility of the financial system. In addition, due to privacy concerns, consumers may actively attempt to avoid CBDCs by using physical cash or cryptocurrency in an attempt to avoid government surveillance.
Before CBDCs are rolled out to the general public and adopted by the financial services industry, a number of serious considerations must be taken into account. Even though they may be able to offer greater “transactional freedom” than credit cards or cryptocurrencies, issues still abound, including how CBDCs affect privacy, interoperability, consumer protection, and financial stability.
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AFRICA RETAIL INTRODUCES MORE E-PAYMENT SOLUTIONS
Africa Retail United Kingdom Limited has created a direct interface between African consumers and major e-Payment brands in Nigeria to enable African customers to pay for products in local currencies.
The company said for Nigeria, e-Payment brands like InterSwitch, eTranzact, Visa and mobile payment solutions like iMobile and AccessMobile, and cash, were options open to businesses and individuals.
Speaking at the second shoppers' event that was organised by Exporters' Oasis Limited, which is the official country representative of Africa Retail UK in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer, Exporters' Oasis, Mr. Abimbola Oludare, said African customers would now be able to access products and services offered by major online retail brands in the world.
These brands, he added, include Marks and Spencer, john Lewis, Comet, JD Sports, Debenhams, Priceless shoes, Barrats, H. Samuel, PC World, Toys R US, Sport Kitbag, Mothercare, Apple Store, Next, TM Lewin, Currys, Boots, B & Q, Borders, Evans and Hamleys.
According to Oludare, 'The greatest value the customer derives from the AfricaRetail web portal, www.africaretail.com, is the ability to exercise choice without restrictions of traditional shopping boundaries. The platform offers a huge variety of products, flexible payment options, access to specialist items, of which consumers can now take advantage of exclusive deals, special offers and seasonal promotions.'
The Exporters' Oasis boss explained that there was a recent technological upgrade to the company's state of the art Enterprise Resource Platforms, and a recent high tech to the latest in Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence solution.


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“Recently, a J.D. Power Streaming Music Satisfaction Study named Apple Music as the top-rated music streaming service,” Rogers writes. “According to the study, 35% of respondents were “strongly committed” to Apple Music. In comparison, 30% of respondents were strongly committed to Spotify and Google Music.”
“Apple Music now has over 17 million subscribers, up from 15 million in August 2016 and 11 million in March 2016,” Rogers writes. “Spotify has only 30 million paid subscribers, and the company has taken almost ten years to reach this figure.”
Read more in the full article here.


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Tennessee Lawmaker Drops Bill Regulating Food Stamp Purchases
A Tennessee State Representative has withdrawn her bill seeking to restrict items that can be purchased with food stamps.
Representative Sheila Butt said Tuesday she was dropping the bill because it is unlikely the federal government would approve a state waiver to make proposed changes to the program. The bill would ban items high in calories, sugar and fat from being purchased with food stamps and stop grocers from selling banned items to people on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Butt said she is hopeful President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration will give states more flexibility to run their own programs.


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Thomas Bangalter, one half of the robotic dance duo Daft Punk, has recently listed his original Roland TR-909 drum machine for sale online.
Listed last week via the Facebook page Vintage and Analogue Occasion, the iconic drum machine received heavy use by Bangalter throughout the recording of 1997’s Homework, and retains the original drum sequence presets from that album's 'Revolution 909'.
In a statement regarding the sale, Vintage and Analogue Occasion noted the iconic status of Bangalter’s 909, revealing their intentions to auction the drum machine to the highest offering bidder for a presumably hefty sum. You can watch a video of Bangalter's 'Revolution 909' preset in action on his original TR909 below.
Roland are distributed in Australia through rolandcorp.com.au.


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Aizel.Ru Internet Store and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia have joined hands to support emerging Russian designers.
Starting March 10, 2018, Aizel.Ru will become the main platform for sales of local brands, presented at the shows of the key fashion event this spring. Over 100 emerging Russian designers will get a chance of being presented at the internet site.
Aizel Trudel has long been cooperating with dozens of Russian designers. However, giving hundreds of new designers a chance of getting through, Aizel. Ru will become the largest RuNet-based platform across the globe to present Russian fashion. It believes its cooperation to be an education project for emerging designers, for whom the internet should become a key channel of promotion.
Aizel.Ru will support brands with its expertise in the fashion e-commerce sphere. The marketplace will help designers with professional shooting of their collections and will offer support right after they enter the platform and while they use it.
Aizel.Ru is the first Russian fashion marketplace, a member of the Aizel Group, an internet store selling clothes and shoes for women, men and children, as well as accessories and cosmetics of the top global brands. This unique totally Russian fashion project in the online retail sphere has been operating for over 17 years. Aizel.Ru presents fashion trends in both the premium luxury category and in a more affordable segment, and offers brands popular among progressive youth, too. In particular, the store features brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham etc.


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Electronic cigarettes were first introduced to the market in 2003 and were promoted to aid adults in the process of quitting smoking (Cummings, 2018). Yet, the e-cigarette industry changed dramatically in the year 2016, when JUUL became an independent company. Stemming from San Francisco, Calif. the company quickly gained popularity and as of April 2018 has taken more than half of the e-cigarette market share (JUUL E-cigarettes, 2018). No longer just seen as an aid to quit cigarette use in adults, JUUL has now become prevalent in underage children. Despite campaigns by JUUL and marketing against underage smoking, the Food and Drug Administration has given JUUL 60 days to prove that they can keep their product out of the hands of minors (Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2018). As word of an epidemic spreads, one can infer that the FDA will use the company as a precedent and use the popularity of the product within minors, and the health risks of the product to terminate the production of JUUL.
Last year the FDA launched the Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan, in hopes to prevent youth access to e-cigarettes, curb product marketing to minors and educate teens on the dangers of all tobacco products. In the spring of 2018 the FDA turned their focus to JUUL, sending 56 warning letters and 6 civil money penalties to vendors who sold the product to minors. The FDA released an announcement on September 12, 2018 that this ongoing initiative is the largest single enforcement action in its history (FDA, 2018). They believe that the promotion of e-cigarettes in a kid-friendly manor is the reason for the popularity among youth and will result in a generation of nicotine-addicts. “Flavors play an important role in driving youth appeal,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. during the press conference (FDA, 2018). Flavorings such as crème brûlée, mint, and strawberry among others don’t only entice youth, but also allows them to hide the smell of smoke from parents, guardians, teachers, etc. The FDA is now looking at policy change for the immediate removal of flavored products from the market. Along with the smoke-free smell of the vapor, the discreet look of the product (an elongated flash-drive or stick) allows many children to hide the product from authoritative figures. The product can also be wrapped to customize with personalized designs making it even more popular within a younger demographic (Gibson-Young, 2018).
Not only does JUUL seem to be promoting towards the younger generation, but by advertising their product as a “satisfying alternative to cigarettes,” they misconstrue their costumers of the health risks (JUUL E-cigarettes, 2018). Each JUUL pod contains the equivalent to 1 pack of cigarettes, or 200 puffs, and each pack of JUUL pods comes with four (Gibson-Young, 2018). However, although a powerful amount of nicotine is concentrated within the product, sixty-three percent of users are unaware that the products always contains nicotine. Although e-cigarettes contain less harmful chemicals than burned cigarettes, nicotine is an addictive drug and can lead to youth to become nicotine addicts and future smokers. Young adults who use e-cigarettes are four times more likely to start smoking tobacco, compared to those who do not smoke e-cigarettes (JUUL E-cigarettes, 2018). According to the FDA’s most recent press conference, the product also has the “possibility of releasing some chemicals at higher levels than conventional cigarettes” (FDA, 2018). These chemicals, combined with nicotine, can harm the adolescent brain, which does not stop developing until the age of 25, leaving a dire impact on the development of underage JUUL users (Smoking & Tobacco, 2018).
CEO of JUUL, Kevin Burns, is adamant that the company does not target children and are driven by the goal of ending the global use of cigarettes. The company has a pop-up screen once people open their website asking to verify that the online user is at least 21 years of age. Throughout the website, it clearly states that the product is for adult smokers looking to make the transition to e-cigarettes. Burns also includes letters from the CEO, many of which are prompted by the debate that their product is targeted to youth. In one of the letters, Burns states that he is not only a JUUL employee, but a father himself who would never want his 18 year-old son or 1 year-old daughter to use the product. Within the same letter, he introduces the JUUL youth prevention plan. He has committed the company to work in partnership with lawmakers and the FDA to contest the use of JUUL by minors. The company is actively supporting state and federal efforts to raise the legal age to 21 or over to buy tobacco products. In addition to the companies supportive backing, JUUL will also make a $30 million investment over the span of the next three years towards independent research, education for both parents and youth, and community engagement. As JUUL addresses the concern of the FDA head on, they may take enough action to meet the standards the FDA has sent with the Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan (Burns, 2018). Yet Dr. Gottlieb might see this as just another account of JUUL “treating these issues as a Public Relations challenges rather than seriously considering their legal obligations” (FDA, 2018).
Due to the rising popularity of JUUL use in minors and the health risks the product has for youth, the FDA will reasonably stop not just the production of flavored e-cigarettes, but possibly the production of JUUL as-a-whole. Although JUUL is acting to prevent the use of their product within children, FDA will use the leading e-cigarette company as a precedent to halt the epidemic that is becoming under age vaping.
...(download the rest of the essay above)


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The Resident Evil: Revelations demo for PC is now available through Steam. Give it a try through the link. The game releases on PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 in North America on May 21 and across Europe on May 24. Thanks, Evil Avatar.
Those lucky folks attending gamescom next week will be able to get a first hands on experience with Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy hits next week, and you can watch the launch trailer right here.
It may not look like it now, but we could soon live in a future where cheap game bundles are a thing of the past.
The story of Operation Racoon City is one of unceasing woe.
Resident Evil: Revelations and its follow-up will both release for Nintendo Switch later in the year.
Resident Evil: Revelations
Capcom has released two gameplay videos of Resident Evil: Revelations running on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Resident Evil Revelations is getting a digital and retail release on PS4 and Xbox One later this year
You can snap up Resident Evil Revelations this autumn.
Resident Evil: Revelations PC Demo


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The latest Household Spending Intentions (HSI) Report released by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has shown that home buyer sentiment continues to rise.
The report utilised spending data collected by CBA as well as Google Trends data in an attempt to project where households intend to spend their money in the future across seven key spending components.
Notably, the results highlighted that the upward turn in home buying intentions, which started in early 2019, continued into August.
Increasing auction clearance rates, coupled with the stabilisation of property prices in Sydney and Melbourne, have been labelled as contributing factors towards the shift in Australian households’ spending intentions.
In fact, the HSI report suggested that the overall sentiment for consumer spending in Australia is improving, with stable or improved consumer spending intentions indicated across all but one of the seven sectors examined.
The report indicated that the long decline in retail spending now shows signs of stabilising, albeit at lower levels than previous spending data showed.
Household spending intentions of both entertainment and motor vehicles also showed signs of stabilising.
Spending intentions on education held at a fairly consistent level, according to the report, whereas spending on travel remained on a continuing decline.
Along with home buying intentions, spending on health and fitness appeared to be accelerating, according to the research.
The HSI Report suggested that the overall improvement in consumer spending in Australia is attributed to the impact of tax rebates and recent back-to-back interest rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
The seven examined factors covered roughly 55 per cent of total household spending for Australians, with future versions of the HIS reportedly anticipated to cover more spending components.
[Related: Signs point to ‘solid selling season’: ME]
Hannah Dowling is a journalist for mortgage business, the leading source of news, opinion and strategy for professionals working in the mortgage industry.
Prior to joining the team at Mortgage Business, Hannah worked as a content producer for a podcast catering to property investors. She also spent 6 years working in the real estate sector at a local agency.
Hannah graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Media and Journalism.


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KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is offering a special compound rate of as low as RM20 to traffic offenders who have not paid up compound notices for metered parking and traffic offences.
Director of DBKL’s Corporate Planning Department Khairul Azmir Ahmad said the special offer begins on Sept 1 until Sept 30.
“The special compound rate of RM20 is given to motorcyclists; RM30 for cars, MPVs, vans, small lorries, pick-up trucks, 4WDs, and SUVs; while RM50 is for heavy vehicles like large lorries, buses, cranes, tractors and trailers.
“This initiative gives traffic offenders a chance to settle their compound notices received before Sept 1, 2018 to avoid being blacklisted by the Road Transport Department,” he said in a statement today.
Director of DBKL’s Corporate Planning Department Khairul Azmir Ahmad said the special offer begins on Sept 1 until Sept 30. (NSTP file pic)
The special rate does not include offences which have already been blacklisted (W status) and court cases – legal action (U), mention (M) and arrest warrant (W).
Payment of the special rate can be made at several locations including the DBKL payment counter and kiosk, post offices, DBKL Mobis application, www.myeg.com or e-bayar. — BERNAMA © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd


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We bring you more photos of the upcoming BMW 6 series Gran Coupe, which continues testing in Germany. Spotted for the first time here is a black mule (all previous prototypes were white). It continues to impress us with its extremely low slung and sleek stance and proportions.
Current expectation is for the Gran Coupe to hit showrooms in 2012 as a 2013 Model Year vehicle. Engine range is expected to be identical to the 6-Series Coupe.
Surprisingly, despite the slew of M6 spy photos we’ve brought you since last year, not a single prototype has been in any color other than black. That’s no longer the case as this space gray F12 M6 convertible was just spied on the streets of Munich.
The camouflage level remains the same as recent M6 convertible mules, with the front and rear fascia still mostly masked, but, as we’ve discussed previously — the details on the rear bumper can be made out through the tape, and appears to follow the current M trademark design, which is similar to the rear bumper on the 1M and X3 M Sport. It is still not known if the centerpiece would be black as on the 1M or painted as on … CONTINUED
We bring you the first ever live action look at the F30 335i testing on the Nurburgring. Without lap times it’s difficult to know exactly how well it handles the famed track, but the mule seems to zip around the track with great composure, little roll, and good speed. Check out the full video inside.
Here’s the very first look at the new BMW M3 DTM race car spied during its first trials on the German track Oschersleben. The M3 DTM car will see its first official action when BMW returns to the DTM in 2012.
The M3 DTM will be introduced next week and BMW motorsport enthusiasts will have the chance to see the car in person — during DTM weekend in Munich’s Olympic Stadium on the 16th and 17th of July. It will be presented to the media for the first time during a presentation at the BMW Welt on July 15th.
It’s been months since the F30 sedan has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring, but this F30 335i sedan was just spotted today making testing runs on the ring. This is the first space gray F30 prototype to be spied.
The last time the F30 was on the Nurburgring, it was in much heavier camouflage, but now appears in the latest level of camouflage and with premium wheels, first seen on the recent white F30 photos.
The F30 3-series sedan will begin production in November 2011, shortly after the E90 3-series stops production. The F30 2012 Model Year will run until June 2012, upon which point it will switch to the 2013 Model Year.
As this schedule shows, the F30 3-series will come as 328i and 335i models. The … CONTINUED
The 2012 BMW F13 M6 coupe has lost much of its camouflage, providing the most revealing look yet at the upcoming range topping M coupe. The F13 M6 coupe has now entered FEP (final evaulation phase). We think that the M6 may look wider than the regular 6-series coupe, perhaps to accomodate the super wide rear tires.
Compared to the regular F13 coupe, the rear bumper reflectors have been moved up to just under the rear tail lights for a sportier look. This particular F13 M6 coupe sports ceramic composite brakes, coupled with 6-pot fixed piston calipers.
The 2012 M6 coupe will share the same 560hp 4.4L Twin Scroll Twin Turbo V8 from the recently revealed F10 M5 (internally dubbed the S63Tu engine)
There’s no final word on debut … CONTINUED
The F01 7-Series has been a real hit for BMW, but the company is not resting on its laurels. An LCI 7-Series has been planned for some time, and should be arriving to market in the near future. The overarching theme of this LCI (stands for Life Cycle Impulse — A facelift), is to ‘not fix it if it ain’t broke’. The changes are subtle on the whole and aim to freshen and not re-invent the look.
These series of spyphotos seem to confirm what was previously speculated. The overall shape of the headlights is unchanged, but there is now incorporation of the latest LED technology, which is filtering across the BMW range.
The kidney grills now have a thicker and more pronounced kidney grill surround, accentuating the … CONTINUED
The next generation BMW 3-Series sedan is only months away from full reveal, and in typical BMW fashion the camo striptease continues during vehicle testing.
The overall level of camo on the cars appears to remain the same as previous photos demonstrated, however with better lighting and angles, a more realistic picure of the F30 appears before our eyes. The true “mini F10″ look of the car is much more obvious, especially when looking at the headline photo. That is to say a mini F10 5-Series with more taught lines and short overhangs. Modernizations to the design also include the newer tighter designed headlamp clusters that will include the squared off angel eye design first seen on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics and BMW M1 Hommage cars.
However, the … CONTINUED
Today brings more spyphotos. This time of the hotly anticipated BMW M6. Now the FEP M6 has been spied a few times before, but never the drivers have never been bold enough to drive with the top down.
What we do see of the new M6, follows very closely to what BMW did to the M5 relative to the F10 5-Series Sedan. The new M6 has the required M logo fixed on the black panel display in the tachometer area. The steering wheel looks to be the same wheel used on the BMW M5, although without the M stitching on it — yet.
The gearbox cluster has also been changed to incorprate the M DCT system, in a similar arrangement as the new F10 M5 with a … CONTINUED


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British guitar buyers could soon be playing the Brexit blues as price rises caused by the slump in the value of the pound feed through to music stores.
Prices are increasing by double digits as top US brands such as Gibson and Fender increase list prices to make up for the weaker purchasing power of sterling.
Anthony Macari, co-owner of Macari’s on London’s Denmark Street, said: “We are seeing increases of 10-15%, not just on American guitars but on guitars coming in from Europe and China. Everyone is catching up.”
He said increases were noticeable because guitar prices have barely risen in recent years. The full effect will be felt after Christmas, he said.


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With Nevada’s shortage in recreational weed after the state legalized it last month, some sources have decided to blame the alcohol industry, citing the fact that liquor distributors are the only ones allowed to distribute cannabis to retailers by law. So, indeed, is the massive weed shortage in Nevada orchestrated by the alcohol industry? Let’s take a closer look.
Cannabis Shortage the Fault of Alcohol Industry?
So, what besides the alcohol industry could cause Nevada’s cannabis supply to dry up, with Governor Brian Sandoval deeming it a de facto state of emergency? The simple answer is shortsightedness.
“We didn’t know the demand would be this intense,” Las Vegas ReLeaf co-founder Al Fasano said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “All of a sudden you have like a thousand people at the door…we have to tell people we’re limited in our products.”
But a filing made by Attorney Kevin Benson refutes the idea that companies other than wholesale alcohol distributors should be given the authorization to facilitate cannabis dispersal to dispensaries. Benson, who represents the interests of alcohol wholesalers, argues that the “emergency” is entirely the fault of legislators. Inasmuch, he argues that the onus is on them—not distributors or wholesalers.
“Because the department itself is at fault for creating the situation that it now claims is an emergency, it cannot use that as a basis to short-circuit the rule making process,” Benson said in his filing. If they have their way, liquor distributors would retain sole distribution rights for the next 18 months, according to the blog Free Thought Project. As FTP sees it, this is the cause of Nevada’s weed shortage; i.e., “Big Alcohol” is pulling the strings.
While it’s possible that some could read the lawsuit as some insidious monopolization of the cannabis industry, it’s not necessarily probable—at least when it comes to Nevada’s weed shortage. As we previously reported, Nevada’s “weed drought” is more the fault of lawmakers who hastily pushed the legalization bill through the House and the Senate without going through everything with a fine-toothed comb, all in an effort to start pumping millions of dollars back into the state’s economy.
Final Hit: Is the Massive Weed Shortage in Nevada Orchestrated by the Alcohol Industry?
One could also feasibly argue that the parameters of who can and who can’t distribute cannabis to dispensaries are due to the influence of the alcohol lobby in Nevada, but there’s no concrete evidence linking one to the other. Even though pressure from the alcohol industry would make sense in this context—Big Pharma and tobacco, we’re looking at you—there is no overt paper or e-paper trail to link them.
So is the massive weed shortage in Nevada orchestrated by the alcohol industry? Are they really to blame? As of now, there are no certain answers—but the aforementioned lawsuit will certainly shake up the game.