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Grocery e-retailers may soon be able to process food stamps online
October 6, 2016 11:00 AM
Everybody eats, and consumers, as they have with other purchases, are increasingly turning to the web to order groceries. Online grocery sales in the United States are expected to reach $42 billion this year, according to a recent Morgan Stanley AlphaWise report. However, consumers who receive federal assistance for groceries cannot redeem their food stamps online—yet.
A program more than two years in the making and with more years of testing ahead may give food retailers nationwide the ability to accept food-stamp payments online. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking retailer volunteers for a two-year, nationwide pilot that would allow some recipients of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—known as SNAP and formerly the food stamp program—to use their benefits online. The USDA will select up to five retailers in three states this year and the pilot program is scheduled to begin next summer.
Jessica Shahin, associate administrator for SNAP, says the idea of allowing recipients to use their benefits online is rooted in the language of the Food Stamp Act of 1964, which established the program that later became SNAP. The 1964 law mandated that the program be “operated through normal channels of trade.”
“Online shopping has become more of a normal channel of trade,” Shahin says, so it makes sense for SNAP, which is administered by the USDA under the department’s Food and Nutrition Service, to move toward e-commerce.
Shahin says online food shopping could be a valuable option for certain groups of SNAP recipients, particularly consumers with transportation challenges, those who are homebound and working recipients with families who might have difficulty finding time to shop. “SNAP recipients are just like everybody else,” she says.
As of June 2016, nearly 43.4 million people across almost 21.3 million households received SNAP benefits. U.S. Census Bureau estimates put the U.S. population at 321.4 million as of July 2015, with 116.2 million households as of 2014, which means about 18% of U.S. households receive SNAP benefits but are unable to buy groceries online. Eligibility for SNAP benefits depends on several factors and varies by state. The current average monthly benefit payment is $125.27 per person and $254.97 per household.
In the United States, the online grocery market is expected to reach about 6% of the overall grocery market in 2016. The Congressional Budget Office says federal spending on SNAP is expected to be about $75 billion this year. Of that, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about 93%, or $69.75 billion, will likely be paid out in benefits. So, if food stamp users were buying groceries online at the same rate as the overall population, they would boost the size online of the grocery market by about $4.2 billion, or 10%.
The project to expand SNAP to online shopping has been in the works since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, which directed the Agriculture Department to test allowing retailers to accept SNAP benefits online. However, making the program work has been challenging because of the way SNAP transactions work, Shahin says.
SNAP benefits are distributed via debit Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, which require consumers to enter a secure PIN at the time of purchase. The same will be true for SNAP purchases made online but, until recently, it was virtually impossible to securely complete such PIN transactions online because the technology was not available, Shahin says. Also, because SNAP benefits are administered to recipients at the state level, any secure PIN-entry technology used online must be compatible with that of the EBT processing firms states contract with to process SNAP benefits in stores.
So far, Shahin says, the USDA has found only one vendor—Atlanta-based payment and authentication firm Acculynk—that offers secure the encrypted-PIN technology necessary to handle online PIN transactions. Therefore, retailers that want to participate in the pilot program will have to work with Acculynk to process online SNAP transactions. As other vendors develop workable, secure PIN-entry technology, Shahin says, SNAP will evaluate them for the program.
As of mid-September, only one benefits card processor, Xerox State and Local Solutions, had agreed to perform the system upgrades necessary to participate in the trial. That initially limited SNAP’s focus to states under contract with Xerox. But since then, other EBT host processors agreed to make the system adjustments necessary to conduct online EBT transactions in 2017. That means retailers could participate in the pilot if they would serve SNAP recipients in any state or territory except those transitioning to a new EBT processor during the pilot implementation period. States and territories in that category are Alaska, California, Hawaii, North Carolina, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Because of the inclusion of additional EBT processors, the deadline for retailers to submit letters of intent, which originally was Sept. 30, has been extended to Oct. 7. The deadline for application forms has been extended to Nov. 7 from Oct. 31. The USDA still expects to select participating retailers by Dec. 31, according to the online purchasing program’s web page.
The letters of intent must include contact information and a description of where retailers would like to conduct their pilot programs. The application form requires e-retailers to provide more detailed information.
The USDA has been under increasing public pressure to get the pilot program off the ground.
In June, e-retailer Thrive Market, which sells organic food and natural products online, launched an online petition asking the USDA to allow SNAP benefits to be redeemed online. The petition, which received more than 300,000 signatures over three months, was joined by online meal delivery service Blue Apron Inc., No. 231 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide, and such brands as organic food and drink maker Clif Bar & Co. and skincare manufacturer Kiss My Face. Nonprofits such as Share our Strength—a national organization that works to end childhood hunger in the United States—and the Organic Consumers Association also expressed support.
“With this petition, we aimed to raise awareness of the food insecurity problem in this country and drive a sense of urgency around bringing food stamps online,” says Gunnar Lovelace, co-founder and CEO of Thrive, No. 547 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Second 500 Guide. “We've been in conversations with the USDA on the issue for a couple of years, but it can be a lengthy process with a list of considerations and technical hurdles. We wanted to leverage our wide network of supporters to bring attention to the issue.”
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, along with Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Barbara Lee of California, sent a Sept. 12 letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking the USDA to speed up the digitization of food stamps.
Thrive Market’s Lovelace says he’s happy to see the agency moving toward allowing SNAP benefits to be used online, adding that the retailer plans to apply for one of those five spots in the USDA pilot program.
“Given that we've been a supporter of the policy change and in conversations with the USDA on the issue since launching in 2014, we are applying for the pilot program and would be honored to be included as a retailer,” Lovelace says. “We hope we're selected, but that was never the primary goal with the [petition] campaign. Our goal was to give voice to … Americans on food stamps and bring SNAP into the 21st century.”
If selected, Thrive Market would work with the USDA to address any technical challenges associated with accepting SNAP online, Lovelace says. It’s too soon, however, to know exactly what changes to its website might be necessary.
A list of the other retailers expressing interest in the pilot program will be made available after the Nov. 7 deadline, according to the USDA.
Several major grocery chains including The Kroger Co., which had $467.4 million in online sales in 2015 and ranked No. 83 on the Internet Retailer Top 500 and Meijer Inc., which ranked No. 332 on the Top 500 with $66.1 in 2015 web sales, could not be reached for comment.
Internet Retailer’s first-ever 2016 Online Food Report documents how the online sale of food is suddenly a booming market in the United States and puts to rest the notion that food retailing is the exclusive province of stores. The 25-page research report, “Online Food Shopping Goes Mainstream,” identifies the major players driving this sea change in food retailing, estimates the future growth of the online food retailing and more. For more information about the report, visit this page.


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The pandemic has undoubtedly had an effect on the attractions industry and the AV technology providers that serves it, as many parks and leisure venues were forced to suspend their activity which included the installation of new media-driven attractions.
From our point of view, as a CGI studio creating AV media for in-person installations, there was of course a knock-on effect on small and medium theme park and attractions operators who have been reticent to invest or spend money on new content to renew their media-based attractions.
This was exacerbated by governments opening and closing attractions and parks, but as we come out of the other side of what’s been a hard time it’s important that attractions operators invest in new AV content because, more than ever, audiences want to immerse themselves in different worlds, creating huge demand for in-person attractions and parks.
One of the markers of the attraction industry’s recovery and resilience from the effects of the pandemic was the return of IAAPA Expos in Europe in September and in the United States in November 2021. This was the first time that the event had taken place since 2019 and it was so great to see the exhibition floor so busy with companies from content producers to AV technology providers.
As the industry goes from strength to strength following the effects of the pandemic, we’ll certainly see a few technologies become increasingly important over the next year or so. These include flying theatres and the use of intellectual property for themed venues.
Installing experiences that are going to engage and excite audiences is key for theme park operators looking to recover as quickly as possible from the pandemic. One of the best ways to do this is to acquire intellectual property (IPs) and use it in themed venues. The IP doesn’t need necessarily be a blockbuster name, theme park owners also have the ability to create their own, giving their venues or attractions their own recognisable face, identity or mascot.
IPs have remained popular despite the difficult period presented by the global pandemic. In the last ten years, visitors are increasingly expecting top-level immersive experiences in both top destinations and smaller regional parks. This is due to the rising level of quality on offer and the ever-improving audio visual technologies which are making the most immersive experiences for guests in their favourite worlds. As the industry expands and consumer demand grows, operators are now investing in themed attractions that meet audience demands. This may be by using current strong brands such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, or they may invest on a smaller budget by creating the park’s own IP.
This is such an effective strategy because people want to establish a deeper connection with their favourite worlds – especially after a long period of being stuck at home. Doing that within a theme park or in an attraction is what will see the biggest boost for the attractions industry.
In the past couple of years, there has been an exponential rise in the popularity and number of flying theatres around the world. This growth in popularity is the result of the constantly advancing audio visual technology allowing for easier, and more effective installation of both large- and small-scale flying attractions. The Walt Disney Company was one of the first to introduce this attraction in their venues with the opening of Soarin’ Over California at Disney California Adventure and its success led to other attractions following suit, giving rise to a trend that is set to continue for the foreseeable.
One of the main advantages of flying theatres is the possibility to easily update the media content that audiences experience. It can be localised for the attraction, showcasing local sights or experiences to each market, or to narrate a custom story based on the theme of the venue or on fictional plot and IPs in a whole new way.
This has led to the rise in licensable movies available for easy installation into flying theatres. Before the pandemic the majority of content seen in flying theatres was custom-made but now operators are looking for licensed content too, which can be changed more easily to keep attractions fresh and exciting for audiences visiting attractions over and over.
It’s an important moment for an industry that’s been so affected by this ongoing global pandemic. As we come out of the other side, where in-person experiences can more safely operate, we have to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up for success. And that means looking ahead at how we can create and install the newest experiences that allow guests who are longing for immersing themselves in other worlds. There’s so much technology and creativity that allows that to happen and I’m really looking forward to seeing the innovation that will continue to help the industry bounce back.

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EA Sports has announced that they will be releasing second content update for NBA Live 14, which will include Shootaround mode and visual and gameplay tweaks. The update may come “as early as Monday” but the exact date hasn’t been set yet.
The new update will also implement changes to ball physics, passing speeds, dribbling and first steps. For those of you who need help with NBA Live 14, the post points to online video tutorials that break down styles of play.
It will also offer improvements in visuals of the game; they have implemented lighting and color changes to address the “plastic” appearance of players in NBA Live 14.
EA sports write about the changes as:
We’re making these additions with an eye towards rebuilding NBA LIVE, making sure everything we do today can continue to be improved and iterated upon for next year’s game.
Previous updates of the games were too focused on the gameplay of the game, and this one is no different. They have improved responsiveness and control for first steps, plus dribble moves, which will give some of the league’s best players a more explosive first move and the ability to quickly change gears to blow by a defender.
The best of all it will include official court and jerseys for NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. This update will follow a statement in November from NBA Live 14’s executive producer, which admitted that the team had “a lot of work to do.
It is great news for the people who have stuck with the game despite its flaws, and now we just hope the update is released soon.


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The two-day action packed India Economic Conclave was held in Mumbai from December 12-13, 2018. Distinguished speakers pondered upon the crucial solutions and ideas that the CEOs should implement to drive India towards becoming a $5 trillion economy. Catch all the live action from India Economic Conclave 2018, as the top notch stakeholders engage in discussions revolving around the factors triggering economic development in the country, challenges faced at the global level, comparison with other economies, business prospects of Indian companies in India and abroad.
Catch the historic moment from IEC 2018 as the world's first humanoid citizen Sophia interacts with the audience and gives some very witty responses to questions posed to her.
Get access to news that you can trust. To get your newspaper delivered to your doorstep, go to Want My Paper by clicking on https://bit.ly/2A9stzF


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Italian sportswear label, C.P. Company has teamed up with adidas Originals to release their latest project using the brand new adidas Kamanda silhouette.
Founder Massimo Osti adds unique fabrics and bright colors with space-age materials. The shoe features suede and leather uppers, C.P. Company branding on the knit tongues and insole atop a Gum rubber outsole.
In addition to the shoes, they’ll also release a “Mille Miglia jacket,” more commonly known as the “Goggle jacket.”
No release date for the C.P. Company x adidas Kamanda has been announced, but you can get a better look at the collaboration below. Stay tuned to Sneaker Bar for more updates as they develop.


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SCRATCH-AND-SNIFF cards that smell of marijuana are being sent out by Crimestoppers in a bid to track down cannabis farms.
It is hoped the move will raise awareness of the drug and lead to more people calling the charity’s hotline if they suspect cannabis is being grown in their neighbourhood.
Police say the cards contain no harmful ingredients and give off the sickly sweet smell of cannabis.
Hampshire Constabulary Detective Superintendent Kath Barnes said the cards should help Operation Fortress, a campaign to reduce drug-related violence in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Det Supt Barnes said cannabis had a false image of being harmless and acceptable.
She said: ‘It’s harmful to use and many people including children across the world are exploited in furtherance of the cannabis trade.
‘Through Operation Fortress, we will continue to work with our partners across the two counties to reduce supply, restrict demand and rebuild communities.’
Police say Operation Fortress is not targeting individual growers, but criminal gangs who rent properties and turn them into cannabis factories or farms using slave labour.
Other than the smell, signs that cannabis being grown at private houses include:
- Constantly covered or blocked off windows.
- Visitors at unsociable hours.
- Strong and constant lighting day and night.
In March, two people were jailed for growing hundreds of cannabis plants at a house in Penhale Road, Fratton.
The court heard that the men were growing the drugs for a gang and were ‘virtually slaves’.
Crimestoppers’ phone number for anonymous callers is 0800 555 111.


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Years before it became commonplace for artists to launch their own clothing lines or multimedia empires, members of the Wu-Tang Clan were already succeeding at it.
This month a couple Wu-Tang rappers, Ghostface and RZA, help release an item that will certainly attract attention: a comic book.
What will hip-hop fans love about Black Mask Studios' Twelve Reasons to Die? That's easy: the horror/crime comic brings Ghostface's persona into another universe.
What do I like about the six-issue comic? For one thing, it was created in collaboration with more than 20 of my favorite artists, including Anders Nilsen, Nate Powell, Jim Mahfood, Tony Moore and Ben Templesmith.
Written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon, the series is sure to be a talker. Below, I have an exclusive behind-the-scenes video about its creation that features Ghostface, RZA and the rest of the team behind the comic.
"There's nothing different about writing a hip-hop comic than writing a superhero comic or a crime comic or a horror comic, which this is," Rosenberg says. "We're not doing something strange, we're just paying respect to a culture, music and lifestyle that other people don't take the time to do."
Twelve Reasons to Die's first issue is now available in stores and digitally. Issue No. 2 arrives Wednesday.


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Everyone loves a discount. As the postcard that arrived in the mail yesterday reports, Modern Materials (2815 S. Highland Drive) is holding a holiday “Deck The Halls” sale on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 15-16). The flier says “Bring this postcard in to save 20% off entire purchase.” But the scrolling banner at the store’s front is advertising the sale too, which makes us think that mention of the postcard might do the money-saving trick. It also says something about free hot chocolate and cookies, which shouldn’t go uneaten.
Aside from sleek, modern furniture, rugs and pendant lights, Modern Materials carries shelves-ful of fashion-forward home accessories like sofa pillows, bedding, containers, vases and serving trays. See for yourself, and save a few bucks.


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The now infamous Bank of America research note attacking bitcoin also includes research showing that it would only take $93 million to increase the price of bitcoin by one percent.
Bitcoin is extremely sensitive to increased demand for dollars, according to a note from Bank of America strategist Francisco Blanch, which also includes Philip Middleton and Savita Subramanian.
The analysis showed that inflows of at least $2 billion would be needed to increase the gold price by one percent.
We estimate that a net inflow of bitcoins of just $93 million will result in a 1% price increase, the report said:
What has put enormous pressure on bitcoin prices in recent years, and especially in 2020? The answer is simple: a modest inflow of capital.
Knowing that bitcoin has a market capitalization of nearly $1.1 trillion, which is about 10% of gold, the study shows that bitcoin is twice as volatile per dollar as gold, even though the asset has been around for nearly a decade.
Researchers at Bank of America attribute the low cost needed to drive up the price of bitcoin to a large accumulation of whales, leaving fewer coins available to buy on exchanges. Looking at the detailed records on the blockchain, we found that the most important addresses have not been sold in total since the beginning of the pandemic, they explained.
Bank of America’s claims are largely consistent with data from cryptocurrency analysis firm Glassnode, which estimated that 78% of bitcoin supply was illiquid as of December 2020, leaving only 20% of outstanding supply available for trading on exchanges.
As the number of new businesses on the Bitcoin network reaches unprecedented heights, more and more investors are vying for the shrinking pool of BTC, leading to spikes in demand that easily drive up prices.
Earlier this month, Glassnode estimated that 95% of recently traded BTC migrated down the chain in the last three months, which is another indication that whales are storing their coins for the long haul. The company’s co-founders, Ian and Jan, tweeted:
Despite recent volatility, #Bitcoin supply continues to dry up at a surprising rate for this time of the cycle. https://t.co/yslda1jUha pic.twitter.com/y1SInrBjEF
– Jan and Jan (@Negentropic_) 16. March 2021
While Bank of America’s findings seem to favor the bullish case of BTC Glassnode, the report was extremely negative about bitcoin in general – it denounced the crypto asset for its volatility, pollution, and lack of practicality as a payment method.
ethereum price,dogecoin price,xrp price,coinbase,cardano price,bitcoin price prediction 2020,bitcoin forecast,how much are bitcoins worth


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(Reuters) — Google will invest $550 million in Chinese ecommerce powerhouse JD.com, part of the U.S. internet giant’s efforts to expand its presence in fast-growing Asian markets and battle rivals including Amazon.com. The two companies described the investment as one piece of a broader partnership that will include the promotion of JD.com products on Google’s […]
KUALA LUMPUR (June 18): Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today he had a good exchange of ideas on various subjects with Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma at their meeting in Putrajaya today.
Dr Mahathir disclosed this in a post uploaded on his official Twitter account, saying “we had a good exchange of ideas on a wide range of subjects”.
The meeting, for about an hour from 9 am, took place at Dr Mahathir’s office in Putrajaya.
Ma is in Malaysia as he is scheduled to open an Alibaba office in Bangsar South, here, later today.


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Volkswagen has launched a new ad campaign to introduce its newly launched limited-edition carline Polo GT Sport. The campaign, conceptualised by DDB Mudra West, sticks to the theme of ‘Respect’ to reel customers for the sportier derivative of the Polo GT.
The ad film begins with the car crossing the nation’s border, arousing curiosity and doubtful glances but it keeps moving forward. We see the car manoeuvring through narrow lanes and crowded alleys, inviting stares and admiration. In the end, we see a crowd of people with their faces painted and carrying the flag of Bangladesh, obviously on their way to a game of cricket. The car finally comes to a stop and the occupants, all sporting the blue of Team India, come out. The car stops in front of a stadium and we see everyone celebrating and cheering as one, irrespective of their nationality.
Commenting on the campaign and the theme of ‘Respect’, Kamal Basu, Head, Marketing and PR, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said, “The Polo GT has been an integral part of the Volkswagen portfolio in India and we recently strengthened the proposition with the introduction of the Sport edition. Retaining the legacy of ‘Respect’, the new TVC seamlessly demonstrates the powerful product attributes that conveys a strong and bold message.”
Speaking about the element of rivalry in the communication, Rahul Mathew, Creative Head, DDB Mudra West, said, “You don’t even have to go through the specs to see that the Polo GT Sport packs a serious attitude. It’s this attitude we wanted to capture in our communication. And what better way to bring attitude to life than through some good ol’ rivalry.”
Agency: DDB Mudra West
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer: Sonal Dabral
President and Managing Partner, DDB Mudra West: Rajiv Sabnis
Account Planning Team: Aditya Kanthy, Mou Roy, Ankur Kapoor
Creative Team: Rahul Mathew, Shagun Seda, Kapil Tammal, Lalit Sakurkar, Vinay Singh, Priyank Bhadkamkar, Savio Banerjee, Faraaz Ansari
Account Management Team: Anurag Tandon, Rakesh Varma, Rewis Dsouza
Films Team: Vishal Sane, Siddhi Bhopale


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Cards Against Humanity Says It Bought a Plot of Land on the Mexico Border to Stop Trump’s Wall
Cards Against Humanity has set its sights on some lofty goals.
The obscene adult card game has decided to “save America” with its holiday promotion this year.
“We have no choice: Cards Against Humanity is going to save America,” the site reads.
The goal of the site is to sell $15 holiday promotions. For that price, buyers will receive “six America-saving surprises.” The website promises the rather cryptic promotion “will be fun, it will be weird, and if you voted for Trump, you might want to sit this one out.”
The site is mum on what the “surprises” entail, but it does offer a “day one preview.” The Cards Against Humanity creators’ first move is an attempt to block Trump’s plans to build a border wall. They say they’ve purchased a “plot of vacant land” along the U.S.-Mexico border and “retained a law firm specializing in eminent domain to make it as time-consuming and expensive as possible for the wall to get built.”
(At the end of October, six contractors revealed eight border wall prototypes in San Diego. In late November, a private company is due to test the prototypes to determine how easy it would be climb over or dig under them.)
Those who paid for the $15 promotion will receive as one of their “surprises” a map of the land, some new cards, and a few other treats. If you were hoping to buy this America-saving gift for yourself or someone else, you’re already too late—the 150,000 slots were snapped up within hours of being launched.


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Malvertisements are the nasty, infected online ads that organized crime gangs have sneaked into the distribution system run by advertising networks. The threat is fast-rising and involves major sites such as weather.com, foxsports.com, monster.com, and usnews.com according to Elias Manousos, CEO of RiskIQ, a security intelligence firm.
The damage is done when an Internet user clicks on a website ad that may contain a virus that can infect his/her computer, or trigger a bogus security warning that is followed by an offer for fake antivirus protection. Stealthy infections can quietly take control of the compromised computer, making it possible for crooks to steal data and pilfer corporate networks and online financial accounts. Armorize, a website security firm, recently discovered criminals selling tutorials, tool kits, and placement services to crooks who want to get into the malvertisement illegal game!
If you just once clicked on one of these infected links and had your computer freeze up, would you ever again want to click on that advertiser’s ad? Of course you wouldn’t! That’s why malvertisements have become a burden to businesses and publishers. They’re seeing their traffic and transactions drop and this is causing a financial impact.
Until a universal and workable ad-validating process can be accomplished, the best protection consumers have is to make sure they are protected by good antivirus software, and that software is kept updated regularly.
Are you protected from malvertisements? Call us for more information about this important topic. Our number is 800-672-4806 or email us.


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Switzerland is to see the launch of the first ever exchange-traded product (ETP) tracking multiple cryptocurrencies.
As reported in the The Financial Times on Saturday, the country's principle stock exchange, Six, has given the go ahead for the ETP, which is called the Amun Crypto ETP and will go by the ticker symbol "HODL." Trading will start on the Zurich-based stock exchange next week, the FT says.
According to the website of London-based Amun, the ETP will track an index "the top 5 crypto assets in terms of market cap and liquidity" which are currently allocated as: bitcoin (48.69 percent), XRP (25.72 percent), ethereum (17.6 percent), bitcoin cash (5.11 percent) and litecoin (2.88 percent).
The index will not include stablecoins, tokens that are designed for anonymity, illiquid or very new tokens. The firm will charge an annual management fee of 2.5 per cent.
Hany Rashwan, Amun's co-founder and CEO, was quoted by the FT as saying:
He added that the index will also open up crypto assets for retail investors that cannot access cryptocurrency exchanges due to local regulations.
Seed capital for the ETP was provided by trading firms Jane Street and Flow Traders, which will also act as authorized participants the FT adds.
Trading screen image via Shutterstock
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.


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Dell’s strategy to reach more customers globally through both "direct and indirect distribution channels" has resulted in a retail partnership with Bic Camera Inc. of Japan, Dell has announced.
Dell will sell a variety of systems through Bic Camera, in a deal that mirrors their recent move into retail in the States with Wal-Mart, which broke a 23-year model of direct sales.
Dell has had a retail presence in Bic Camera shops in Japan since 2000 with kiosks where customers could order Dell systems for delivery, but this announcement signals a move into retail proper.
The expansion into "traditional" retail sales will be seen at 22 Bic Camera stores throughout Japan beginning in early August.
Dell recently teamed up with AOL and Carphone Warehouse in the UK to offer a free Dell laptop in return for 2-year broadband sign up, prompting speculation that they would soon enter the high street market over here.


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Cornwall Ontario – Cornwall Honda is welcoming customers to its new dealership on Brookdale Avenue, and feedback has been very positive.
“We have been overwhelmed with the wonderful response,” says Bill Woolley, Dealer Principal and owner of Cornwall Honda. “It is always nice to see a project come to life from the initial drawings, but the real reward is seeing just how well the building creates a warm space for customers to explore our new vehicles.”
The new dealership features a state of the art 28,000 sq.ft. building on four acres, and is located a few kilometers north of the dealerships former location. Cornwall Honda was part of the original group of Honda Dealers in Canada to welcome the newly launched Honda Civic to customers in 1973, and the new building is built with an eye for servicing local customers for this next 50 years.
This includes growing excitement for the launch of the Honda Prologue this spring, an all-electric sport utility vehicle that boasts a 452 km EPA range rating, the highest standard driving range in its class. It is Honda’s enduring legacy of quality and innovation that drives the dealership’s team of 14, including Mr. Woolley’s son, Nick.
“We designed our new home to accommodate Honda’s new and future lineup of traditional, hybrid and electric vehicles,” adds Mr. Woolley. “We also wanted to implement environmental best practices today in all operations of the dealership.”
Cornwall Honda’s new site is expected to cut utility costs in half and save an average of 102 metric tons of CO2e each year.
Highlights of the new dealership include:
- Two EV parking stalls
- Two detailing stations and two wash bays using steam cleaning to save water
- Flexible showroom space for eight vehicles
- Onsite tire storage facility separate from main building.
- Solar panels on the tire storage facility to power to the dealership
- A photo booth for vehicles
- Quarantine zone to store a vehicle in case of an unknown battery state
“The Cornwall Honda experience will continue to evolve to provide the products and services our customers are looking for,” said Mr. Woolley. “As we celebrate our 50-year anniversary, our focus remains with the customer, from sales to service. Please come and check out our new home!”
Cornwall Honda is located at 2660 Brookdale Avenue. The dealership is open from 9 to 6, Monday through Thursday, 9 to 5 on Friday and from 9 to 1pm on Saturdays. A grand opening celebration and official ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for April 25.
More info can be found online at CornwallHonda.com


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NEW YORK – Local Greek Orthodox punk Roland Lee admits he regularly misses out on limited edition Record Store Day releases due to the fact he and his fellow practitioners celebrate the occasion 13 days later than most.
“Our scene runs on the Julian calendar,” said Lee, a self-described “Archpunk” who has led the Greek Orthodox scene “since before you were even fucking born, pal.” “Which is a thing my Greek friend Julian made up to explain why he wasn’t actually behind on rent one month. The whole house kinda ran with it, it grew and grew, and now a bunch of us celebrate Record Store Day two weeks after the rest of the world. It just sucks that last year we missed out on the Wipers reissue, so the only thing I was able to get was a copy of Kirk Hammet’s solo project, which I never even bothered opening.”
Sean “Booger” Howell, the owner of a local independent record store Booger’s Picks, lamented the Greek Orthodox punks and their effect on the store during the spring holiday season.
“Record Store Day used to be this big unifying thing,” said Howell. “Everyone in the scene came by, shot the shit, maybe bought an exclusive reissue or something. Now I gotta hold some of my best stuff for these weirdos or they get pissed, which in turn pisses off everyone else. And it’s not just Record Store Day that causes problems – it’s all the big holidays. I’ve had Orthodox employees showing up absolutely baked on May 3rd claiming that’s ‘their 4/20.’”
Other scenes in the tri-state area have taken notice of the Greek Orthodox punks and are said to be developing their own calendars, number systems and even variations in recording noise albums in suburban basements.
“We’re super inspired by what they’ve done over there,” said a member of a nearby scene, granted anonymity due to ongoing inter-scene drama. “The Greek Orthodox Punks are groundbreaking… the culture hacking, messing with the temporal bedrock of capitalism itself. We’re thinking of going even harder in that direction. Maybe we’ll celebrate Record Store Day zero times. I mean, who can afford that shit anyway?”
As of press time, Lee began stockpiling nicotine gum to prepare for his biannual 40-day cigarette fast.


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International giants seem to get away with paying risible amounts of tax in foreign countries.
Now The Bookseller reports that a petition about the latter's tax status has been handed in to Downing Street. At number 10, of course.
A husband-and-wife bookselling team have described handing a petition into Downing Street calling for Amazon to pay more UK corporation tax as a “proud moment” in their lives.
Francis and Keith Smith [pictured], from Warwick and Kenilworth Bookshops handed in the petition to Number 10 at 11am today (24th April), accompanied by Public Accounts Committee chairman Margaret Hodge; Warwick and Leamington MP Chris White; author Danny Dorling; and their son David Smith and his partner Jennifer Sterjevitch.
Stephen Fry expressed his support for the petition yesterday (23rd April) and Booksellers Association chief executive Tim Godfray also attended in support.
More than 150,000 people have signed the petition calling on Amazon to pay its fair share of corporation tax in the UK, after an investigation revealed the online giant paid a tiny amount of corporation tax in the UK on sales of £3.3bn in 2011.
Frances Smith said: “It is a very proud moment to have reached this stage and the next step is to talk to Margaret Hodge and Chris White and keep putting pressure on the government to so something in the long term.”
She added: “A hundred thousand people are telling the prime minister to take action on this issue. We’ve heard some warm words from government on clamping down on the tax avoiders, but not so much action. Surely it’s about time that all companies who choose to do business and make profits in this country pay a reasonable amount of tax on their operations, just like we do.”
Brie Rogers Lowery, UK campaigns director at Change.org, the website where the petition is registered, said the Smiths had shown the internet meant everyone could get involved in campaigning. “Their campaign has taken the fight direct to Amazon via Downing Street —and shown that the power to build movements is firmly in the hands of the people,” she said.


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The trade association for post-consumer plastics recyclers has issued the first two of seven bale specifications for non-bottle rigid plastics specifications that it hopes will help increase recycling of those materials.
The lack of bale specifications leads to non-bottle rigid plastic material being exported rather than being used by domestic plastic markets, said Elizabeth Bedard, director of the rigid plastics recycling program for the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers at the group's spring meeting and the Plastics Recycling Conference, held March 1-3 in New Orleans.
We need to get this information out so that [materials recovery facilities] know what should be in bales of tubs and lids, and bales of bulky rigid plastics, she said.
We plan to promote these specifications nationwide through webinars and website promotion. Our goal is to increase the supply of non-bottle rigid plastics.
In 2009, the volume of post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastics recycled increased by 32.8 percent to 479.2 million pounds, according to data in a report issued Feb. 16 by the American Chemistry Council in Washington.
That increase did not translate into much more material for U.S. and Canadian recyclers. Recyclers only had access to 19.5 million more pounds of non-bottle rigid plastics in 2009 than in 2008, because 49 percent of the material collected was exported.
The specifications for bulky rigid plastics and for tubs and lids were approved by the APR board just prior to its spring meeting in New Orleans. Specifications for five other types of rigid plastic bales are still under development. Those are categorized as all-rigid bales, olefin bales, household containers, bottles and containers, and pre-picked rigid bales.
APR said the specifications are not meant to replace those of individual buyers.
For bale purposes, APR defined tubs and lids as non-bottle items made from polypropylene, high and low density polyethylene; and it defined containers as products that have a neck or mouth similar in size to the base, and lids as caps for tubs that have a fastening feature other than threads.
Typical bulky rigid plastics include carts, crates, buckets, baskets, toys and lawn furniture made from HPDE, PP and LDPE but with metals (usually handles) removed, when possible. APR said construction or demolition waste, siding and electronic scrap, like computer or printer housings, cannot be included in bulky rigid plastic bales.
Both types of bales need to be free of contents or free-flowing liquids. Bales of bulky rigids also need to be free of organic residue, and bales of tubs and lids must be rinsed and dried and free from metal.
Bales of tubs and lids, and of bulky rigid plastics, cannot contain contamination from products with degradable additives, wood, glass, electronics scrap, paint, oils and grease, rocks, stones, mud and dirt, medical and hazardous waste, plastic bags, sheet or film made from any resin, or from toys or other items that have circuit boards or battery packs.
For both types of bales, the amount of contamination from other materials should not exceed a total of 10 percent of the bale, as calculated by weight.
Both types also can have no more than 2 percent contamination each from paper/cardboard and liquids or other residues. There can be no more than 2 percent contamination from metals in bulky rigid plastic bales.
By individual resin, APR said bales of tubs and lids should not have contamination of more than 1 percent from PET bottles; a maximum of 6 percent from injection molded HDPE pails, buckets, milk jugs and bottles; and no more than 2 percent from containers or packaging made from PET, PVC, polystyrene, or other non-PP, HDPE or LDPE materials.
For bulky rigid plastic bales, the level of contamination from any plastic items or packaging, including those made from PET, PVC, PS or other non-PP, HDPE or LDPE materials should not exceed 4 percent, APR said.
Bedard pointed to several encouraging signs for non-bottle rigid plastics recycling.
There is more demand because consumer product brand-name companies are interested in using recycled resin, there is more curbside collection, the amount of material recycled in 2009 showed an increase of more than 30 percent from 2008, and we are starting to put in some structure through bale specifications, she said.


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Gov. McAuliffe: Virginia companies increase international sales through exporting program
VALET program participants increase sales by average of 78 percent
RICHMOND, Va. – Gov. Terry McAuliffe Wednesday announced that 11 companies from across the Commonwealth have graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) Program, touting impressive results from their newly acquired tools to successfully export products and services overseas.
These companies increased their international sales by an average of 78 percent during their two years in the program, which was completed at the end of June. The VALET program now has 241 graduates.
The graduating companies were recognized during an event in Richmond Wednesday and include: ACI Solutions (Arlington County), ANAB (City of Alexandria), AvMET and PIXIA Corp (both of Fairfax County), ITAC (Chesterfield County), Marion Mold and Tool (Town of Marion), Phoenix Group (City of Chesapeake), Qubica AMF (Hanover County), Radio Reconnaissance Technologies (City of Fredericksburg), Regulus Global (City of Virginia Beach) and Wegmann USA (City of Lynchburg).
“International trade is a key part of my administration’s strategy to spur private sector job growth and build a new Virginia economy,” said McAuliffe. “We are committed to helping existing Virginia businesses succeed in the international marketplace, creating private sector jobs and making our economy even stronger. I want to congratulate these eleven companies on their success and thank the VALET team at VEDP for helping these companies expand.”
The VALET program assists exporters in the Commonwealth that have firmly established their domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as an expansion strategy. Participating firms are chosen based on their dedication to growth through export.
Currently, the VALET program has 50 companies as participants. The program provides participating companies assistance from a team of experienced international service providers to help meet their international goals. To date, 291 Virginia companies have participated in the VALET program.
The Commonwealth of Virginia exports more than $35 billion in goods and services annually. Exports of Virginia’s products and services to the world are vital to the growth of the Commonwealth, supporting more than 230,000 jobs and generating $2 billion in tax revenue. VEDP offers numerous programs to assist Virginia companies with selling into the global marketplace and has a network of international market research consultants covering more than 70 countries around the globe.
VEDP was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the economy of the Commonwealth. To accomplish its objectives of promoting economic expansion within the Commonwealth, the partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion and international trade.
For more information on the VALET Program, visit http://exportvirginia.org/valet-program/.
Copyright 2017 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.


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SWS Re-Distribution tops list of Minority-Owned Companies
SWS Re-Distribution Co. again is at the top of our listing of the Largest North Texas Minority-Owned Businesses.
Research Director Jerry Gunter reports that the Carrollton company had an increase of just over $34 million from the prior year to finish 2011 with $331.92 million in local revenue. Thos. S. Byrne Ltd. of Fort Worth took second place.
Visit our slideshow to see which other companies made the top five in this year's Largest Minority-Owned Businesses list.
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The Kühne Center for Sustainable Globalization is a research center based on a long-term cooperation between the Kühne Foundation and the University of Zurich. It aims to establish itself as a thought leader on issues surrounding economic globalization – by conducting relevant research and making its insights available to a broad audience.
At the core of the center is the Kühne Foundation Professorship of International Trade. It is currently held by Professor Ralph Ossa who is a leading expert on trade policy. His research spans a broad range of questions with an emphasis on the economics of trade wars and trade talks. In addition, the center is home to a number of affiliated researchers.
News and Media
The future of global trade: Trade wars, protectionism, globalization
US President Donald Trump has turned global trade relations upside down. However, globalization was already on a downward path before Trump, as a NZZ article shows. Together with three fellow economists, Ralph Ossa provides answers on the future development of trade policy in an interview with NZZ.
In the article, Ossa points out the precarious situation of the WTO, which is currently in an existential crisis and can no longer even fulfil its core tasks. Politicians are called upon to reform the WTO as quickly as possible. Asked about the future of the Swiss economy, Ossa stresses the essential importance of trade with Switzerland’s EU neighbors: "That is why it is so important to ensure stable trade relations with the EU or at least to be aware of the enormous costs of a serious disruption," he says.
The Latest Move in the Trade War
2019-08-07: Seven yuen for one dollar: the trade conflict between the USA and China has reached a new escalation stage with the crossing of this hitherto magical boundary. Trump accuses China of currency manipulation, China rejects the accusations. An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese tactic by Ralph Ossa in 10vor10 and SRF Tagesschau.
Trade agreements: Criticism should be taken seriously
2017-07-19: In an article for "Die Volkswirtschaft", Ralph Ossa explains the economic damage that would result from the collapse of the multilateral trading system. According to his calculations, in the worst case, 25 percent of trade gains could be destroyed on average – with considerably variation from country to country. Switzerland would also have to reckon with major losses: according to Ossa's calculations, real income in Switzerland would collapse by as much as 14 percent. Ossa sees three main reasons for the reorientation of American trade policy. First, the growing aversion to foreign trade among certain sections of the population, who faced major losses due to trading with China. Secondly, the frustration of US companies over the protection of their intellectual property in China and the state capitalism there, which the WTO can only control to a limited extent. And third, the apparent misperception of the Trump administration that foreign trade is a zero-sum game in which the US either wins or loses. In his article, Ossa elaborates particularly on the second reason and explains why the American-Chinese trade war is not primarily about customs policy, but about securing standards.
Read article on dievolkswirtschaft.ch (in German)
Welcome Michael Blanga-Gubbay
2019-07-19: We welcome Michael Blanga-Gubbay as Affiliated Member at the Kühne Center. Michael is a Ph.D. Candidate in Quantitative Economics at the European Center for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics (ECARES) at the Université libre de Bruxelles. He will join the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich as a post-doc in September 2020.
We welcome Emily Blanchard as Visiting Fellow
2019-07-12: Emily Blanchard is an Associate Professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a Research Fellow with the Center for Economic Policy Research. She will be joining the Kühne Center for Sustainable Globalization as a Visiting Fellow for the academic year 2019/20.
Professor Blanchard's research lies at the intersection of international economics and public policy. She has written extensively on how foreign investment and global value chains are changing the role of trade agreements in the 21st century, and how globalization and education shape political and economic outcomes within and across countries. Her research is published in leading journals, including the Review of Economic Studies, Journal of International Economics, the Review of Economics and Statistics, and the World Trade Review, and she serves on several editorial boards.
Bringing research to practice, she has worked in collaboration with the World Trade Organization, World Bank, UNIDO, Institute for Research on Public Policy, and others.
Reasons for the Trade War
2019-05-14: The large Chinese trade surpluses are often cited as the main reason for the special tariffs imposed by the USA, and the ongoing trade dispute. In an interview with Tagesschau, Ralph Ossa points to a number of other reasons: There are valid concerns regarding the protection of intellectual property and China has a very high number of state enterprises. The granting of loans and subsidies to state-owned enterprises in China is opaque. Consequently, market-oriented countries fear that global competitive conditions are being distorted and that their businesses will not be able to compete with Chinese companies.
SRF Tagesschau ( min. 12:00)
WTO in its 25th Year
2019-04-15: Protectionism instead of free trade, punitive tariffs instead of dismantling trade barriers. In recent years, the liberal economic order has come under pressure. These developments are also affecting the influence the World Trade Organization (WTO) has over its members. SRF Tagesschau talks to Ralph Ossa, who points to the WTO's twofold task: "On the one hand, the WTO is committed to further trade liberalization. On the other hand, and this is often forgotten, the WTO is also supposed to prevent trade wars". Ralph Ossa recalls the beginnings of the WTO, and its predecessor, the GATT: "These originated from the experience that the trade wars produce no winners. The experience of the 1930s trade war led to countries agreeing on trade treaties. It remains to be seen if today’s leaders will also learn from the current crisis and reaffirm their commitment to trade cooperation".


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In California last week, I noticed little differences in the cell phone habits of people on the streets. Now that Washington and California require hands-free kits for cell phones while driving, more people seem to wearing their ear-sets around on the street, too.
We’ve had the Bluetooth zombies for a while, who appear to be shouting to themselves like bag ladies until you see the blinking bling hooked over one ear, but these corded ones can be spotted from across the street.
Nearly everyone I see now who walks on a city sidewalk seems to be talking, texting, or just looking at his or her cell phone. But in California now, many of the business-types are walking around talking into their factory-issue iPhone-buds or Blackberry-headsets.
I wonder how long until Oregon and the other states follow suit. Lots of laws pioneered in California (like seat belt laws) eventually become U.S. standards.


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The Sleeping Giants campaign highlighted the issue of hate funding through digital advertising and showed that relationship between ad companies and propaganda outlets is higly problematic and highly ignored by the people responsible.
We sat down with tech marketer turned activist, Nandini Jammi, who made her name with the Sleeping giants movement which targeted propaganda funders online. She’s also a co-founder of Check my ads, a company that offers brand safety trainings.
We discussed the propaganda funding through opaque online digital ad system, the ways to address and solve this issue and the role of a critical consumer.
Music by Count Silas
Citizen D advice:
- Be a critical consumer and demand corporate social responsibility
- Demand a public conversation around the topic of ads funding hate
- Thing globallly, act locally!
- New York Times: Revealed: The People Behind an Anti-Breitbart Twitter Account – article
- I’m leaving Sleeping Giants, but not because I want to – article
- How an Activist Group Turned to the Dark Side to Hit Breitbart Where It Hurts – article
About the podcast:
Podcast Citizen D gives you a reason for being a productive citizen. Citizen D features talks by experts in different fields focusing on the pressing topics in the field of information society and media. We can do it. Full steam ahead!


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Forrester Research has released a report (PDF) that shows that the average U.S. consumer now spends as much time online as he or she spends watching television — roughly 13 hours per week. This figure remains constant across generations, from Gen Yers (18 to 30) to Younger Boomers (45 to 54).
Over the past five years, the amount of time that Americans spend online has increased 121%, meaning they now spend as much time on various Internet activities as they do watching television. TV time has only increased 5% in the same amount of time. Roughly 92% use email, 35% use social networking sites, and 60% shop online. The latter two figures have nearly doubled in the past three years. Researcher comScore estimates that holiday spending so far this season tops $21.95 billion, a 12% increase over 2009.
One factor contributing to the Internet’s gain on TV is the increasing availability of streaming media online, such as Netflix or Hulu, which is becoming a growing source for entertainment. The number of adults streaming media online has nearly doubled to 33% from 18% since 2007.
Mobile devices, particularly smartphones, are another factor to which the increase is attributed. Globally, roughly 200 million Facebook users access the site through a mobile device, for example. A recent study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 40% of Americans connect to the Internet from a mobile device. The Pew study also found that mobile device usage rose over the past year in eight non-voice data applications, including taking a photo or recording video, text messaging and instant messaging, playing a game, email, accessing the Web, and playing music.
Not surprisingly, offline media media consumption has dropped. Radio listenership is down 15%, readership of print newspapers has dropped 26%, and readership of print magazines is down 18%. Community newspapers are still going strong, however. The National Newspaper Association (NNA) recently completed its fifth readership survey and found that 73% of its respondents read a local paper each week, and 78% read most or all of that paper. Most interestingly, 55% of those going online for local news found it on the local newspaper’s website versus 17% on large news sites such as Yahoo, MSN, or Google.
The Forrester findings are based on a survey of 30,064 U.S. consumers in January and February 2010. The report was compiled by Jacqueline Anderson, Reineke Reitsma, Erica Sorensen, and Michael Munsell. The Pew results are based on data from telephone interviews with a sample of 2,252 adults, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 29 and May 30, 2010. The NNA report was based on 670 readership samples in towns with newspapers that have circulations of 8,000 or less. The telephone interviews were conducted in August and October 2010 in partnership with the research arm of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Source: “Understanding the Changing Needs of the US Online Consumer, 2010” (PDF), Forrester Research report, 12/13/10
Source: “Mobile Access 2010,” Pew Internet and American Life Project report, 07/07/10
Source: “2010 Community Newspaper Readership Survey Report,” National Newspaper Association report, December 2010
Source: “Community newspapers continue to show strong readership,” Arizona City Independent, 12/15/10
Image by Ed Yourdon, used under its Creative Commons license.


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Wholesale North America organic revenue for parts and services was 10.7% Overall parts and services organic revenue growth was 3.8% overall and 4.2% on a per day basis.
LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) today reported revenue for the second quarter of 2022 was $3.3 billion, a decrease of 2.7% as compared to $3.4 billion in the second quarter of 2021 with a negative impact of foreign currency conversion outweighing growth. On a constant currency basis, second quarter revenue grew by 2.5% to $3.5 billion.
Overall parts and services organic revenue increased 3.8%, while the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures decreased revenue by 1.0% and foreign exchange rates decreased revenue by 5.6%, for a total parts and services revenue decrease of 2.7%. Other revenue fell 2.9% owing to changes in commodity prices relative to the same period in 2021.
Wholesale – North America organic revenue for parts and services increased 10.7%, primarily driven by input cost inflation being passed through. The company reported aftermarket collision parts volumes decreased year-over-year due to ongoing ocean freight delays and supply chain challenges, and were partially offset by increased volumes of collision parts from the salvage business.
“We had a solid second quarter delivering strong organic growth, and I am extremely proud of the results the LKQ team achieved in a challenging operating environment, which included significant inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, and volatile commodity and currency markets. Despite these challenges, we continued to drive our strategic initiatives forward,” noted Dominick Zarcone, President and Chief Executive Officer. “As we enter the back half of the year, we are well positioned with our market leading businesses, experienced management teams, strong balance sheet, and balanced capital allocation strategy, giving us the confidence to maintain our full year 2022 guidance.”
Net income for the quarter was $420 million as compared to $305 million for the same period in 2021. Diluted earnings per share1 for the quarter was $1.49 as compared to $1.01 for the same period of 2021, an increase of 47.5%. On April 18, 2022, the Company completed the sale of PGW Auto Glass, which generated a pretax gain of $155 million ($127 million after tax), or $0.45 per share.
On an adjusted basis, net income in the quarter was $307 million as compared to $340 million for the same period of 2021, a decrease of 9.6%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share1,2 for the quarter was $1.09 as compared to $1.13 for the same period of 2021, a decrease of 3.5%.


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DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The "Legal Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Services (Taxation, Real Estate, Litigation, Bankruptcy, Labor/Employment, Corporate), By Firm Size, By Provider, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 – 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The global legal services market size is anticipated to reach USD 1,196.01 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.4%
The growing use of latest technologies in offering legal services is expected to drive the market growth. A strong emphasis on ensuring transparency in the relationship with clients is also expected to drive the growth of the market.
Law firms are increasingly adopting chatbots to aid in optimizing the work process and save time and costs for themselves as well as their clients. Chatbots can help law firms in digitizing the information and searching for lawyer-specific documents, among other tasks. Chatbots can also help in following up with non-responsive clients and seeking the required information through automated conversations.
Law firms are exploring different ways to help their clients in reducing exposure to risks and the costs incurred on compliances by aiding them in better management of information, thereby paving the way for adopting document automation software in legal services.
Document automation software takes end users through a questionnaire to collect relevant data and direct them throughout the entire document creation process. Such an approach relieves the end users from the tedious process of understanding the terminologies appearing in the document.
Social networking holds significant potential to transform the way legal services are delivered. As such, law professionals are adopting various social media tools to accomplish a myriad of legal tasks as well as pursuing their career objectives. Social networking platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, are particularly helping law professionals in reaching a larger audience.
Legal Services Market Report Highlights
The corporate segment is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing segment over the forecast period as disputes over organizational audits, discrimination and harassment of employees, copyright violation, and patent infringement continue to rise
The private practicing attorneys segment is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period owing to the increased opportunities for attorneys in large enterprises as well as small- & mid-sized enterprises
Law firms are changing their hiring patterns in line with the evolving requirements of the clients
Law firms are collaborating with professional service providers to offer unified multi-disciplinary services to their clients
Key Topics Covered:
Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope
Chapter 2. Executive Summary
2.1. Legal Services Industry Snapshot & Key Buying Criteria, 2018 – 2028
Chapter 3. Legal Services Market Variables, Trends & Scope
3.1. Market Size and Growth prospects
3.2. Industry Value Chain Analysis
3.3. Market Dynamics
3.3.1. Market driver analysis
188.8.131.52. Technological disruptions in the legal industry
184.108.40.206. Rise in the number of Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs)
3.3.2. Market restraint analysis
220.127.116.11. Regulatory challenges in the legal industry
3.4. Business Environment Analysis Tools
3.4.1. Industry analysis – Porter's
3.4.2. PEST analysis
3.5. Penetration and Growth Prospects Mapping
Chapter 4. Legal Services Market – Competitive Analysis
4.1. Recent Developments & Impact Analysis, By Key Market Participants
4.2. Key Company Categorization (Key Innovators, Market Leaders, and Emerging Players)
4.3. Key Company Market Share Analysis, 2020
4.4. Public Companies
4.4.1. Company market position analysis
4.4.2. Company market share/ranking, by region
4.5. Private Companies
4.5.1. List of key emerging companies /technology disruptors/innovators
4.5.2. Company market position analysis
Chapter 5. Legal Services Market: Services Estimates & Trend Analysis
5.1. Market Size Estimates & Forecasts and Trend Analysis, 2018 – 2028 (USD Billion)
5.2. Legal Services Market: Services Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028
5.2.2. Real estate
Chapter 6. Legal Services Market: Firm Size Estimates & Trend Analysis
6.1. Market Size Estimates & Forecasts and Trend Analysis, 2018 – 2028 (USD Billion)
6.2. Legal Services Market: Firm Size Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028
6.2.1. Large firms
6.2.2. Medium firms
6.2.3. Small firms
Chapter 7. Legal Services Market: Provider Estimates & Trend Analysis
7.1. Market Size Estimates & Forecasts and Trend Analysis, 2018 – 2028 (USD Billion)
7.2. Legal Services Market: Provider Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028
7.2.1. Private practicing attorneys
7.2.2. Legal business firms
7.2.3. Government departments
Chapter 8. Legal Services Market: Regional Estimates & Trend analysis
8.1. Market Size Estimates & Forecasts and Trend Analysis, 2018 – 2028 (USD Billion)
8.2. Legal Services Market Share by Region, 2020 & 2028
Chapter 9. Competitive Landscape
9.1. Company overview
9.2. Financial performance
9.3. Product benchmarking
9.4. Recent developments
Baker & McKenzie
Clifford Chance LLP
Ernst & Young (E&Y)
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l52ds
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-legal-services-market-report-2021-2028—rise-in-the-number-of-alternative-legal-service-providers-alsps-301429826.html
SOURCE Research and Markets
GBLT Corp. (TSXV: GBLT) (OTCQB: GBLTF) (FSE: 4G9) ("GBLT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received an order for USD $3.9 million from the one of the biggest retail chains in Germany for private label batteries, delivered over the course of 2022. This marks continued expansion for the Company within existing retailer accounts, and with over 10,000 stores throughout Europe, further expands GBLT's presence with consumers.
Shares of fintech stock Square (NYSE: SQ) fell as much as 8.8% in trading on Monday as the market continued to sell off growth stocks. The biggest news of the day is that growth stocks are selling off broadly. President Biden officially announced that he would nominate Jerome Powell to serve a second term as chair of the Federal Reserve.
Zoom has been able to maintain the momentum it gained during the pandemic, although it had warned of slowing revenue growth after the second quarter as more people head back to offices and schools. Its recently launched Events platform, where businesses can host large-scale conferences, coupled with Zoom Phone and Zoom Rooms helped the company compete better with rival platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex as well as Slack. The company's revenue rose 35% to $1.05 billion in the third quarter ended Oct. 31, compared with analysts' estimates of $1.02 billion, according to Refinitiv data.
For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to…
Protecting information is crucial in the digital age and these companies are working to fulfill that need.
Shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) got a big boost last week — rising every single trading day of the week — as Bloomberg confirmed that the tech giant is "pushing to accelerate development of its electric car" and "refocusing the project around full self-driving capabilities." Apple stock is up again today Monday — a solid 3% as of 10:25 a.m. ET — despite news of a different sort: According to Japan's Nikkei Asia, Apple's "Christmas sales" numbers are at risk. As the news agency proceeds to explain, "production constraints" including "COVID-related lockdowns in Vietnam and Malaysia and power restrictions in China" have disrupted Apple's supply chain to the extent that it "will not be able to deliver new iPads to consumers in key Asian markets in time for Christmas."
Shares of fuel cell pioneer Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) jumped out of the gate on Monday, opening 4.1% above Friday's close at 9:30 a.m. ET, before starting to wobble lower. At the same time, rival fuel cell operator Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP) jumped 3.6% at the open, and — in fits and starts — proceeded to move even higher. You see, over the weekend, investment bank Citigroup recommended a "pair trade" of both these fuel cell stocks, suggesting that investors should sell Ballard Power shares (rating them underweight) and use the money to buy shares of Plug Power instead.
In this article, we discuss the 10 stocks that Mario Gabelli is doubling down on. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to Mario Gabelli is Doubling Down on These 5 Stocks. Mario Gabelli is among a handful of old school investors that still command great attention on Wall […]
The company's recently filed unlimited shelf registration statement is making shareholders queasy.
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has its fingers in numerous pies and is rapidly growing in each. The bullish case rests upon Nvidia maximizing that potential, while the bear case says that for all that the semiconductor stock is growing, the market has already baked the opportunities into the stock price and then some. The growth rates are even accelerating lately, as Nvidia's year-over-year revenue growth spiked to 68% in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, a period that ended on Aug. 1.
Shares have now risen about 24% over the past 30 days.
The company is gaining traction with consumers, and growing revenue and subscribers at a rapid rate. Let's look at fuboTV's Q3 earnings and see if the dip is a buying opportunity. Revenue growth was an impressive 156% for fuboTV's third quarter.
Longeveron shares jumped 117% to $21.62 on Monday to their highest level since the company went public in February at $10 a share. The stock has been rising sharply since Thursday, when the biotechnology company said its Lomecel-B for the treatment of a congenital heart defect in infants (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome) affecting about 1,000 babies a year was granted rare pediatric disease (RPD) designation by the Food and Drug Administration. The stock catapulted 120% on Thursday and continued
Investing in stocks is the best vehicle for creating wealth — better than gold, bonds, and real estate. Investors could have gotten whiplash snapping to watch the stock market collapse last year, only to quickly turn around and regain all the lost ground, and then go on to set new record highs. If you have $350 that's ready to be invested that you won't need for at least three years — five would be better and decades preferred — Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), and Fiverr International (NYSE: FVRR) would make for perfect buys right now.
Micron Technology's (NASDAQ: MU) stock price rallied 8% on Nov. 19 after two Wall Street analysts made bullish statements about the memory chipmaker. As such, he expects Micron to benefit from "more positive catalysts" in the coming months and maintains a "buy" rating with a price target of $120 — more than 40% above its current price. Muse believes Micron's earnings will start improving in its February or May quarters as it resolves its supply chain shortages, and that DRAM prices will rebound in the first or second calendar quarters of 2021.
Wall Street has consistently demonstrated throughout history that it pays to be patient. In fact, the bounce back from the coronavirus bear market is the strongest Wall Street has ever witnessed. One such company that could quintuple in value by 2030 and make investors millionaires is travel and hosting platform Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB).
Tesla stock rebounded toward its Nov. 4 record, while Rivian stock retreated further toward its IPO price.
Despite that, the market seems to be losing interest in COVID stocks in general. For those willing to take a step back and see the big picture, BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and Fulgent Genetics (NASDAQ: FLGT) are just too cheap to ignore. Jason Hawthorne (BioNTech): By now, just about everyone has heard of BioNTech: It's the German drugmaker that partnered with Pfizer to develop the highly successful COVID-19 vaccine now known as Comirnaty.
Top digital payments stock PayPal is one of the leading growth stocks in the current stock market. But is it a buy right now?
Ford Motor began the new decade with optimism as it emerged from a fundamental corporate redesign to compete in the era of smart vehicles and clean energy. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric crossover, made its commercial debut in the U.S. late last year. Ford is beginning production of the Mach-E, a competitor to the Tesla Model Y, in China as well.


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Power Systems Not Quite Rebounding Yet in Q3
October 25, 2010 Timothy Prickett Morgan
The hoped-for big bounce in Power Systems sales is going to have to wait until the fourth quarter, it looks like. With IBM only shipping high-end Power 795 and entry Power 710, 720, 730, and 740 systems for two weeks in the third quarter, these new machines, which were announced in the middle of August, probably did more damage to the quarter than they helped in terms of Power7-based server sales. Now, all eyes are turned to the fourth quarter, where IBM will have a complete Power7 systems lineup and perhaps the normal server bump to help it post some good numbers.
In the quarter ended September 30, IBM’s overall revenues and profits were exactly what the company had been telling Wall Street it could and would do. (And yet, IBM was slammed in the wake of its earnings with a 3.3 percent haircut to its stock price because Wall Street is like a mother-in-law, in that you can’t do anything right even when you did.) IBM’s total sales were $24.3 billion, up 3 percent, and thanks to cost cutting and licensing of intellectual property, the company was able to boost net income by 11.7 percent, to $3.59 billion. What has Wall Street thinking, among other things, is that in Apple‘s fourth quarter of 2010 ended September 25, the company had $20.3 billion in revenues, up a staggering 66.7 percent, and net income of $4.41 billion, up 70.1 percent. And just because nothing makes much sense in the world, Apple’s stock is getting slammed because Wall Street expected Apple to do better. The important thing as far as I am concerned is that Apple is smaller than IBM, but more profitable. And, given current growth rates, it won’t be long before Apple will be larger than IBM and a lot more profitable.
For years, I have been joking–well, half joking–that IBM should buy Apple. Wouldn’t it be funny if Apple, with its $51 billion cash hoard and maybe another $37 billion in its stock, took a controlling stake in IBM? Imagine the user interface and integrated database and programming tools Apple could buff up for IBM i . . . .
But seriously. Let’s talk about IBM’s Systems and Technology Group as if it were still a separate unit of Big Blue, as IBM’s bookkeepers still do even though IBM merged Software Group and Systems and Technology Group, under general manager Steve Mills, back in July. IBM’s server, storage, and chip unit had revenues of $4.33 billion, rising 10.4 percent and notching up the best growth that this unit has seen in six years, according to Mark Loughridge, IBM’s chief financial officer, who went over the numbers with Wall Street last week.
Power Systems did show some spunk in the midrange, as it did in the second quarter, with Power7 boxes pushing the midrange of the line up 11 percent in the quarter. IBM didn’t talk about how well (or rather, how poorly) entry and high-end Power7 machines did in the quarter, but overall Power Systems revenues were down 13 percent in the quarter. Loughridge said that Big Blue had 250 competitive displacements among HP-UX and Solaris Unix shops, which generated $225 million in hardware, software, and services revenues for the company in Q3.
IBM’s System z mainframes and System x blade, rack, and tower machines (yes, the BladeCenter is mostly still an X64 server sale) were the big revenue drivers in the third quarter for IBM. Loughridge said that System z mainframe revenues were up 15 percent, with aggregate MIPS shipped in the quarter rising by 54 percent, the highest growth this line has seen in six years. (Funny how STG sales and mainframe sales are so tightly linked, eh?) The new System zEnterprise 196 machines announced in July were the big driver, and it is reasonable to expect an even bigger bump in revenues in the fourth quarter. That’s also when IBM will start shipping its zEnterprise zBX blade extensions, which sport Power and X64 blades tightly coupled to mainframes. System x server sales were up 30 percent, and Loughridge said he believed that IBM gained market share in the X64 racket. IBM’s high-end System x server sales rose less fast at 27 percent, but that is nonetheless phenomenal growth and a testament to the engineering in the BladeCenter HX5 blade and System x eX5 rack machines using Intel‘s Xeon 7500 processors.
IBM’s chip sales were up 28 percent in the third quarter, and storage sales (including disk and tape products) rose by 7 percent. Disk array sales were up by 14 percent, with the DS8000 monolithic and XIV clustered disk arrays leading the pack. Loughridge said that IBM added 130 XIV customers and nearly doubled its sales in the quarter and called the XIV acquisition one of the best ones that IBM has ever done. Tape product sales declined by 8 percent, but IBM believes that it gained market share.
In the 32 growth markets where IBM is targeting its sales efforts, STG sales were up 25 percent at constant currency. In Brazil, Russia, India, and China–the so-called BRIC countries that are the backbone of the growth markets–STG sales were up over 40 percent, according to Loughridge. Storage revenues were up 23 percent in these growth markets.
Over at Software Group, IBM’s revenues in the third quarter hit $5.15 billion, up only seven-tenths of a percent, but Loughridge told Wall Street that the company expected to see some acceleration in the fourth quarter, and not just because of a server rebound in the System z and Power Systems product lines. If you take out the PLM software business that IBM sold to Dassault Systemes earlier this year, then IBM’s Software Group would have shown a 4 percent boost in sales. The key branded middleware products–WebSphere, Information Management, Tivoli, Lotus, and Rational–had a collective 7 percent revenue boost, while other middleware (mostly on mainframes) must have declined because overall middleware sales were up only 7 percent. Operating systems sales might have fallen as well, but IBM didn’t say.
In software, the WebSphere product line, which has had a tremendous amount of products from acquisitions tossed into its bucket in the past couple of years, saw 14 percent growth, helped by the ILOG products and soon by the Sterling Commerce, Coremetrics, and Unica deals. IBM’s database and related tool sales rose by 5 percent, and relational databases overall were up 5 percent with distributed databases (including DB2 and Informix) on Windows, Unix, and Linux growing 7 percent. There was no mention of either IBM i or DB2 for i sales, of course. Bolstered by storage management and security software, the Tivoli systems management product line saw a 9 percent bump, and Lotus groupware and Rational development tool sales were flat.
IBM is a services company, so I hear, which means we cannot ignore the Global Services gigantosaurus. In the quarter, Global Services raked in $14.1 billion, up 2.1 percent, but the backlog of services deals was up only $5 billion sequentially, to $134 billion, and that was flat compared to last year’s third quarter. And signings of new services deals in the third quarter were down 7 percent, to $11 billion, which no doubt is what has Wall Street a bit jumpy about Big Blue’s future performance. Outsourcing signings (including hardware and application outsourcing) were down 15 percent to $5.7 billion, which is what really made Wall Street stop and think on Tuesday. IBM’s Global Technology Services division, which does outsourcing, systems integration, and maintenance services on IBM and non-IBM gear, only had seven-tenths of a percent growth in Q3, to just under $9.5 billion, while Global Business Services, which does process re-engineering and outsourcing and other fancy-schmancy consulting services not precisely related to iron, saw a 5.4 percent bump to $4.57 billion.
On the call, IBM raised its earnings per share guidance for 2010 by 15 cents, to at least $11.40 per share, which was meant to make Wall Street run up the stock. But that 15 cents is coming from lowered estimates for tax payments IBM will make this year. So it really doesn’t have much to do with the business being any more healthy than expected. And thus, investors reacted exactly as you would expect.


text: The textile industry in Gujarat’s Surat continues to face difficulty in business due to shortage of labourers. The production capacity in textile industry is around 40-50% currently amid coronavirus pandemic. Labourers went back to their native towns in Odisha and Bihar due to fear of COVID-19 which has affected the business of textile industry. Industry owners are facing hardships due to lack of work staff. Speaking to ANI, President of South Gujarat Textile Processors’ Association, Jitubhai Vakharia said, “The production capacity is around 40-50% right now.” There are over 14,600 active cases of coronavirus in Gujarat.


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Advertising Standards Guidelines: Bloggers must declare all marketing
Advertising Standards Authority calls on bloggers and "influencers" to fully declare marketing communications
25 January 2017
The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland has introduced a new set of guidelines addressing what it calls the “Recognisability of Marketing Communications”. The aim of the document is to ensure Irish consumers are not misled by online advertising disguised as innocuous blog posts, tweets, snaps and more.
The ASAI states that while primary responsibility for transparency in marketing communications lies with the advertising company, all parties have a duty of responsibility. To achieve this, the body encourages the use of a clearly identifiable hashtag such as #Ad or #SP (meaning advert, or sponsored post).
Many of the world’s leading social media influencers, as they are known, have adopted this approach successfully, and the ASAI hopes that Irish contingent will do the same.
ASAI CEO Orla Twomey says that the guidelines were developed after extensive conversations about concersn consumers had about “influencers” not declaring a commercial interest in their endorsements. “The new ASAI guidelines aim to address these concerns,” Twomey said, “and develop a uniform set of standards applicable to both companies and the bloggers who deliver the marketing communications.”


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Tweet Follow @AdoboBlog
After its unprecedented success in the box office, “Unofficially Yours,” topbilled by Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz, is set to be released by Star Home Video on DVD and VCD on April 4, 2012.
Don’t be left behind and grab your copies now of some of the country’s blockbuster movies and TV series brought to you by Star Home Video. For more updates, follow @starhomevideo on Twitter or like their Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/starhomevideo.
- Press Release via ABS-CBN Corporation


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“After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect,” it added.
The German sporting goods firm, which had come under growing pressure to renounce its seven-year partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
It expects a short-term hit of up to 250 million euros to its net income as a result. Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” Adidas said in a statement.


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An updated version of Citroen’s mid-sized SUV has been revealed in Europe, but it hasn’t been locked in for Australia.
The 2022 Citroen C5 Aircross features refreshed styling inside and out, and reaches European showrooms in the summer (our winter).
“We can confirm local evaluation is underway for the all-new C5 Aircross,” said a spokesperson for Peugeot Citroen Australia.
“We hope to have further information to share with you on the all-new Citroen C5 Aircross in the coming months.”
The greatest changes have occurred up front, where the C5 Aircross’ split-level lighting has been conjoined, a departure from a design element present on every Citroen crossover since the Cactus.
The LED daytime running lights, however, remain in two separate lines, and link up with an unusual split-level LED light bar.
Instead of forming a continuous line, the light bar features dotted LEDs.
There’s a sportier-looking front bumper treatment, similar to that of the C5 X, with the air dam featuring horizontal bars on either side of the radar.
Other external changes include new wheel designs and tail light graphics.
Inside, there’s a larger 10.0-inch touchscreen that’s now free-standing instead of being flanked by air vents like the old 8.0-inch unit.
The vents have been moved underneath the screen, while there’s no longer a conventional transmission shifter.
The C5 Aircross has been upgraded to the latest Advanced Comfort seats, with additional foam padding. The front seats are heated and feature massaging functionality.
The powertrain line-up is unchanged. While it includes turbo-diesel and plug-in hybrid options in Europe, here the C5 Aircross is available exclusively with a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with 121kW of power and 240Nm of torque, mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.
“Now whilst we have been challenged as a brand in 2021, we have an absolute driven commitment in the Australian market,” said Peugeot Citroen Australia general manager Kate Gillis late last year.
“Over the last number of years we have seen those sales start to decline, bearing in mind that we no longer have the Berlingo in the range, we have concentrated our LCVs to our Peugeot LCV lineup.
“However, with the launch of the C4 and… the new C5 X which is coming through in 2022, we’ve got some real ambition of growth plans within the market.”
The company hasn’t confirmed which C5 X variants will make their way Down Under but said the plug-in hybrid variant is “absolutely on the table”.
The C5 X is a genre-busting hatchback-cum-crossover, in a similar vein to the smaller C4, that’s longer and less boxy than the C5 Aircross, introduced in 2019. It’s due here in the third quarter of 2022.
Citroen sold just 175 vehicles in Australia last year, down 13.8 per cent on 2020, of which just 58 were C5 Aircross SUVs. That made it Australia’s worst-selling mid-sized SUV, besides the hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo.
The next-generation C5 Aircross will reportedly be electric-only, according to Ouest France.
It says the model will use a “new electric platform” – likely Stellantis’ STLA Medium platform. A 2025 launch also appears likely.
The STLA Medium architecture is designed to support vehicles with an electric range of up to 700km.
STLA Medium cars will use batteries of between 87kWh and 104kWh, and both single- and dual-motor powertrains. The architecture can support front-, rear- and all-wheel drive.


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Ant Group, the blockchain and e-pay subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, is accelerating its business operations with the launch of a new cross-border trade blockchain platform, stepping up its bid to go public – and has sealed a key deal with the busiest container port on the planet.
Ant, which also operates the Alipay e-payment platform, has dubbed the platform Trusple, and will debut it on the Ant-developed Antchain blockchain network, the company said in their press release.
The firm will allow exporting and importing firms to place trading orders on Trusple, which will then automatically create smart contracts, including logistics-related information – allowing banks to process payments on the network.
“Trusple was designed to solve problems for SMEs and financial institutions involved in cross-border trading,” Guofei Jiang, President of Advanced Technology Business Group, Ant Group, was quoted as saying in the announcement.
Global e-commerce sites, including Alibaba’s AliExpress, could make use of the platform, Reuters said.
It added that a “blockbuster” initial public offering (IPO) is slated for next month, with “plans to list simultaneously in Hong Kong and on Shanghai’s tech-heavy STAR Market next month.” The Ant listing, the news agency added, could be the world’s IPO, “surpassing oil giant Saudi Aramco’s USD 29.4bn float” in December last year.
Ant is aiming to generate USD 35m from its own IPO bid.
But the Ant action does not stop there. Per Shanghai Securities News, the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) also wants in. The group operates the Port of Shanghai, the busiest container port in the world for the past decade or so, per World Shipping Council figures.
The new deal will see SIPG work with the Ant Group on a number of blockchain-powered logistics and shipping projects, including smart port construction drives, cross-chain interoperability solutions for firms and ports that operate on different blockchain networks and work on “solutions that provide the efficient flow of digital assets and enable multi-party collaboration with financial institutions.”
Meanwhile, as reported earlier this month, Alibaba has published 10 times more patents than IBM this year alone.
Learn more: Ant Group Explains What its 100m per Day ‘Digital Assets’ Uploads Are


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Housing sales News
Housing sales stood at 1,38,350 units in 2020 and 2,61,358 units in the 2019 calendar year. Housing sales in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) rose 72 per cent to 76,400 units in 2021 from 44,320 units in the previous year. Delhi-NCR witnessed 73 per cent rise in sales to 40,050 units in 2021 from 23,210 units in 2020.
Godrej Properties probably set the trend by offering 10:90 scheme in its ongoing projects where a prospective buyer needs to pay 10% initially and the rest 90% on possession This scheme helped the company a lot in achieving over Rs 1,500 crore of sales bookings despite the pandemic Bengaluru-based Embassy Group is also offering a 10:90 scheme (pay 10% now and 90% on possession) as well as assured rent in some of its residential projects


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I've had the opportunity to spend some time testing out Nokia's new clamshell phone on Verizon Wireless. It's a sleek design, and probably one of the better looking clamshells out there. The device is nice and thin, measuring at .55" thick. If you want to check out our unboxing of the Intrigue, you can hear our first impressions of the device and the new Eco-Friendly initiative of Verizon and Nokia.
Western Digital announced this morning that they were acquiring SiliconSystems, a flash storage company, in an effort to expand their offerings into the SSD realm. The acquisition cost $65 million and is effective immediately.
Epson is really cranking out the classroom projectors these days and have just announced another one to add to the mix: the PowerLite 410W. This projector is set to replace the 400W model and offers a wide variety of features that are the perfect pair up for classroom projection.
HP have announced a new range of workstations, the HP Z Workstation series, using Intel's Xeon processor and more than 20 design innovations. SlashGear had the opportunity to see the Z-series demonstrated as part of HP and DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliensevent last week, from the entry-level HP Z400 models, through the mid-range HP Z600 machines and up to the high-spec HP Z800 workstations.
After the cut, video demonstrations & full launch gallery
Dell launched a brand new update to their Inspiron line of desktops today. In fact, these new computers feature a much more appealing design and are available in eight new colors, making it so your computer reflects your personality.
There's something about taking retro hardware and hiding modern gadgets inside that appeals to a certain type of mod-happy geek. Today's example takes the venerable NES Advantage arcade controller and stuffs the guts of an Xbox 360 wireless controller inside.
MySpace and Microsoft have announced that they will collaborate to produce a MySpace for Windows Mobile application, based on Silverlight. Set to launch this summer, the app will not only offer access to MySpace's main social features, but apparently integrate some of that functionality into the smartphone OS.
This will please those hoping for a new iPhone release this summer. It appears that AT&T is allowing customers who wouldn't normally be eligible for the subsidized pricing on the iPhone 3G to upgrade early. The $199/$299 prices for the iPhones would normally only be available to either new customers, or current customers that have been on their contract long enough. Now AT&T is letting customers get an iPhone before the normally required 18 month upgrade date.
This appears to be an attempt to move more iPhone 3G units and clear out the stock. This will encourage hopes of a new iPhone this summer, and this new policy would support the leaked rumors about an annual iPhone release. If there was a new iPhone being released this summer, it would definitely make sense to clear the old iPhone stock first.
This offer is only available to current subscribers, and only one iPhone per customer with this new offer.
According to games publisher Blizzard, Microsoft is currently working closely with game developers on the replacement to the Xbox 360, tongue-in-cheek referred to by some as the Xbox 720. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Blizzard's Rob Pardo confirmed that he and his team had taken part in talks with Microsoft about the next-gen console.


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Tesla Synchronization Light Show
as usual Tesla are going beyond traditional cars the with the new feature and ideas, gather your friends a start the party with Tesla Synchronization Light Show.
Tesla has announce to new feature that will be updated in 2023 holiday update the new feature will allow a multiple tesla cars to connect an make a light show with songs.
Tesla also shared a video for this feature in their x platform
Please share your thought what do you think about this feature.


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Michelin to extend Upstate plant's holiday shutdown
Published: Friday, October 31, 2008 at 10:45 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, October 31, 2008 at 10:45 a.m.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- Michelin North America says it will add three days to the normal Thanksgiving holiday shutdown at its Donaldson plant in Greenville County because of slower tire sales.
Company spokeswoman Lynne Slovick told The Greenville News for a story Friday that the move was for inventory control.
Slovick says employees will be offered other projects at the plant based on their seniority or will have to take vacation time.
This week, the French tire maker said it would miss its earnings target for the year because of slow tire demand in Europe and North America. Michelin North America also said it plans to use temporary layoffs at three of its BFGoodrich plants in Alabama and Indiana, starting Nov. 1, to reduce production of consumer tires.
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