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CROYANCE AUTOMOTIVE started its new Maharashtra unit and launched the electroJ 0.8 four wheel electric cargo
CROYANCE AUTOMOTIVE started its new Maharashtra unit and launched the revolutionary electroJ 0.8 four wheel electric cargo with the loading capacity of 600 to 800 kg with single charge driving distance of 150 km.
Kapila Sandeep Soni, the founder and managing director of the Croyance automotive, a four-wheel electric vehicle company's inauguratrd new Mah inarashtra unit and office on 26 June 2022 in the Thane district of Maharashtra. 'Elecro J 0.8', India's first four-wheel electric cargo vehicle was inaugurated.
Elecro J 0.8 four-wheel electric cargo vehicle will provide new business opportunities in India. It will play a transforming role in the growth of the electric automobile segment in our country . This cargo vehicle has the capacity to carry 600 to 800 kg of weight and once charged can run upto 150 to 190 km .Croyance has already been contributing in this field and providing three wheeler E-V for a long time.
As it’s tagline itself says “Taakat bijli ki, bachat paison ki", these vehicles will be a companion for all-around progress , being lightweighted, time-saving and pocket friendly for all its customers. Whether it is rural or urban it is beneficial in every small and big industries and has proved to be a good saver in every way. However, for rural people, it is like a boom for them.
Croyance engineering makes it available for the customers after modifying it as per their requirements. It is useful in the food industry, waste material management, airport, and farmhouse. Elecro J 0.8 four wheel electric cargo vehicle will prove to be a rising sun in India’s electric vehicle segment.


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The EV division of Volkswagen’s Scout Motors brand officially announced that its first electric vehicle would be a $40,000 SUV. The all-electric Scout SUV will be built in a new $2 billion factory in South Carolina.
Volkswagen did not elaborate more on its upcoming $40k electric SUV under the Scout name. However, in a recent press release about its new factory in South Carolina, VW noted that all Scout trucks and SUVs would be built with “a newly designed all-electric platform.”
In October 2022, Jeff Bade spent time with the Scout Motors team. During his visit, Scout revealed their plans to revive the brand, including details about its electric vehicle lineup. Bade came out of the experience emphasizing that Scout’s pickup truck would undoubtedly be American.
“This is an AMERICAN truck, and while they can and will share technology, knowledge, and suppliers with their VAG brothers and sisters, this is not a rebranded or variation of anything in the VAG line. Rumors of this being based on the VW skateboard platform are not true,” said Bade.
Volkswagen’s electric vehicles, specifically in the ID.Family lineup are usually equipped with its MEB platform. Scout’s vehicles will not use the MEB platform; instead, it is designing a new platform specifically for off-road driving.
Scout plans to build trucks and rugged SUVs in its South Carolina factory. In July 2022, Volkswagen released a video of the Scout team studying the Scout II, hinting that the brand’s EV pickup might pay homage to the vehicle released between the 70s-80s.
With Scout, VW plans to break into the pickup truck and SUV market in the United States. It aims to take at least 10% market share in the U.S. with the Scout brand.

domain: news


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Aniplex of America to Rerelease Oreimo, Garden of Sinners on DVD
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Aniplex of America announced at its panel at Sakura-Con on Friday that it is rereleasing The Garden of Sinners and Oreimo anime on DVD. The company originally released ufotable's The Garden of Sinners movie series in an English-subtitled Blu-ray Disc box in North America in February 2011. Aniplex of America noted that it sold out of its initial Blu-ray box release.
Aniplex originally released a limited-edition DVD box set for the Oreimo television anime series in October 2011. The release included all 12 television episodes plus four video episodes with English subtitles. Aniplex noted that the original limited-edition DVD boxset had sold out, and that the new release will be on regular-edition DVD. Aniplex will announce more details about both rereleases soon.
Aniplex also revealed at the panel that it will release four albums by Japanese singer LiSA on May 1. LiSA performed songs as part of the in-anime band "Girls Dead Monster" in the Angel Beats! television anime series. She then contributed the song "oath sign" for the first half of the Fate/Zero television anime series. She sang during Singapore's Anime Festival Asia last November. Aniplex plans to release the albums physically and digitally. LiSA will perform at this year's Anime Expo in Los Angeles.


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Biometrics to drive robust growth in digital door lock and smart doorbell markets
Both the digital door lock system and the smart doorbell market are going to be experiencing substantial growth over the next few years, according to new reports respectively from Global Industry Analysts and Technavio, with biometrics playing a significant role.
Specifically, the global market for Digital Door Lock System, currently worth $3.3 billion, is projected to reach $17.9 billion by 2027, for a CAGR of 27.5 percent. Biometrics, in particular, are forecast to be at the forefront of this growth, with 28.7 percent CAGR and a value of $13.8 billion by the end of the analysis period.
In terms of geographic localization, the U.S and China will be responsible for the bulk of this market increase, followed by Japan and Canada.
According to the Global Industry Analysts report, the main competitors in the keypad locks market would be Cisco Systems, Panasonic Corporation, and ADT, among others.
Smart locks demand on the rise
The new Global Smart Doorbell Market report by Technavio shows a $1.19 billion growth in the use of the technology between 2020 and 2024.
The document analyses various components of the smart doorbell market, particularly its latest trends and drivers, together with the impact and new opportunities sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the main factors behind the growth would be increased ease of installation of these systems, together with a rise in cases of burglary. Moreover, the integration of technologies such as facial recognition and automatic motion detection is increasing people’s trust in the efficiency of these systems.
The Technavio report marks North America as the largest share of the smart doorbell market in 2019, and names a few companies leading this trend of growth, including Google, Aeotec, and Xiaomi.
Xiaomi releases new Smart Lock Pro
Tapping into this growing market, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi released a new Smart Lock Pro device this week.
The smart lock will join the company’s HomeKit Lineup and will feature NFC capabilities via Mi Band 4 and 5, Bluetooth, and biometric fingerprint sensors embedded in the handle.
The lock will also work with a standard key, as well as passcode entry via a touchscreen keypad.
The true innovation of the Smart Lock Pro, however, would be its facial recognition capabilities, the company says.
In fact, according to Xiaomi Planet, the new lock would have two cameras, one for general monitoring purposes outside your home, and the other one for facial recognition. The claim was recently denied by a company representative, however, who told Home Kit News the smart lock’s cameras do not “yet have facial recognition capabilities.”
Xiaomi Smart Lock Pro is already available in China for RMB1699 (roughly US$257).


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Trying to take advantage of an expanding European market, BWI Airport officials are trying to lock in new routes to give passengers more choices and boost freight shipments abroad.
"Europe 1992 is just six months away," said Walter T. Atkinson, vice president of Continental Airlines cargo division, referring to plans for unifying the economies of Western Europe.
"One definite reality is that this market of 320 million consumers is shaping up as the international proving ground for the air cargoindustry."
Atkinson, speaking Wednesday at the airport's Air Cargo Expo, said there will be a fierce battle between airlines to securethe European market. "It would seem only logical that East Coast airports such as BWI should concentrate on U.S.-European trade."
Maryland's airport seems to be heeding Atkinson's advice. KLM Royal DutchAirlines, which flies three flights a week to Amsterdam, will start June 19 adding 80,000 pounds of freight to three of its flights.
Starting June 22, Icelandair will fly to Reykjavik five times a week, offering passenger and freight service. Also in June, TWA will offer daily service to London and Frankfurt.
And last month, the state signed the Maryland-Kuwait Partnership, which designates BWI as the preferred airport for shipping goods to the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country.
Russ Scherer, manager of cargo development for the Maryland Aviation Administration, which owns and operates BWI, said the agreement could bring thousands of new jobs to the state, as well as provide an additional market for Maryland products.
Scherer, who flewfor Kuwaiti Airlines from 1979 to 1987, said the effects of the agreement are just now being felt and could last for another 10 to 15 years. "We are just starting to see some shipping come through," he said.
Under terms of the agreement, signed by Gov. William Donald Schaefer on May 2, companies in the U.S. shipping cargo to Kuwait will benotified by Kuwaiti officials to route the shipments through the Port of Baltimore or BWI whenever it is economically feasible.
In order to ensure that Maryland companies get a part of the rebuilding action, 25 state corporations currently are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a "Made in U.S.A." trade fair, the first major trade fair in the Middle East since the end of the war.
What all this means to BWI, officials say, is more jobs for Maryland residents, both for workers handling the freight and those who will be producing items for overseas consumption.
While the combined total pounds of freight shipped out of BWI in the first four months of 1991 decreased nearly 5 percent compared to the first quarter of last year, international freight increased 4.2 percent, from 6.2 million to 6.4 million pounds.
International freight shipped out of BWI rose 63 percent last year, from 17.5 million pounds in 1989 to 28.7 million pounds in 1989.
"This is one of the few airports that really promote international cargo," Atkinson said. "BWI is a major player in the international cargoarena."


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Groundbreaking Marks Start of Shops at Dakota Crossing
Barrington M. Salmon | 2/15/2012, 12:28 p.m.
Michele V. Hagans' years-long effort to create a large-scale retail development took an important step to becoming reality when Hagans, a number of elected officials, businesspeople and members of the community took part in a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site on Ft. Lincoln Drive in Northeast.
Among those at the February 2 groundbreaking included Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.); Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D); Victor Hoskins, deputy mayor for Planning and Economic Development; D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown; Councilmember Vincent Orange and Brian Monday, regional president for TD Bank.
When the project is completed, The Shops at Dakota Crossing will boast a 430,000 square-foot retail center, which will be anchored by a Costco, Shoppers Food Warehouse, and Marshalls. The rest of the space will be home to local, regional and national retailers.
Hagans, managing partner of Fort Lincoln Retail, LLC - the joint venture team developing the project that includes CSG Urban Partners and Trammell Crow Corporation - represents an economic renaissance for Ward 5 and the District.
"This has been a long time coming," said Hagans, 62. "This is the vision I had in the 1990s."
Hagans, who is also president of the Fort Lincoln New Town Corporation, said she expects Costco to open its doors in November of this year and the other stores will follow. She said she is in negotiations with another major retailer but declined to name the company until a deal is completed.
All along, Hagans said, the original master plan envisioned a town center with one million square-feet of government office space.
"After my father's death, I saw this as a great retail site so we changed the master plan to include retail. This is really my vision. Development was always my father's (goal) and I kind of stepped it up. This has some fingerprints of mine," she said with a chuckle.
Hagans elaborated on what it means for the city and community.
"This will have a huge impact on the city and attract dollars inside and outside of the city," she said. "We will start a new trend and reverse old regional shopping habits: We are working not only to keep D.C. dollars in D.C., but also to increase the inward flow of suburban dollars generated from the thousands of commuters who pass by this location on a daily basis."
The shopping center is located just inside the District line by South Dakota Avenue, N.E. and very close to Route 50 and I-295.
Bob King, a longtime Fort Lincoln resident and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, exulted over the prospects of the project finally coming to fruition.
"I've been an ANC commissioner for 29 years and I spent 25 of those years supporting the project," he said. I've guided this along with Michele Hagans through zoning, (the concerns of) residents, getting and losing anchor (stores). The groundbreaking was a heck of a day for me. Dr. Martin Luther King used to ask, "How long? Not long. People would ask me, How long? Not long!"


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Listen to this article now
The last time I had the chance to talk about Dell was during its self-proclaimed IQT event last fall. The focus then was on edge computing to build a stronger, smarter Internet of Things (IoT). I’d say that concept of pushing itself to the edge in stronger, smarter ways is an underlying theme at this year’s Dell Technologies World event in Las Vegas, which kicked off on Monday. And from what I see, Dell is putting its future in the hands of strategic partnerships and smart growth.
I believe this concept of strategic partnerships is going to pop up a lot in the coming years, as top tech companies realize it’s impossible to be good at everything—and that pulling on others’ strengths is a win for everyone. Partnership is in the water at Dell Technologies World, and it’s clear that Dell likes to drink.
For me, seeing tech in progress—used in the real world—is always the most interesting part of any tech conference I attend. Enough hearing about capabilities—show me the results of your effort. Dell did that by highlighting a few of its customer award winners, which are using Dell tech in real and exciting ways.
For instance, Ford Motor Company has been embracing a “start-up mentality” in terms of accelerating and advancing the field of connected cars. They’ve changed their entire vision from being a car manufacturer to being a mobility company, using artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) to shake up the entire industry. Dell Technologies has helped them move the process forward by “failing faster”—using their tech to automate, iterate and innovate as fast as possible.
Another award winner, AeroFarms, is using Dell’s EMC IoT solutions to gain data-driven stats from the Internet of Things (IoT) to increase yield and conservation in farming and essentially disrupting an industry that needs new thinking and innovative methods. These things aren’t just improving business. They’re improving the world through smart and focused partnership. For other featured customers, including Israel’s oldest bank, which just went mobile-only as “Pepper” with help from Dell, click here.
Investing in Startups
Dell Technologies Capital has been in stealth mode for the past year, investing in technologies it found promising for the marketplace. During the event, they shared that they invested in 24 projects, with 1/3 of those being AI and machine learning, and the rest related to security, next-gen infrastructure, and other projects. It also shared that they had 11 successful exits from their portfolio, with three—DocuSign, MongoDB, and Zscaler, going public with a combined market value of $11 billion. Definitely no need to operate in stealth mode with those numbers. Those are big successes with Dell at the helm.
Dell’s Global Partner Summit occurred alongside the Dell Technologies World event, making its commitment to the concept of partnership even clearer. Basically, their goal is to make it easier for partners to “fast track” their own digital developments through Dell’s advanced tech solutions. This included a new Dell Technologies Advantage Framework, which offers new tools to make the tech partnerships easier. It seems to be working. During the event, they announced that 60 percent of their partners made higher revenue and 70 percent made higher profits. This excites me so much, because it shows Dell’s commitment to drive growth for the entire industry—not just their segment of it.
Look for me to provide some commentary on additional announcements as the Dell Technologies World continues. At this point, I’m encouraged about Dell’s place in the digital marketplace. Their stream of acquisitions from EMC to VMware have all enhanced their place in enterprise digital transformation, but I’m also feeling positive about the way they’ve committed to grow and develop new technologies, and their willingness to partner with other players that have something to contribute to our world. Yeah, yeah, yeah—Michael Dell was at the event, and 14,000 people attended. To me, that’s not the headline. The real takeaway is that big things are happening at Dell that are helping companies realize the technology portion of digital transformation, and this is paving a way for other companies, in particular their partners to make big things happen, too.
Can’t be in Las Vegas for Dell Technologies World? Follow the live broadcast online.
Daniel Newman is the Chief Analyst of Futurum Research and the CEO of The Futurum Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise. Read Full Bio


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The U.S. federal investigation was prompted by concerns of possible manipulation during futures settlement dates. The final settlement price of CME bitcoin futures is determined by prices on four exchanges, Bitstamp, Coinbase, itBit and tradeallcrypto. Following the first delivery date in January 2018, the CME requested extensive detailed trading information but several of the exchanges refused to provide it and later provided only limited data. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission then subpoenaed the data from the exchanges. In 2017 and 2018, bitcoin’s acceptance among major online retailers included only three of the top 500 U.S. online merchants, down from five in 2016.
Conservative predictions of bitcoin say the cryptocurrency will reach $100,000 by 2023, but more bullish crypto enthusiasts say $250,000 isn’t far from sight. Big financial institutions have made their own predictions as well, with JPMorgan seeing a long-term high of $146,000 and Bloomberg saying it could hit $400,000 by 2022. A recent study by Deutsche Bank found that about a quarter of bitcoin investors believe bitcoin prices will be over $110,000 in five years. Because bitcoin is so new, price predictions are mostly informed speculations. But even for those who don’t discover using their own high-powered computers, anyone can buy and sell bitcoins at the bitcoin price they want, typically through online exchanges like Coinbase or LocalBitcoins. To be sure, more companies have started accepting the currency as an official payment option despite concerns about volatility in the cryptocurrency market. Investment banks like Morgan Stanley have offered some of the wealthiest clients access to Bitcoin funds. The sharp rise in the value of bitcoins recently has led to worries of a potential bubble in the cryptocurrency market, some analysts warn, with bitcoin more than doubling since the start of 2021. About 74% of those surveyed in Bank of America’s latest global fund managers report said the world’s most popular digital coin is a bubble.
Why is the Price of Bitcoin Different Around the World?
The bitcoin price rose to $259 on 10 April, but then crashed by 83% to $45 over the next three days. As of 2013 just six mining pools controlled 75% of overall bitcoin hashing power. In 2014 mining pool Ghash.io obtained 51% hashing power which raised significant controversies about the safety of the network. The pool has voluntarily capped their hashing power at 39.99% and requested other pools to act responsibly for the benefit of the whole network. Around the year 2017, over 70% of the hashing power and 90% of transactions were operating from China.
After the announcement, the value of bitcoins dropped, and Baidu no longer accepted bitcoins for certain services. Buying real-world goods with any virtual currency had been illegal in China since at least 2009. All bitcoins in existence have been created through this type of transaction. The bitcoin protocol specifies that the reward for adding a block will be reduced by half every 210,000 blocks .
Why The Bitcoin Price Is Down Since April
Given that Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to surface in the market, the other digital currencies that emerged are referred to as altcoins. A blockchain is a digital ledger recording cryptocurrency transactions, maintaining records referred to as ‘blocks’ in a linear, chronological order. Bitcoins can be transferred from a bitcoin exchanges to one of many bitcoin wallets, ranging from online options to ‘cold storage’. So if you want to withdraw them, you can do it any time by using different payment instruments. Say, if you need to send funds to your card, you can exchange crypto for fiats . The most simple way to do so is using the Instant Sell in the CEX.IO mobile app. By using this feature you can easily convert Bitcoins to USD, for example, and send the proceeds right to your card. The IRS considers cryptocurrency holdings to be “property” for tax purposes, which means your virtual currency is taxed in the same way as any other assets you own, like stocks or gold. In the short term, all these factors have created some noise and extra volatility in the crypto and stock markets, but this is typical during times of uncertainty.
Unlike investing in the stock market, with more predictable returns on investments like index funds, investing in bitcoin has been likened to investing in gold or other alternative assets such as art or horses. While a company can issue more stock options, there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins. So even if the value of the dollar plummets, bitcoin, like gold, will retain a separate value in theory. Over the last few months, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have largely remained under pressure as investors wrestle with rising inflation, geopolitical crises, and tighter monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. That swaggering optimism faltered this spring as the stock market plummeted, inflation soared and layoffs hit the tech sector. Investors began losing confidence in their crypto investments, moving money to less risky assets. TerraForm Labs, which created TerraUSD, a so-called stablecoin, and Celsius, an experimental crypto bank, both collapsed, wiping out billions in value and sending the broader market into a tailspin.
Nobody owns or controls Bitcoin, which is one of the reasons it appeals to people. The network was launched by an unknown developer or developers, and then other volunteer developers continued to add new updates to the software, which anyone can now do. There are custodial services for those who wish to entrust a third party with safeguarding their funds, but otherwise, the user is solely responsible. It’s not necessary to submit your personal information when setting up a Bitcoin wallet or transacting in Bitcoin. Technically, the network is said to be pseudonymous, rather than anonymous – if anyone can connect your personal wallet to your identity, they can view every transaction you’ve made. Now a widely accepted commodity and a common feature of mainstream financial news reports, Bitcoin adoption and awareness continues to grow.
tradeallcryptopanies inked sponsorship deals with professional sports teams, and Coinbase, tradeallcrypto, eToro, and FTX shelled out millions of dollars to buy ads during the Super Bowl. It’s been a rude awakening for the millions of people who bought cryptocurrencies, especially if they got into the craze last year. The sharp falls in cryptocurrencies are driving some companies into problems. Higher interest rates make borrowing costs more expensive for people and companies, and that’s raising concerns about an economic recession. Just months ago, tradeallcryptopanies were advertising heavily during the Super Bowl after virtual currencies enjoyed a dizzying rally in 2021. Moreover, it has become clear that Bitcoin does not offer true anonymity. Over the weekend, Dogecoin fell from its record high after topping 44 cents on Friday to hit a low of 24 cents on Saturday, though has recovered some of its losses and is currently trading around 31 cents. The Coinbase listing, which was viewed as a landmark event for the cryptocurrency industry, has attracted amateur traders. Global news sentiment has a big impact on equity returns around the world, according to World Bank research. This effect is not reversible in the short run, suggesting an underlying source of sentiment-driven asset price fluctuations.
However his polling data is not good, as shared here by GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel. The Democrats currently have unified control in Washington but have only a slim majority in both the House and the Senate, and could lose either or both of those chambers. Bloomberg Green Climate change is the defining story of our time. Bloomberg Green brings you the news, science, and data to understand it in full. Every week, Bloomberg’s Kailey Leinz speaks to thought leaders and innovators, while our reporters around the globe bring you the stories of a changing planet. Check live rates, send money securely, set rate alerts, receive notifications and more. Live tracking and notifications + flexible delivery and payment options. The tradeallcrypto REST and Websocket APIs are designed to facilitate access to all features of the tradeallcrypto platform, allowing full integration with traders’ own products and platforms. tradeallcrypto has a bespoke offering expertly tailored to meet the specific needs of professional and institutional traders including sub-accounts, expedited verification, and dedicated customer support.
Are bitcoins safe?
Bitcoin security issues. While Bitcoin technology is pretty safe, there are some risks to consider before you make an investment. Bitcoin isn't anonymous, the price of cryptocurrencies can be extremely volatile, Bitcoin relies on passwords, and cryptocurrency wallets are not immune to theft.
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The information contained herein is provided “as is” for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as investment advice or for trading purposes. Information contained herein is not and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell securities or any assets. The information has been authored from sources we believe to be reliable; however no guarantee is made or implied with respect to its accuracy, timeliness or completeness. You should not treat any opinion expressed by presenters as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of their opinions. The information and content are subject to change without notice. We are not under any obligation to update or correct any information provided herein. You must make an independent decision regarding any investment suggestions covered by the material. You should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investment discussed. Many exchanges let you to leave your investment within your account, which is easiest for most beginners.
Now I have nothing. there is a desire to buy bitcoin again, but alas, the price is expensive.
— Alishka (@AliKarimovM) July 22, 2022
Regarding ownership distribution, as of 16 March 2018, 0.5% of bitcoin wallets own 87% of all bitcoins ever mined. In both cases, that could see bitcoin drop further to between $13,000 to $14,000, which would be a roughly 30% drop from the cryptocurrency’s price on Wednesday. Industry players told CNBC an improving macroeconomic picture, particular trading patterns and further shakeout or “deleveraging” could help bitcoin and the crypto market find a bottom. CoinGecko provides a fundamental analysis of the crypto market. In addition to tracking price, volume and market capitalisation, CoinGecko tracks community growth, open-source code development, major events and on-chain metrics. There are several differences between a blockchain and a database, including the level of control.
But as prices crashed, that business model was put to the test. “If we see signs of this this month or even over the next few months, it would give more confidence to the market that a bottom is in across all risk assets including equities and crypto,” Ayyar said. Bitcoin has plummeted more than 70% from its record high in November with around $2 trillion wiped off the value of the entire cryptocurrency market. A distributed ledger is a database, digitally recording transaction information using cryptography, making it secure and unforgeable. Bitcoin can be purchased through a digital marketplace, through which you can fund your account with your currency of choice, and place an order on the open market.
- The ubiquity of digital payments could also destroy any remaining vestiges of privacy in our day-to-day lives.
- While fees should definitely be a consideration, experts say you also get what you pay for, especially when sticking to the bigger, more established exchanges like Coinbase.
- Market cap is the total value of a cryptocurrency, and is calculated by multiplying the price of the cryptocurrency with the number of coins in circulation.
- Computing power is often bundled together by a Mining pool to reduce variance in miner income.
But if you want to further secure your digital assets, you can transfer them into a hot or cold wallet. Based on those principles, the cryptocurrency market — which now consists of thousands of cryptocurrencies — has grown to a valuation of more than $2 trillion. While bitcoin has the longest record for investors to consider, it’s no less volatile. By early 2013, the leading cryptocurrency had recovered from a prolonged bearish episode and rose above $1,000, albeit only briefly. But with the infamous Mt Gox hack, China announcing its first ban on crypto and other situations, it took a further four years for the BTC price to return to above $1,000 again. Once that level was passed, however, bitcoin’s price continued to surge dramatically throughout 2017 until BTC peaked at its previous long-standing all-time high of $19,850. Investors who have their bitcoin on exchanges or wallets that support the new currency will soon see their holdings double, with one unit in bitcoin cash added for every bitcoin. But that doesn’t mean the value of investors’ holdings will double. No one controls these blocks, because blockchains are decentralized across every computer that has a bitcoin wallet, which you only get if you buy bitcoins. Read more about btc price converter here. In fact, with the Fed continuing to raise interest rates aggressively and with inflation still high, there is likely to be more pain ahead across all markets, including cryptocurrencies.
If an exchange has more protections, better security, or other features that are important to you, it may be worth slightly higher fees. They are secure, but more susceptible to hacking than cold storage, which is when you store crypto offline on a piece of hardware. Think of cold storage as kind of like a safe in USB-drive format. It’s more secure, but if you forget your password or lose the device, you could lose access https://www.beaxy.com/market/btc/ to your money forever. Just like you shouldn’t let a price drop influence your decision to buy bitcoin, don’t let a sudden price increase alter your long-term investment strategy. Even more importantly, don’t start buying more Bitcoin just because the price is rising. So what should crypto investors do in light of this volatility? Given crypto’s history of volatility, this increase doesn’t guarantee a long-term reversal.
A command line-based daemon with a JSON-RPC interface, bitcoind, is bundled with Bitcoin Core. It also provides access to testnet, a global testing environment that imitates the bitcoin main network using an alternative blockchain where valueless “test bitcoins” are used. Regtest or Regression Test Mode creates a private blockchain which is used as a local testing environment. Finally, bitcoin-cli, a simple program which allows users to send RPC commands to bitcoind, is also included. Iran announced pending regulations that would require bitcoin miners in Iran to sell bitcoin to the Central Bank of Iran, and the central bank would use it for imports. Iran, as of October 2020, had issued over 1,000 bitcoin mining licenses. The Iranian government initially took a stance against cryptocurrency, but later changed it after seeing that digital currency could be used to circumvent sanctions. Bitcoin is pseudonymous, meaning that funds are not tied to real-world entities but rather bitcoin addresses. Owners of bitcoin addresses are not explicitly identified, but all transactions on the blockchain are public.
What’s Bitcoin selling for today?
The live Bitcoin price today is $22,962.87 USD with a 24-hour trading volume of $30,832,916,374 USD. We update our BTC to USD price in real-time. Bitcoin is up 0.17% in the last 24 hours.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The central bank raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, its biggest hike since 1994. In February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the electric-car company would accept bitcoins as a form of payment for all models of its cars in the U.S. Online payments company PayPal has also begun to accept Bitcoin as payment. Ether, the second-biggest digital currency by market value, fell 7%. In 24 hours, the value of a bitcoin has shed 8%, falling from $60,884.85 to $52,810.06, according to CoinGecko, a crypto market data site. Historically, crypto assets didn’t show a strong correlation with major stock indices.
How do you cash out Bitcoin?
Cash-Out Methods. There are two main avenues to convert bitcoin to cash and ultimately move it to a bank account. Firstly, you can use a third-party exchange broker. These third parties (which include bitcoin ATMs and debit cards) will exchange your bitcoins for cash at a given rate.


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Handleman Co. plans to close the music portion of its warehouse near 56th Street and Georgetown Road, the Troy, Mich., company said this week.
A notice filed with the state said 248 workers would lose their jobs. The last day for managers will be Aug. 29.
CEO Al Koch said the warehouse at 5445 Guion Road employs a total of 330 who distribute music CDs as well as video game hardware and software through its Crave Entertainment arm.
“We will still have substantial operations in Indianapolis,” Koch said.
Handleman has specialized in distributing music to retailers, but Internet downloads have cut into its business. The company has a total of 530 employees.


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At a yearly company forecast and earnings report from 2020, in preparation for the next fiscal year, Sony Group Portal announced its record-breaking numbers of shipping 7.8 million PS5s and 116 million PS4s worldwide.
- Related Reading: PS4 Global Sales Reach 100 Million Units Shipped Worldwide
The Games & Network services of the PlayStation and PlayStation Network released their data, including software sales, which saw a significant 34% increase in growth. The increase in sales are credited to the software sales and additional contents, as well due to the release of the PS5 that contributed to hardware sales.
Though the PS5 became a point for the increase in Sony’s sales, the new console’s own manufacturing had also had a significant increase in Sony’s operational income, topping the numbers from the last fiscal year.
The 2021 forecast, however, shows Sony’s attempt to lower down cost as it sees possible improvements from hardware’s profitability. While the video game and entertainment giant predicts more sales at a potential rise of 9%, they have also taken into account the possibilities of increase in foreign exchange rates.
Sony was not spared from the effects brought by the global pandemic, however numbers have shown its continuous profitability with its new releases and players worldwide finding solace in gaming.


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Samsung Galaxy S5 mini hits AT&T on March 20
AT&T will carry the compact Samsung Galaxy S5 mini smartphone in both its retail stores and online, at www.att.com, starting March 20. According to the official news from the US wireless carrier, this handset provides "ultimate portability without compromising power" and its 4.5-inch screen delivers "rich colors, dark shadows and fast response times for an exceptional viewing experience."
These are the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini handsets to reach AT&T:
- Processor: 1.4 GHz Exynos 3470 with Mali 400MP4 graphics
- Memory/Storage: 1.5 GB RAM; 16 GB internal storage and microSD support up to 128 GB
- Display: 4.5-inch Super AMOLED with 1,280X720 pixels and 326 ppi
- Cameras: 2.1 MP front, 8 MP back
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n with WiFi Direct, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with GLONASS
- Operating system: Android 4.4.4 KitKat
- Weight/Dimensions: 0.26 pounds; 5.16X2.55X0.36-inches
- Battery/Autonomy: 2,100 mAh; up to 20 hours talk time and 10 days standby
AT&T will offer the Galaxy S5 mini in Charcoal Black finish at $99.99 USD with a two-year agreement, for $428.99 USD without annual commitment, or with an AT&T Next plan, starting at $14.30 USD a month on Next 24.


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Firearms maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.(SWHC: Quote), Thursday reported a surge in profit for the fourth quarter, driven mainly by higher revenues and stronger margins, as sales of firearms rose.
Shares of Smith & Wesson surged 13 percent in after-hours on the news.
Smith & Wesson, which other than its namesake brand also sells M&P and Thompson/Center Arms, said sales for the quarter grew 27.7 percent to $129.8 million. The growth was driven mainly by strong sales of M&P (military and police) polymer pistols and M&P modern sporting rifles.
Six Wall Street analysts on a consensus estimated revenues of $126.53 million for the quarter.
Fourth-quarter gross margin sharply rose to 36.1 percent from 30.7 last year, positively impacted by higher sales volume, cost savings efforts and a favorable product mix. Significant one-time benefits related to reductions in inventory and legal reserves, and the higher production volume also contributed to margin growth.
Operating costs, as a percent of sales, dropped to 16.3 percent from 22.9 percent last year, driven mainly by cost-savings efforts as well as helped by the consolidation of Thompson/Center Arms operations to Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Springfield, Massachusetts-based company's profit for the fourth quarter improved to $12.5 million or $0.19 per share from $1.1 million or $0.02 per share in the year ago quarter.
On average, six analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.17 per share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.
Looking forward to the first quarter, Smith & Wesson expects earnings from continuing operations in a range of $0.16 to $0.19 per share and sales of $125 million to $130 million.
Analysts currently expect earnings of $0.12 per share on revenues of $112.55 million for the first quarter.
For the full year 2013, the company anticipates earnings from continuing operations between $0.60 and $0.65 per share and net sales of $485 million and $505 million.
Analysts currently expect earnings of $0.50 per share and revenues of $465.98 million for fiscal year 2013.
Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Buchanan said, "As we move into fiscal 2013, we will use the strength of our balance sheet to continue investing in our business."
SWHC closed Thursday's trading at $6.89, down $0.15 or 2.13%. Nevertheless, the stock gained $0.93 or 13.50% in after-hours trade.
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by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) June 9, 2017
Prices for goods at the factory gate in China missed expectations in May, the government said Friday, in a possible sign of weakening demand for the world's second-largest economy.
The producer price index (PPI) rose 5.5 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), slightly lower than economists' expectation of a 5.6 percent increase in a Bloomberg News survey and down from a 6.4 percent gain in April.
The PPI is expected to "hover around the current level for a while" before falling further in the year, Tommy Xie of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. told Bloomberg.
For years the world economy has been mired in tepid inflation or deflation which, if persistent, tends to be bad for industrial prospects and economic growth because customers delay purchases in hopes of getting cheaper deals in the future, starving companies of business and funds.
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of retail inflation, rose 1.5 percent year-on-year in the month, up from a 1.2 percent increase in April, according to the NBS.
"The pick-up was entirely driven by an increase in food price inflation," Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a note.
Beijing has said it wants to reorient the economy away from relying on debt-fuelled investment and towards a consumer-driven model, but the transition has proven challenging, leading to the slower growth readings in recent years.
China's economy, a vital engine of global growth, expanded 6.7 percent for all of last year, the slowest rate in a quarter of a century. But a slight uptick in the last three months of 2016 provided signs of stabilisation.
China posted a strong reading in foreign trade in May, but data has also showed contraction in manufacturing, hinting at deteriorating conditions for producers in the country.
Washington (AFP) June 4, 2017
By exiting the Paris climate agreement, President Donald Trump says he sought to escape an economic straitjacket that would hinder him from making good on his populist campaign promises and pro-growth agenda. Elected in no small part thanks to voters in "rust belt" industrial and mining states, Trump pledged as a candidate to breathe new life into traditional sectors like auto manufacturing, ... read more
Global Trade News
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A federal judge has rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s request to stop Meta, Facebook’s parent company, from buying a small virtual reality start-up, two people with knowledge of the matter said, signaling that efforts to rein in the tech giants may struggle in courts.
In a sealed order issued late Tuesday, Judge Edward J. Davila of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California declined the F.T.C.’s demand for a preliminary injunction to block Meta from buying Within, which makes a virtual reality fitness game called Supernatural, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the orders are sealed.
Judge Davila also issued a restraining order blocking the $400 million deal from closing through Feb. 7, allowing the F.T.C. time to decide whether it wants to appeal the ruling, one of the people said.
The F.T.C. sued Meta in July in federal court to temporarily block the deal, and then filed to fully block the acquisition in its in-house court in August. The F.T.C. will have to decide whether to proceed with its in-house challenge despite the ruling.
The loss is a stinging defeat for the F.T.C.’s chair, Lina Khan, and her broader efforts to expand the boundaries of antitrust law to better regulate the tech giants. The case was aimed at testing that line with a rarely used legal argument that Meta’s deal would hinder future competition in an undeveloped market, as opposed to a more traditional case that would focus on a mature economic area.
More on Big Tech
- Snap: The maker of the messaging app Snapchat posted its slowest-ever rate of quarterly growth, in another sign of the tech industry’s slowdown.
- Meta: The owner of Facebook and Instagram said that it would reinstate former President Donald J. Trump’s accounts, which have been suspended since the day after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
- Layoffs: Some of the biggest tech companies, including Alphabet and Microsoft, recently announced tens of thousands of job cuts. But even after the layoffs, their work forces are still behemoths.
- Climate Start-ups: As big tech companies slash perks and cut jobs, workers and investors are flocking to start-ups that aim to combat climate change.
Ms. Khan has argued the F.T.C. should file more novel cases if it wants to properly nurture competition in the modern economy. She has acknowledged thatthe agency must be willing to lose in some of them.
The decision was also a vindication for Meta, which had argued in court that it was trying to create a platform that would be welcoming for all virtual reality apps, including those developed independently. The company has invested billions of dollars in becoming a powerhouse of the so-called metaverse, where users work, play and consume content through virtual and augmented reality. It has acquired multiple virtual reality content studios and Oculus, a company that makes the headsets people use to view that content.
Meta, which declined to comment, is scheduled to report quarterly earnings later on Wednesday. A spokesman for the F.T.C. said it was “not able to comment at this time” to respect the court’s seal order.
Bloomberg earlier reported Judge Davila’s decision.
The F.T.C. lawsuit to block the deal was the first of the cases developed entirely under Ms. Khan, a legal scholar who rose to prominence after she wrote a critique of Amazon that went viral, to be filed in court. Looking to prevent more “vertical” deals, in which the two companies don’t compete directly, the F.T.C. also challenged Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of the video game publisher Activision Blizzard in December. This month, the Department of Justice accused Google of abusing a monopoly over the technology that places ads on websites.
The case was heard in federal court in San Jose, Calif., in December. During the seven-day hearing, Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, and its chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, testified. The F.T.C. argued that if Meta did not buy Supernatural, it would develop its own virtual reality fitness game.
Meta’s case rested on proving that developing or acquiring a fitness app was just a small part of a strategy that would eventually push virtual reality, and by extension the metaverse, into wide popularity.
During the December hearing, an F.T.C. lawyer asked Mr. Zuckerberg if it was true that acquiring or developing a fitness app kept him up at night. Fitness apps, Mr. Zuckerberg said, were just one type of app that the company was interested in.
“Fitness was probably the fourth or fifth use case that I thought would be important,” he said, ranking apps that focused on gaming, productivity and social interactions as higher priorities. Developing a fitness app, he told the lawyer, did not cost him any sleep.
Mr. Zuckerberg also told Judge Davila that if he blocked the deal, it would “have a chilling effect.”
“Maybe Meta gets banned from everything going forward,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “That would make it so investors are less excited for investing in this space.”


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As the battle royale genre continues to explode, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has become something of a juggernaut. If you've been holding out on giving it a try, however, now's you're chance to do so without paying a penny.
PUBG is currently free to play for Xbox Live Gold members for the weekend, giving subscribers a chance to play through 11:59 PT on April 22. Gold subscribers can download the game now from the Gold Member feature area on the Xbox dashboard. Like previously free play days run by Microsoft, the full experience will be available to play for the whole weekend. That includes all multiplayer modes, and players will get to keep any Battle Points that they earn if they decide to pick PUBG up after the free weekend is over.
PUBG is still in Game Preview on Xbox, but that hasn't stopped it from garnering a sizable player base. In March, it was announced that the game had already hit 5 million Xbox players. That's in addition to the tens of millions it had already achieved on PC.
Despite its early access state, PUBG has continued to make gradual improvements to smooth out the experience on over the past several months. Still, it faces some tough competition from Fortnite and, potentially, the many other battle royale games that are popping up to take advantage of the surge of interest in the genre.
If you're interested in giving PUBG a shot, Xbox Live Gold members can try it for free this weekend, or pick it up for $30 on Xbox One and PC now.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
The games on Xbox Cloud Gaming that need touch controls
Minecraft Dungeons proved that touch controls and cloud streaming games can work, so we put together a list of the games we think need touch controls as soon as possible.
Join us LIVE for the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30PM ET
We're LIVE with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you're there!
Windows 10 October 2020 Update review: Subtle, but necessary
Microsoft's next big Windows 10 feature update is almost here, packing several notable changes and enhancements. This release is known as the October 2020 Update, version 20H2, and is the second big Windows 10 update to hit in 2020, after version 2004 which released in May earlier this year. This release is very much a continuation of version 2004, adding a few final touches and subtle...
These are the best gaming laptops for playing PUBG
You have a lot of options when it comes to gaming laptops for playing PUBG. Luckily, this game can run on a lot of different machines. Here are our picks for the best laptops for PUBG.


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Many small businesses across DC are reopening with cautious optimism, despite concerns about the national spike in COVID-19 cases.
But now, with a new mask mandate reinstituted by Mayor Muriel Bowser in effect, many small businesses in the region said they’re worried about the prolonged financial impact of asking patrons to wear masks indoors.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision to reinstate mask mandates came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed mask guidelines for all Americans.
Some small businesses, like the Flow Yoga Center on 14th Street in Northwest, said they’re already seeing the impact of the reinstituted mask mandate.
“Our sign-ups got cut down in half as soon as that happened,” Debra Mishalove, founder and creative director of Flow Yoga Center, told WTOP.
The change in mask guidance took Mishalove by surprise. She said while she’s supportive of getting D.C. — and the country — back on track, she’s still worried about her studio’s bottom line.
“I’ve seen so many businesses close — small and large gyms, fitness studios, boutique studios — and everyone’s struggling so much,” she said.
As a family business, Mishalove said she’s worried about meeting her financial obligations if business slows due to the mask mandate.
“It’s really scary,” she said. “We’ve been tapping into our savings and there’s months that we couldn’t pay our rent.”
While Flow Yoga Center received PPP loans, it wasn’t enough to keep the studio current on rent payments during the pandemic.
“I think we had like three months or something that [the landlord] let us put on to the end of the contract,” Mishalove said. “We’re on the hook for it. I’m anticipating that’s going to continue.”
During the pandemic lockdowns, small business looking for financial aid to stay afloat were able to borrow money from the Small Business Administration through participating community financial institutions.
Many nonprofits, self-employed people and independent contractors benefited from PPP loans, but many businesses felt the sting of lockdown anyway.
“I’m hoping there’s a recognition, recognition of us, and that maybe there’ll be some programs to help us, you know, get through this again,” she said.
Mishalove said she isn’t waiting for the next PPP loan to save her business, and is instead taking a proactive approach during any potential COVID-19 spikes.
Flow Yoga Center is keeping people safe by imposing stricter regulations, like asking attending clients to show proof of vaccination.
“So we have a process in the studio, we asked for their ID and their [vaccination] card,” she said. “Then we do something in our software to allow you to register for the classes.”
This was an approach that most Flow Yoga Center members chose when surveyed.
Mishalove said they’re also keeping social distancing in place, even though the recent mask mandates didn’t include social distancing requirements.
“I have testimonial after testimonial that fitness facilities have been what has gotten people through this pandemic so far, so we want to keep being able to offer that to the community,” she said. “But at this point, I’m not sure how much longer we will last.”


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Buy Hot Sauce, Save an Elephant
In Africa, farmers use the spicy chemical in locally grown chilis to keep elephants away from other crops. And in a unique marketing campaign designed to help farmers and save elephants, a line of Elephant Pepper chili products is now being sold in the United States.
The goal, in a cooperative effort between African farmers and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is "to create new economic opportunities for rural Africans and support efforts to safely reduce the conflict between elephants and humans in Africa," according to a WCS statement.
Elephants do not like capsaicin, the chemical in chilis that makes them hot. So farmers surround maize and other crops with buffers of chilis. They also mixed crushed chilis with used grease and smear it on fences. And they mix chili with animal dung to make briquettes, then burn them at night to create a noxious smoke.
Chilies are also sold to the Elephant Pepper brand for hot sauce products, which have been marketed in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana. They are now available in the United States, the WCS announced today.
Proceeds from the sales of the products are then donated to Elephant Pepper Development Trust.
"The Elephant Pepper product line now offers U.S. consumers a means of supporting both elephants and sustainable development in Africa," said James Deutsch, director of WCS’ Africa Program.
The products are available at www.elephantpepper.com.
"Our major challenge is to identify a distributor who would like to get involved with this socially responsible brand, and contribute to economic development in Africa," explained Marketing Manager Nina Gibson. "The brand needs a partner who will see the long-term benefit of the project."
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By Robert Lea


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READ IN: Español
Until now, the “Holiday 2020” window at Sony was the closest thing we had to a release date for the PlayStation 5, but it could come much sooner than expected.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan has published a job offer that refers to October 2020 for the launch of the new game console, which is months earlier than expected. Today, Twitter user Nibel shared a link to a list of jobs for a position related to the planning, development and sales of the “PlayStation 5 scheduled to launch in October 2020”.
Historically, Sony has launched its most important consoles in November. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has also caused huge disruptions in the supply chain. For this reason, it was believed that the launch date would be delayed.
Although production may not have been affected, it is almost certain that the development, distribution and availability of the games has been slowed down.
Since the publication was shared, Sony has issued a statement stating that the October date is incorrect and that “it was due to an error on the booking site, the content was not written by our company“. Now we just have to wait and see if this is true, or just Sony trying to cover up its error.


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In Chitika Insights’ previous report on the Microsoft Surface RT, data pointed to a substantial growth in the device’s North American usage share following a price decrease in mid-July. In this latest analysis, Chitika Insights found that usage of Microsoft’s latest tablet device, the Surface 2, experienced some notable growth in the month following its North American release on October 22, 2013. Additionally, Surface tablet usage share as a whole continued to rise from October through November.
For website owners looking to monetize their online presence, generating traffic to a particular webpage is the often the first step towards attaining that goal. Following that and other initial hurdles towards attracting a growing online audience come the nuanced aspects of improving ad click through rates (CTR) on each webpage. To quantify this issue, Chitika Insights examined ad click activity across the entire Chitika network, breaking the results down by referring domain (e.g. Google, within the site, an outside site, etc.)
Moto X was released in August 2013 and is largely regarded as the first new, flagship-type Motorola device since the company was acquired by Google in 2012. Subsequent growth in terms of Web usage has followed Moto X’s release, with a steady increase in Web traffic share over the month of October 2013. Chitika Insights also examined the share growth of Motorola smartphone Web traffic in North America, which also shows a steady increase in the Web usage share.
Released back in October 2012, Microsoft Surface RT was the computing giant’s first major attempt at designing its own hardware. In terms of usage, Chitika Insights had found that Surface RT users generated only 0.5% of all North American tablet Web traffic in June 2013. However, subsequent price cuts on the device beginning in July look to have substantially improved the device’s fortunes in this area, as the share of tablet Web traffic generated by Surface RTs nearly doubled following the promotion’s rollout.
Five days following OS X Mavericks’ public release, OS X Mavericks users were generating 11.8% of North American OS X Web traffic. This substantially surpasses the adoption rate of OS X Mountain Lion in the same time period, as Mavericks’ predecessor took over a month to cross the 10% threshold.
iPad users still generate 81% of all tablet Web traffic within North America, and while this is a three percentage point share drop since Chitika Insights’ June 2013 study on the tablet market, share gains have been spread out across various manufacturers. Also in this latest tablet report, Chitika Insights sought to examine how usage of iPads and Android tablets varied by the time of day. Interestingly, despite the aggregate differences in usage volume, the hourly behavior of both respective sets of users is remarkably similar.
Apple’s launch of two new iPhone models on September 20, 2013 was the company’s latest salvo in the smartphone market. Initial domestic sales estimates for both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have been positive, and based on the latest usage figures, the releases have already made a significant impact on the iPhone ecosystem.
Chrome usage on iOS devices steadily increased in late September, and 3% of North American iOS Web traffic is now generated by users of the browser – Chrome’s first time crossing that mark.
In June 2013, Chitika Insights published a study examining the value of each Google result position. Analysis of the study data revealed that the first position on an average Google search engine result page (SERP) garnered about 33% of Google search traffic. However, as part of Chitika Insights’ latest study examining the advertising implications of the earlier data set, it was found that visitors who got to a site via clicking on the first position in a Google SERP exhibit dramatically low ad click-through-rates (CTR) on the subsequent website.
One week following the start of the public rollout on September 18th, adoption of iOS 7 in North America reached levels close to 52%. This bests the impressive adoption rate of iOS 6 in the same time period last year.


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On October 30, the CFPB issued a final rule regarding the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The rule restates and clarifies the FDCPA’s prohibitions on harassment and abuse, false or misleading representations, and unfair practices by debt collectors when communicating with consumers to collect consumer debt, including via text and email. The rule also addresses disputes and record retention, among other topics. Notably, the rule prohibits a debt collector from calling a consumer, in connection with the collection of a particular debt, more than seven times in seven consecutive days or in seven consecutive days of having had a telephone conversation with the consumer about the debt. Debt collectors who communicate with a consumer electronically must, through the same means of electronic communication, accept from the consumer a cease communication request or notification that the consumer refuses to pay the debt. Additionally, those debt collectors communicating with consumers electronically must offer consumers a reasonable and simple method to opt out of electronic communications at a specific email address or telephone number. The CFPB also confirmed that the FDCPA’s prohibition on harassing, oppressive or abusive conduct applies to telephone calls, text, email and other communication media.
The CFPB did not finalize the proposed safe harbor for debt collectors against claims that a lawyer falsely represented his or her involvement in the preparation of a litigation submission. The CFPB plans to issue another debt collection final rule focused on consumer disclosures in December 2020.


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BMW Canada has told the independent Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia that more police are needed at Canadian ports to stem trade-based money laundering (TBML), which has involved the German motor manufacturer’s own luxury vehicles.
The inquiry was set up in response to widespread TBML through the export of luxury cars purchased from motor dealers in the Canadian province and sold to buyers in China (Trade Based Financial Crime, 24 May, 2019).
No dedicated police
“Canadian ports…do not have dedicated police presence, therefore resulting in a gap in law enforcement,” BMW’s representative Morgan Camley told the inquiry. Until 1997 when it was disbanded, Ports Canada Police was dedicated to port security.
Camley says the lack of dedicated police makes it more difficult for BMW to identify vehicles destined for unlawful export.
The inquiry heard that BMW’s X5 and X7 models have been acquired by so-called straw buyers – people who are legally entitled to buy and claim tax refunds on cars in British Columbia on behalf of people who are not legally entitled to do these things.
Camley confirmed to the inquiry that it was in BMW’s best interests that TBML operations involving its vehicles were stemmed.
Apart from the reputational damage to its brand, the motor manufacturer’s pricing and marketing operations are compromised in TBML schemes according to Camley.
Asked by Cullen if it was in BMW’s interest to prevent foreign markets from being undercut, Camley confirmed this was the case but also took the position that BMW’s brand is being tarnished in British Columbia by its association with the TBML operations.
Categories: Trade Based Financial crimes News


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For the nation's largest cable-TV company, the fabled information superhighway apparently leads to Arlington Heights and almost no place else.
After years of touting a future of 500-channel interactive television and competitive phone services, John Malone, chief executive of Tele-Communications Inc., now suggests that he was only kidding around, and what his debt-laden firm really plans to do is stick to plain old cable TV.
The war cry that shook the Bell monopolies' foundations when TCI teamed up with two other cable companies, Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications, and No. 3 long-distance provider Sprint Corp., is muted. Their alliance is building wireless phone systems, but has shelved plans for cable-based local phone service.
The notion of cable companies and phone companies getting into each other's business--a guiding principle behind a sweeping federal law enacted a year ago--seems little more than a fading dream.
While several phone firms now compete to offer local service to business customers, individuals still have almost no choice but to continue getting phone service from the same Bell monopoly--except in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.
In Arlington Heights, Malone is keeping his hyperbolic promises. Last week, TCI rolled out a local phone system that residential customers can buy in place of that offered by Ameritech Corp. Soon, TCI also will offer Arlington Heights residents digital cable television and high-speed connections to the Internet.
The question now is, having built the much-promised information superhighway for Arlington Heights, will its 77,000 residents come to use it? The answer will help determine whether TCI decides to enter the residential phone market elsewhere.
Winning a substantial share of the 30,000 households in Arlington Heights won't be easy. Only about half of those households now subscribe to TCI's analog cable-TV service.
But TCI executives say they don't have to win a numbers game with Ameritech to be successful. Van Macatee, TCI national director of telephony operations, said that in Arlington Heights, a single upgraded system soon will be carrying cable television, telephone service and high-speed Internet service.
If TCI can just win enough customers for each service and realize enough efficiencies from combining three services into one network, it may become profitable enough to convince John Malone to go into the phone business in more markets, Macatee said.
"If we fail (at being profitable), then we can look at why we failed and figure out how to fix that," Macatee said.
It is good that TCI isn't counting on overwhelming the market, because that's unlikely to happen, at least very quickly, observers say.
"It will be very difficult to make consumers make a shift," said Andrew Lubetkin, a telecommunications consultant based in Winnetka. "Unless people think something's broken with their current phone service, they're not eager to change. It will take substantial price reductions to attract them, or dramatic service improvements or both.
"And if TCI begins winning substantial market share, Ameritech won't sit by quietly," he added. "It will respond to keep its customers."
For the moment, Ameritech is quite pleased to see TCI in the phone business. Its presence will help bolster Ameritech's case, revised Friday with the Federal Communications Commission, that it should be allowed to offer long-distance service in Illinois because it has opened up its monopoly to competitors.
"We wish TCI well because competition benefits customers," said Dave Pacholczyk, an Ameritech spokesman. "We hope that more competitors will enter the market. The sooner they do, the sooner we'll be able to offer long-distance and benefit customers even more."
Initially at least, TCI will eschew dramatic price cuts that could trigger a price war, said Terri Galle Bryan, TCI director of market management. Instead, it will focus on superior service.
"Our prices are lower than Ameritech's, but we're stressing that they are simpler, easier to understand," she said. "What we're trying to convey to customers is that we are more reliable, our technology is better and we are more responsive than the monopoly."
This can be a tall order for a firm that itself has suffered from a public image as an unresponsive monopoly, Bryan acknowledged. But TCI is committed to earning a reputation for high customer satisfaction, she said.
The firm offers to install its phone service free at virtually any time the customer wants.
"If you want us there at noon on Sunday, we'll be there then within two hours of when you want us," Bryan said.
TCI's phone technology, supplied by Motorola Inc., has many features that Ameritech can't match, said Jerry Gaines, chief executive of TCI Telephony Service Inc. The digital electronics makes for a clearer sound and electronic monitoring of the system lets network managers spot trouble at once, he said.


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PUBG Mobile and Free Fire Might Reportedly Get Banned in Bangladesh
- Two of the biggest battle royale mobile games PUBG Mobile and Free Fire might reportedly get banned in Bangladesh.
- Multiple authorities have come forward recommending the suspension of these games due to addiction created among teenagers and young adults.
- This comes just days after Free Fire had announced dedicated Bangladesh servers, set to go live starting June 8.
Two of the biggest battle royale mobile games in the world PUBG Mobile and Free Fire might be reportedly getting banned in Bangladesh. According to a Bangladesh based publication Daily Manab Zamin, multiple governmental bodies like the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Home Affairs have recommended the discontinuation of both PUBG Mobile and Free Fire within the country due to the addiction they have created among teenagers and young adults. This news comes just a few days after Free Fire had announced dedicated servers for Bangladesh, scheduled to go live next month starting June 8.
Bangladesh Might Ban PUBG Mobile and Free Fire
Reports have surfaced online stating that two of the most popular mobile games PUBG Mobile and Free Fire might get suspended in Bangladesh. Along with the authorities mentioned above, this concern was also discussed with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Even the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Users Association called for urgent steps to be taken to control the addictive nature of the two games.
In regards to this, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications came forward to acknowledge that the games had indeed created an addiction among teenagers and young adults. They went on to state that initiatives will be taken to stop the two games in a healthy manner, so as to avoid any adverse reactions.
The issue of gamers using various alternative methods including VPN to continue playing PUBG Mobile and Free Fire was also discussed, with the ministry coming forward to state that they would try to take necessary steps and ensure that such things are stopped.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Users Association was quoted saying that, "While we are relentlessly working to get the next generation of young people to have access to high-speed internet, the next generation has gone astray by abusing technology, which has made us think."
These reports have surfaced at a time when Krafton is in the final stages of releasing an India specific battle royale called Battlegrounds Mobile India, its pre-registration currently live for Android users. If true, it could also be a huge blow for Free Fire who just a few days back had announced dedicated game servers for Bangladesh, set to go live starting June 8.
Also, this is not the first time that PUBG Mobile has had to face such resistance from Bangladeshi authorities. As per a report by Dhaka Tribune, PUBG Mobile in October last year had gone through a brief ban period (less than a day), due to growing concerns around the game’s negative impact on youth.


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New consumer market identified
Research conducted by SheSpot has identified a new consumer market termed couplets.
Drawing marketing attractiveness comparisons to DINKs, the research defines ‘couplets’ as young engaged-to-be-married or recently-wed couples about to embark on a life together.
SheSpot claims this life stage brings considerable change to lifestyle and living arrangements resulting in a significant spending increase.
The research focused on buying intentions before and after a wedding, who holds power during the decision-making process and what resources they will use.
Creating a bigger and better home was important to the respondents with almost 40% of couplets planning to change their living situation within 18 months of their wedding.
Of these 24% say they will do so immediately, 43% within the first 6 months and 54% expect to purchase a new home, while 21% plan to build one.
The survey found that although some respondents share research and purchasing responsibilities, the key influencer for marketers across all couplets is the woman. In addition, in 25% of cases the woman is the sole researcher and purchaser.
“A bride-to-be or newlywed wife, a subset of the 18- to 39-year-old Australian female population, enters a phase defined by big decisions, big changes and significant spending. Once engaged, she enters a two- or three-year period of planning a wedding, setting up her household, and having a baby – all of which motivates her to spend on brands, goods and services opening up a whole new consideration set and presenting a great opportunity for marketers to become part of her household,” said Katie May, CEO of parent company Kidspot.
The survey found significant numbers also intend to purchase auto, television, digital camera and video camera.
Top five purchase intentions before and after the wedding:
- Bedlinen 61%
- Cookware 52%
- Kitchen appliances 51%
- Bath linens 47%
- Sofa/couch 41%


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- Startups based in Nigeria are leading Africa in terms of funding, especially in the fintech ecosystem
- Digital payment platforms like Opay and Flutterwave have raised trillions of naira in a massive drive to expand
- Their growth was enhanced mainly by the adoption of mobile money and the growth of mobile subscriptions on the continent
Startups in Africa led by Nigerian-based fintech firms saw a great amount of investment in 2021.
Many startups on the continent closed major deals in the previous year and cumulatively raised more than N2 trillion.
Nigerian tech firms lead the way
TechCrunch reports says of the amount, Nigerian fintech companies like Opay and Fluterwave, all of which are digital payment platforms, raised almost two-third of the amount.
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This sum was double the amount raised in 2020 and three times that of 2019, the report said.
The continent's best
Apart from Opay and Flutterwave being the biggest beneficiaries, TymeBank, a Johannesburg-based fintech company raised N74.7 trillion in Series B funding.
Analysts attribute the massive growth to mobile subscriber adoption across Africa. According to them, mobile phone subscription is estimated to grow to 615 million by 2025, which is half the population of the continent’s population.
Startups that focus on digital and mobile payments have received the highest funding over the years followed by banking and lending startups, the report said.
Africa's leading fintech firms
Legit.ng reports that Flutterwave, Jumia and Interswitch are Africa’s biggest startups valued at $1 billion each, all domiciled in Nigeria. The other is Fawry in Egypt, also a $1 billion company.
Nigeria has witnessed a wave of startup explosions this decade, mostly in the fintech space which is attracting massive funding from venture capitalists who are pumping millions of dollars into the ecosystem in the country.
A wave of optimism swirls around the ecosystem in the country with many tech entrepreneurs driving digital inclusion.


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Qualcomm recently introduced its next-gen flagship mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Among the smartphone brands eager to integrate this new technology, Nubia has stepped forward, confirming that its upcoming smartphones will harness the power of this chipset.
Both Nubia and Red Magic have revealed their intentions to release smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Intriguingly, a Nubia device, identified by the model number NX721J, appeared in the Geekbench database, confirming that it houses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Speculation suggests that this device might be introduced as the Nubia Z60 Ultra in the Chinese market. Anticipation builds as experts predict its debut might be before this year ends. This particular listing also detailed the phone's impressive specs, including 12 GB of RAM and the latest Android 14 OS.
Both Nubia Z60 Ultra and Red Magic 9 series said yes to S8G3!
In addition to the Z60 Ultra, there's chatter about the Nubia Z60 Fold. It's slated to be Nubia's premier foldable phone and is also rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Enthusiasts can expect its launch sometime in the early months of 2024.
Nubia isn't the only brand making waves with this chipset. The gaming-centric Red Magic 9 and Red Magic 9 Pro smartphones are believed to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. A device tagged as NX769J, spotted on Geekbench in August, might be one of the phones in the Red Magic 9 lineup. Like its Nubia counterpart, this device was reported to come with 12 GB of RAM and Android 14.
While these revelations are exciting, Nubia hasn't officially disclosed the names for these forthcoming devices. As always, it's wise to await more comprehensive reports before drawing conclusions.


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Samsung responds to What Digital Camera and offers a reply following increasing pressure to turn down tax exemptions granted by the Government
Corporate sponsors of the London Olympics that could cash in and make hundreds of millions of pounds from sales and publicity linked to the Games have come under increased pressure to turn down tax exemptions that have been granted by the Government.
Samsung, one of the key sponsors of the London 2012 Olympic games were asked earlier today whether they had anything to add in regard to the tax exemptions and they responded to What Digital Camera magazine with the following statement:
‘No Samsung Electronics Company will be availing itself of the corporation tax exemption afforded under the terms of the London 2012 Olympic Games Tax Regulations 2010, nor has it ever intended to use this exemption.’
Other manufacturers that have so far come forward to formally announce that they will pay full corporation and income tax on their earnings from the Games include McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
Panasonic were also asked whether they had anything to add on the matter but were unable to comment.
We’ll be updating this page as and when we hear from any other associated sponsors of the Games.
Panasonic has confirmed that it too will not be taking advantage of tax
breaks offered by the UK government as a sponsor of the London 2012
Olympics, and has now issued the following reply:
“It has been brought to the Company’s attention that concerns
have been raised that Olympic sponsors are profiting from tax
concessions introduced by the UK Government as part of its arrangements
with the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”).
agreement with the IOC, Panasonic delivers goods and services to the
London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (“LOCOG”) primarily
through its local sales subsidiary in the UK, which does not benefit
from any of the tax concessions introduced. To the extent that services
are delivered directly to LOCOG by Panasonic Corporation the tax
position in either the UK or Japan is not affected by the tax


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Lithuanian business is making its way into international public tender procurements
In order to encourage Lithuanian business entities to participate more actively in international public tender procurements, a year ago the Entrepreneurship and Export Development Agency Enterprise Lithuania initiated a programme that enabled Lithuanian companies to strengthen their competencies in international sales. A successful outcome was achieved with help of Orbidal, which is a platform of international tender procurement procedures: 4 procurements with the total value of more than EUR 2.4 million were won.
Every year, international public tender procurement budget in Europe amounts to more than EUR 2.5 billion. However, as shown by a business survey conducted last year by the Public Institution Enterprise Lithuania, Lithuanian companies demonstrate scarce participation in them due to a lack of competences and experience.
“A year later the situation changed dramatically after the companies were provided with help in filling in their knowledge and experience gaps – determined to expand its sales opportunities, Lithuanian business already made its way into international public tender procurements, and it will be easier for other business entities to follow its example. This case is one of the examples where the state can show the business entities the ways to unknown export opportunities, assists in acquiring the necessary knowledge, provides the necessary tools, consultations, and, as a result of such assistance, the basis of potential clients was expanded, new business contacts abroad were established, and Lithuanian export volumes are growing”, – says Daina Kleponė, the Managing Director at Enterprise Lithuania.
According to the data available at Enterprise Lithuania, such companies as IT solutions company “Telesoftas“, “Elinta Charge” which is a manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations, “Sofneta” which is a company developing IT solutions for healthcare system, and laboratory equipment distributor “Biotecha” can already boast about their successful participation in international public tender procurements. “Tec Consulting“ and “Voras Consulting“ are currently waiting for reply from procurement organises, and other Lithuanian capital companies, such as “Baltic Amadeus” and “Cosmos Construction”, claim to have established valuable business partnerships.
“It is encouraging that these companies create high value-added products, and the export growth of such companies is very important for the national economy. Currently, the share of high value added products in the structure of Lithuanian export is not large, yet strengthening the competences of companies in international public tender procurements undoubtedly contributes to its growth“, – notes D. Kleponė.
The total of 48 Lithuanian companies, operating in furniture, food and beverages, engineering, IT services, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, scientific instruments and electronics sectors, took part in the programme curated by Enterprise Lithuania.
Each company had its own mentor who advised the companies on all matters that were relevant to them, for example, how to prepare marketing materials, technical specifications, how to prepare a quality tender. According to data available at Orbidal, the participants in the programme made use of 1153 hours for consultations.
The companies participating in the programme were divided into three categories: “starter” – companies with no experience of participation in public tender procurements, “ready” – companies participating in the national procurements and having some knowledge of processes, and “pro” – experienced participants in procurements and looking to strengthen their capabilities.
“It is gratifying that in just over a year, significant changes have been achieved – at the beginning of the programme, the first category companies accounted for 83% of all companies participating in the programme, while at the end their number dropped to 61%. A significant change can also be seen in the ranks of companies that operate at the professional level – at the beginning of the programme, there were 12% of such companies, and a year later this number increased to 20%. Based on our calculations, about every fifth company that participated in the project managed to significantly strengthen their sales competencies in international public tender procurements. In the light of these results, we can see that this project needs to be split into two parts for future efficiency: one of the parts would be intended to help prepare for those who are still lacking experience of participating in international procurements, and another part would bring together already experienced participants to help them succeed in major international public tender procurements”, – says the Head of Enterprise Lithuania.
D. Kleponė adds that participants in the programme, however, did not make use of all opportunities offered by the programme because the companies were able to participate in even 3125 procurements, but were actively interested in only 185 of them.
“A corporate survey we conducted at the end of the programme showed that the main reasons for ineffective participation include staff turnover and change in the business direction, specifics of goods and services, and insufficient involvement of the companies in the programme activities. Participation in international public tender procurements requires tremendous company resources and effort in analysing the documents of the contracting authorities. Consequently, companies which are determined to participate in international procurements must be consistent in doing this”, – notes D. Kleponė.
Survey of the participants in the programme showed that 63.6% of companies having participated in the programme would recommend the Orbidal platform to other companies. The main benefits identified by Lithuanian companies during the survey include feedback, relevant information on participation in public tender procurements, search for specific procurements, expanded base of potential clients, and partnerships with other companies participating in the public tender procurements, topical insights and consulting on preparation of marketing and promotional materials.
Analysis of international public tender procurements of Orbidal showed that the major part (18%) of public tender procurements is relevant to Lithuanian manufacturers and suppliers of medical devices, 13% – to financial sector, 12% – to services sector, 9% – to IT sector. The largest number of tenders is launched on the platform by France (21%) and Romania (21%), Poland (19%), Portugal (8%), and by other countries.
For those seeking to discover some fresh creative design, Hall 6 of this year Maison et Objet fair will invite to check the joint Lithuanian design stand.
On June 24-27 Lithuanian laser manufacturers will present their latest technologies in the most important laser industry event “Laser World of Photonics 2019“ in Munich. The Lithuanian National stand will cover an area of 313 square meters, and will house 18 Lithuanian laser companies.


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The council moved 5-0, with council member Randy Brewer absent, to accept only two of the proposed six variances as recommended by the city planning commission.
The approved requests include allowing two drive-thru menu boards rather than one and increasing the allowed size of each board. However, the council voted to deny increasing the building setback line, reducing the minimum building frontage cover, allowing parking along the side facing Ridgewalk Parkway and increasing the maximum impervious area.
The fast-food chain plans to build a restaurant on just over an acre lot located at the southwest corner of the main entrance to the Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta off Interstate 575 and Ridgewalk Parkway. Developer Horizon Group Properties owns the parcel as well as the adjacent shopping center.
Under the plans, McDonald’s customers would only be able to access the restaurant from a street inside the outlet mall development and would have to drive around the building twice to enter, pay for their food and exit the lot.
“Essentially, they’re going to have to really circle the building twice to really get in and out of the drive-thru,” Community Development Director Jessica Guinn said.
Representing McDonald’s, attorney Kathy Zickert said from an operational standpoint, the variances would make the compact site much safer for all customers and those in the area.
Zickert said the plan improves the circulation of cars around the building and allows 22 vehicles to encircle on the building versus the seven allowed for in the original site plan, which she said might lead to overflow onto the roadway.
Four residents from the nearby Meridian at Ridgewalk subdivision voiced concerns about the requested variances, including additional traffic and noise brought on by the changes.
Meridian resident Ronnie Smith said many seniors live in the neighborhood and the variances might make the area too loud and unsafe for the elderly.
“McDonald’s should have understood the regulations and the stipulations of the city and the planning commission before they started these variances,” Smith said.
Resident Tom Holtz agreed, saying Horizon Properties “should go back to the drawing board” to create a large enough parcel for McDonald’s to build a restaurant under the present stipulations.
“The city of Woodstock doesn’t need to change what they’ve got,” Holtz said. “We’ve worked too hard and put too much money into it. We need to stick to it.”
To answer their concerns, Zickert said the vast majority of traffic going to McDonald’s is already on the road and added it’s a “drop in the bucket” compared to the outlet shops as a whole.
Councilmember Chris Casdia said he thought the variances requested showed the applicant isn’t trying to conform or comply with the vision city officials have for the Ridgwalk area.
“The variances are just, in my opinion, kind of drastic when you compare to the vision and the plan that’s already been laid out,” Casdia said.
Guinn said McDonald’s could discuss with Horizons about changing the dimensions of the site through the city’s administrative plat process to add additional width.
“My understanding is it’s about 30 to 35 feet difference between what (neighboring) Chick-fil-A has and what the site McDonald’s is supposing to go on to has,” she said.


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December 4, 2013
ATLANTA (AP) - A company that manufactures automated teller
machines has announced it plans to expand its work force in Georgia
and create 916 new jobs at facilities in Peachtree City and Duluth.
Ohio-based NCR, a Fortune 500 company, plans to invest $15
million to establish a world wide customer services headquarters in
NRC already employs more than 900 workers in the state.
Gov. Sonny Perdue and other local dignitaries attended Tuesday's
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Chairman of Safety Commission Heads to Law Firm
Monday, July 17, 2006
Hal Stratton, whose four years as chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission brought criticism from consumer groups that he was too close to industry, left the agency over the weekend and today joins a Detroit-based law firm.
Stratton is becoming a partner in the D.C. office of Dykema Gossett PLLC, where his work will include advising companies about the product safety issues on which he had been chief regulator.
"The idea is to help them have safe products," he said. "That is the way to do good business."
Stratton, 55, a former attorney general of New Mexico, said the consumer agency's accomplishments since he became chairman in July 2002 included completion of long-pending regulations on mattress flammability, large-scale recalls of jewelry containing lead, and a settlement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that involved weekly reporting by the chain on safety issues and a $750,000 penalty for hazards from exercise equipment it sold.
"I pretty much completed the work I could do here, and we're leaving it in pretty good shape," said Stratton, whose term would have expired in October.
But Stratton's critics said the mattress standard was crafted to preempt state regulation and consumer lawsuits, the Wal-Mart penalty was too small and he was too close to business, taking dozens of trips, many of them funded by industry groups.
"Under Chairman Stratton, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has been moving in the wrong direction, to the detriment of its mission," said Janell Mayo Duncan, senior counsel of Consumers Union. "His tenure has been a very big disappointment." She said that the commission has been lax in enforcing safety requirements for imported products and that proposed rules for when companies must report product safety problems would undermine consumer protection.
Stratton said he traveled mostly to meet with industry groups and to give speeches promoting the agency's mission. "I think we've done it exactly the right way," he said. "We have done it through constructive engagement with our stakeholders. Previously, there wasn't a lot of contact with the people regulated."
Stratton, who was born in Oklahoma and is Cherokee, said the regulatory issues he will pursue as a lawyer include American Indian law and gambling regulation. Representation of Indian casino interests has become a sensitive issue because it was a prime pursuit of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"I'm not sure that one situation has tainted the tribes and what they're trying to do," Stratton said. "My experience in New Mexico and Oklahoma is a lot of that gaming has been beneficial to them. For the first time ever, they have some money to do some things."


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METRO donates $2,8M to food banks in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick
January 17, 2023 – METRO inc. is pleased to share that its inaugural company-wide Healthy Together fundraising campaign raised $2.2 million to help fight food insecurity thanks to the generosity of its customers who shop at Metro, Food Basics, Super C, Première Moisson, Adonis, Jean Coutu and Brunet. Thank you to our customers and employees who were able to help raise much-needed money for our community partners.
Additionally, METRO donated $550,000 to its long-standing community partners: Feed Ontario, Food Banks of Quebec and New Brunswick Food Depot Alimentaire. This donation is in addition to its long-term support for these organizations, being a partner in the early days of the Feed Ontario and Food Banks of Québec’s Food Recovery Programs, providing local food banks with unsold quality products from our participating stores in Ontario and Quebec. From 2016 to 2022, these programs helped recover and redistribute more than 23 million kilograms of food: the equivalent of nearly 45 million meals.
In 2022, METRO donated the equivalent of $50M of food in Quebec and Ontario, as well as $5.5 million in financial contributions to various causes. In addition, $6.8 million were raised through the participation of its store and pharmacy networks, the commitment of its colleagues and the generosity of its customers to different campaigns.


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Institute of Statistics in Albania has reported a new increase in the consumper price index (CPI) in Albania. Thus, according to this institution, inflation in May grew by 2%, after it had seen a fall for three months in a row. However, this index is still within the thresholds of the objective of the Bank of Albania with a maximum rate of 2,5%.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Albania predicts that this year, inflation will be 2,3%.
According to INSTAT, products which have seen the highest increase in price compared to a year ago were fruits, vegetables, sugar, eggs and dairy products.
On the other hand, transport services have seen a 2.6% drop in price. According to experts, this drop has come as a result of a slight drop in the price of fuel. /balkaneu.com/