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44 (forty-four)African countries recently came together to sign an historic trade agreement to establish a liberalized market for goods and services across Africa. Thus, the African Continental Free Trade Area (the “AfCFTA”) became the world’s largest free trade area since the advent of the WTO.Estimates suggest that, subject to unanimous ratification by the 55 (fifty-five)-member African Union (AU),a population of 1.2 billion with a combined GDPin excess of $2 trillion may be integrated pursuant to the deal. However, Nigeria’s opposition to the pact, threatening to remove the region’s largest economy from the scope of the agreement, may adversely affect its prospects and future benefits.
The AfCFTA is expected to remove tariffs and import quotas, thus setting up a single continental market. Other than tariffs, though,a significant obstacle to regional trade remainsthe lack of a harmonized regime of standards and licenses. The AfCFTA will accordingly aim to lower these hurdles, although it remains to be seen whether such an outcome can be achieved with this pact alone.
Trade wars and trade agreements tend to progress simultaneously, as evidenced in Africa (mentioned above) on the one hand, and the US-EU-China standoff on the other. The rise of alternative trade deals and involvement of new regions in the mainstream global economy have created multiple trading hubs. What is evident, therefore,is both large and small corporations with foreign expansion plans must formulate a clear independent policy based on cross-disciplinary, multifactorial analyses. Such analysis cannot be restricted to merely looking at the product, or gauging entry strategies, delivery, or the vagaries of a new market alone. The entities that wish to grow internationally, setting up global value chains and inter-regional footprints for optimization as well as expansions, will increasingly need to look at evolving trade pacts, including dynamics that change every day with new arrangements and shifting alliances/hostilities. In addition, companies must develop a clear understanding of the economic and political factors that inevitably influence the movement of goods and capital in any regional hub.
Intueri Consulting LLP is currently working on a detailed analysis of the African trade agreement, as well as the present India-Africa trade situation. Our comprehensive report will be published here soon.
President Donald Trump is to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum. He said steel products face a 25% tariff, with 10% on aluminium goods. The value of shares in American steel manufacturers jumped significantly after the announcement.
The U.S. aluminum industry has shrunk drastically over the last 25 years, down from 23 operational smelters to five with only one of those smelters making the high-grade stuff that the U.S. defense industry needs .
Effects On India:
- The U.S. is the world’s largest importer of steel, significantly ahead of Germany and South Korea.
- In 2016, the US met nearly two-thirds of its aluminium consumption from imports, and about a fourth of steel.
- The Indian government said that India’s share of US steel imports is only 2.4%. That is true. And it is only 2% in aluminium.
- United States of America’s imports represent 7.3% of world imports for this iron & steel, its ranking in world imports is 2.
Experts say India can be affected in two ways:
- India may be a relatively small participant in the global export market but its exports have risen sharply in absolute terms. In April-January 2018, for instance, steel exports rose by 40.2% and India was a net exporter of steel. In aluminium, production rose between FY14 and FY17 from 1.4 million tonnes to 2.8 million tonnes, according to a Care Ratings report, but consumption rose from 1.6 million tonnes to only 1.9 million tonnes. That led to a sharp jump in exports of 57% in FY17.
- If the US increases its output, the world is left with more metal than it anticipated. The countries exporting to the US are likely to look at other markets to sell their surplus, even at lower prices. This can lead to anti-dumping as we
Analysis From The Data:
- India’s export in Aluminium& articles have grown by 15% between 2012-2016 in United States &India’s export in iron & steel has declined by 11% between 2012-2016.
- Share of United States in India’s export of Aluminium is 10% &Share Of United States In India’s export in Iron & Steel is 4%.
- So we can say Aluminium Industry Of India will be more affected by Trump’s decision of implementing tariff.
Iron & Steel Industry in India
- In FY17 (1), crude steel production in India was 72.35 MT, with the total crude steel production growing at a CAGR of 4.90 per cent over the last 5 years & reached 89.79 MT in FY16.
- During April-January 2017, crude steel production in India grew by 7 per cent YoY & stood at 39.98 MT.
- As of March 2017, the capacity utilization of steel producers is set to increase with strong export demand and signs of revival in domestic sales. Companies like JSW & Essar Steel have experienced a sharp increase in steel manufacturing in the last 2 months
- Steel manufacturing output of India is expected to increase from 88.4 million tonnes (MT) in 2017 to 128.6 MT by 2021, accelerating the country’s share of global steel production from 5.4% in 2017 to 7.7% by 2021.
India’s crude steel output grew 5.87 per cent year-on-year to 101.227 million tonnes (MT) in CY 2017. Crude steel production during April-December 2017 grew by 4.6 per cent year-on-year to 75.498 MT.
India’s finished steel exports rose 102.1 per cent to 8.24 MT, while imports fell by 36.6 per cent to 7.42 MT in 2016-17. Finished steel exports rose 52.9 per cent in April-December 2017 to 7.606 MT, while imports increased 10.9 per cent to 6.096 MT during the same period.
Total consumption of finished steel grew by 5.2 per cent year-on-year at 64.867 MT during April-December 2017.


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Blackberry harvest time means another batch of blackberry wine at Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Farm and Winery in Danville.
Winemaker Dominique Brousseau uses fruit supplied by grower Mike Lay to make the wine, which is 100 percent blackberry; no grapes or other fruit are added.
"We grow some of the blackberries here on the farm, but Lay brings me his best blackberries each year, and I store them until the season is over," Brousseau said. "Once harvest is complete, I take the fruit and make our award-winning blackberry wine. I leave it off-dry, so you can really taste the berries, and not just sugar."
The winery is offering a discount on the blackberry wine through September. With each wine purchase, customers will receive a copy of the winery's recipe for blackberry wine sauce to go on baked brie or pancakes. Call (859) 236-1808 or (859) 236-1775. The winery is at 471 Stanford Avenue.
■ Housewarmings, 2312 Palumbo Drive, will have its fourth annual Lexington EggFest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Professional and amateur grillers will prepare ribs, pulled pork, beef briskets, chicken wings and peach cobbler on the Big Green Egg cooker. The String Syndicate will entertain. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Call (859) 231-0005.
■ The Hilary J. Boone Center, 510 Rose Street, will have its third annual ale tasting from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 on the terrace. A buffet of ale-inspired foods includes sushi, bourbon-brined wings and homemade pretzels. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non- members, and $30 at the door. Call (859) 257-1133.
■ Thai Orchid Café, 1030 South Broadway, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a grill buffet from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. It's $15.95. Call (859) 288-2170 or go to Thaiorchidcafe.net.
■ Wilson Nurseries, 3690 East West Connector Road in Frankfort, will celebrate the tomato Saturday. The Great Tomato Taste-Off will feature recipe and salsa contests. Make your favorite tomato dish or salsa recipe and bring it to the garden center for judging. If you have a giant tomato growing in your yard, take it to Wilson's on Friday or Saturday to have it weighed. Prizes will be awarded.
If you just like to eat tomatoes, stop by the nursery's Sage Garden Café to try its best tomato dishes. You can vote for your favorite by making a donation to the Charles E. Wilson Memorial Scholarship Fund. Call (502) 223-1488 or go to Wilsonnurseriesky.com.
■ The chefs at The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, are taking advantage of the fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmers market and are planning their menus around what's available. Weekend specials include grilled peach salad with baby arugula, blackened Caribbean red snapper on black-eyed pea pirlou, and braised Kentucky lamb shank on summer vegetable ragout. Call (859) 226-0300.
Farmers market report
■ Bluegrass Farmers Market has corn, tomatoes, peaches and melons. Hours and locations are: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at 3450 Richmond Road, in the parking lot of Pedal the Planet and Fast Signs; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Mill Pond Shopping Center. Go to Localharvest.org/blog/29529/.
■ East End Community Farmers Market will have corn, green beans, melons, tomatoes, honey and peppers. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 560 East Third Street in the Pavilion at Midland Avenue.
■ Woodford County Farmers Market will have a kids' scavenger hunt at 10 a.m. Saturday at Courthouse Square in Versailles. It's an opportunity for youngsters to learn about the farmers and the products they bring to the market. Market locations and hours are: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Courthouse Square, 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays in downtown Midway and 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays at Versailles Presbyterian Church.
■ Lexington Farmers Market is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Cheapside Park in the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday on Southland Drive near Sav-a-Lot, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at South Broadway and Maxwell Street.
■ The Kentucky Proud Farmers Market at the Kentucky State Fair is outside the West Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. Kentucky Proud vendors are offering samples of their products in the West Hall, and commodity organizations are selling their products at the Great Kentucky Cook-Out Tent. The fair continues through Aug. 28.
■ Saul Good Restaurant and LexArts have selected the winning design for a mural that will be painted on an outside wall at the restaurant at 1808 Alysheba Way, in Hamburg.
Artist Jeff Schaller was chosen to complete the mural, which will depict the history, personality and progression of the city of Lexington and the historic Hamburg Place area.
"It was extremely important to us that the mural should reflect Hamburg and the city of Lexington as a whole," owner Rob Perez said.
Saul Good also is at 3801 Mall Road in The Plaza at Fayette Mall. Go to Saulgoodpub.com or Lexarts.org.

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Our head of investment rounds up the morning's big news.
European markets have opened in the red. While the FTSE 100 is under pressure, it is outperforming indices on the continent which are nursing heavier losses, with the DAX, CAC, and FTSE MIB all down more than 1%.
UK housebuilders are stemming steeper declines for the UK blue-chip index, with Persimmon (LSE:PSN) leading the FTSE 100 after an improved trading update versus its previous release in March.
Wall Street closed lower with the Nasdaq shedding almost 2% and the Russell 2000 down 2.4%. Concerns about the health of the banking sector have resurfaced following First Republic Bank (NYSE:FRC)’s 50% plunge on Tuesday after it reported $100 billion of withdrawals, prompting fears of another mid-cap bank failure stateside.
Tech earnings are in focus, with Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares rallying after-hours following better than expected first quarter results, albeit from lowered expectations, lifting other stocks in the sector like Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) ahead of its results after the bell.
GSK (LSE:GSK) reported first-quarter adjusted profit of 37p per share, beating analysts’ expectations for 33.2p, while revenue hit £7 billion also topped estimates for £6.5 billion. The pharma giant confirmed its 2023 full-year guidance for sales and earnings, while its shingles vaccine drug Shingrix enjoyed sales of £833 million, beating consensus forecasts.
Many investors have been shifting towards defensive sectors like pharmaceuticals this year amid the sluggish economic backdrop, providing a tailwind for stocks like GSK which is up over 7% in the past six months. However, it is still underperforming the FTSE 100 which is up by more than 11% reflecting investor concerns about the strength of GSK’s drug pipeline. GSK has been pursuing inorganic growth instead, most recently with its acquisition of Bellus Health for $2 billion which offers respiratory drugs.
Reckitt Benckiser Group (LSE:RKT) reported like-for-like first-quarter net revenue up 7.9%, more than double expectations for 3.6% and now expects 3-5% full-year net revenue growth.
Like many businesses, the consumer goods giant behind brands like Nurofen and Strepsils has been raising prices to offset the pressures of inflation and preserve profit margins. Demand appears to be holding up despite the consumer slowdown and the risk that individuals switch to unbranded cheaper supermarket alternatives to combat the squeeze on household budgets.
Meanwhile, there is change taking place at the top for Reckitt, with Kris Licht taking over as CEO of Reckitt Benckiser by the end of the year, replacing Nicandro Durante. Laxman Narasimhan unexpectedly stepped down last September after three years at the helm, shaking its share price amid the C-suit uncertainty. Investors will be relieved that a new boss has been appointed, who has been with the firm since 2019 and is seen as a continuity candidate, unlikely to spearhead any immediate drastic changes at the group.”
Persimmon is trading at the top of the FTSE 100 after its forward sales position picked up to £1.7 billion versus £1 billion on 31st December. The housebuilder said that if this continues, full-year volumes will come in towards the upper end of its guided range of 8,000-9,000 completions.
Persimmon said trading in recent weeks has offered some signs of encouragement and the long-term demand fundaments for new homes remain robust. However, it warned that build cost inflation remains at around 8%-9% with limited signs of short-term easing.
Last month, Persimmon said it expects to build 40% fewer homes in fiscal 2023 and slashed its dividend by 75%, sending shares sharply the red.
Today’s update is considerably more positive than its previous announcement in March. A pickup in sales and an improved outlook for volumes is helping to drive shares higher today. However, inflationary headwinds linger with Persimmon’s cost pressures remaining sky high.
With the Bank of England approaching the peak of its rate hiking cycle, housebuilders enjoyed a strong start to the year amid hopes that pressure from expensive borrowing rates would start to ease, providing some let up for the housebuilders. However, Persimmon’s mega dividend cut and dismal outlook at the start of March erased those initial gains, with shares now trading flat year-to-date as the stock attempts to regain ground in recent weeks.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.


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Telesign Scans the Dark Web to Catch Intrusions and Protect Identities with New Breached Data Offering
New add-on to Telesign’s Identity product family enables customers to know if and when a phone number—and any associated data—has been compromised
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Telesign, the leading provider of customer identity and engagement solutions, today announced the launch of Breached Data, the newest addition to the company’s Identity products. Breached Data gives customers the ability to identify when a phone number and its associated data attributes have been compromised in a data breach, helping proactively prevent account takeovers, fake users, and synthetic identity fraud.
In today’s digitally connected world, in which the average person spends nearly seven hours online daily, safeguarding sensitive information is a top priority. From sign-ups and sign-ins to likes and comments, every digital interaction creates a dataset, contributing to the trillions of gigabytes of data on the internet. In the wrong hands, this data can wreak havoc, leading to unauthorized account takeovers, identity theft, fraudulent transactions, and more. Businesses that fail to protect themselves and their customers from data breaches can experience severe financial, operational, and reputational loss.
Breached Data protects against the ramifications of compromised data. Across the customer journey, the new solution conducts a rapid analysis of submitted phone number data against a comprehensive global dataset. This provides near real-time confirmation of breach status and any associated compromised attributes. If a submitted phone number is found in a recent data breach, it delivers a timestamp for when the phone number and associated attributes were compromised.
“In an era of escalating data breaches, which inflict reputational and financial damage to organizations everywhere, Telesign innovates to protect both businesses and consumers,” said Telesign Product & Portfolio Vice President Chris Thompson. “Breached Data is our most recent effort to protect against the consequences of data theft by bad actors.”
“Breached Data is a game-changer in today’s digital landscape, helping to keep businesses and their customers safe while also expanding Telesign’s global presence,” said Steven Dickens, Vice President and Practice Leader, The Futurum Group. “With data breaches on the rise, this new solution gives businesses the power to mitigate fraud and create safer digital experiences. This is crucial because the onus is now squarely on companies to elevate digital privacy measures, not just as a fiduciary duty but as a cornerstone of customer trust.”
Key features of Breached Data
Global Comprehensive Coverage: The solution meticulously compares the submitted data against more than 166 billion breached data records across emails, passwords, IP addresses, usernames, PII, geographic locations, phone numbers, financial details, and more. The extensive scope of Breached Data ensures that global data breaches are vigilantly accounted for and shielded against.
Continuous Protection: In 2022, over 422 million people had their data exposed on the dark web, up 128 million from the previous year. Breached Data is updated daily to ensure every data breach is accounted for in order to avert potential harm.
New Use Cases for Breached Data
- Account Takeover: Businesses can be notified when user data has been compromised to enable the prevention of unauthorized access, protecting their end-users and ecosystem.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: Businesses can help stop synthetic identity fraud by balancing the right amount of authentication without alienating legitimate users. Breached Data notifies businesses during sign-up when a user is registering with a recently breached PII.
Telesign provides Continuous Trust™ to leading global enterprises by connecting, protecting, and defending their digital identities. Telesign verifies over five billion unique phone numbers a month, representing half of the world’s mobile users, and provides critical insight into the remaining billions. The company’s powerful machine learning and extensive resources deliver identity with a unique combination of speed, accuracy, and global reach. Telesign solutions prevent fraud, secure communications, and enable the digital economy by allowing companies and customers to engage with confidence.
Learn more at www.telesign.com and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Telesign.
Lauren Ward, Senior Manager of PR
Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. AfternoonHeadlines.com takes no editorial responsibility for the same.


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Value City files for bankruptcy
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The ailing Value City Department Stores chain has filed for bankruptcy protection as it prepares to shutter its stores.
The company filed the Chapter 11 application Sunday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Southern District of New York, asking the court to approve an agreement with liquidation firm Tiger Capital Group LLC to conduct closing sales at “substantially all” of its stores.
Value City’s majority owner is VCHI Acquisition Co., an investment group that bought an 81 percent stake in the then-113-unit chain in January from Columbus-based Retail Ventures Inc. (NYSE: RVI), which retains a 19 percent stake.
Spokeswoman Kristin Mack said decisions on store closings will be made over the next few weeks, declining to comment beyond the company’s filing. Value City had operated 66 stores earlier this fall, but contracted with Tiger Capital in late September to conduct closing sales at 29 stores.
The retailer is down to 37 stores, including one in at 700 Eastern Blvd., in Clarksville, and one at 3430 Preston Highway in Louisville. Earlier this year, Retail Ventures closed a store at 9070 Dixie Highway and sold it to Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Inc., which has opened a store at the location.
Value City’s bankruptcy filing comes days after it confirmed cutting an undisclosed number of employees from its Columbus headquarters, citing the difficult economy as the reason for the cuts.
As of Oct. 15, Value City employed about 4,500.
Value City in the first seven months of its fiscal year beginning in February lost $70 million on $288.5 million in revenue.
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Michael Pachter’s told IG he’s disappointed” in Activision’s decision to not implement a subscription service for Call of Duty’s multiplayer.
“We were disappointed to hear Activision’s new head of publishing flatly deny the company’s plans to charge for multiplayer,” the Wedbush Morgan analyst said.
“We firmly believe that until the publishers address monetization of multiplayer, game sales will continue to be challenged by the publishers’ altruistic decision to provide significantly more entertainment value per hour than ever in history.”
Pachter added: “In our view, monetization of multiplayer is one of the greatest opportunities for the publishers, and we think that it would be a serious strategic error to pass on this opportunity.”
Rumours of a Call of Duty online subcription service have been reported since kingdom bloody come. But Activision publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has said it won’t charge for COD’s online. “Ever”.
Pachter is cry.


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Luxury handbag maker Mulberry today said it faces a tough year as it unveiled plunging profits just days after it was announced creative director Emma Hill was leaving the company.
The pre-tax profit slump of more than a quarter, from £36 million to £26 million, was widely forecast and blamed by the company on its investments in international markets which it hopes will help it ride out the economic gloom in UK and Europe.
But today's annual results also showed total revenues down 2%. Sales in Mulberry's own stores were up by 6% on a like-for-like basis but dragged down by a 16% dip in wholesale.
Shoppers continued to flock to its UK outlets, spending £91.8 million on the likes of the Alexa and Del Rey designer bags which have in recent years turned the Somerset-based firm from a trusted briefcase and wallet maker into an international fashion powerhouse.
But there is anxiety over whether the momentum can continue after it emerged that Ms Hill, credited with the transformation that has seen Mulberry become a celebrity must-have brand, was to depart, reportedly over creative disagreements with management - in a move which saw shares plunge.
Ms Hill - who was made a CBE last year - has completed her work on next year's spring/summer collection and is expected to stay on to finalise its London Fashion Week collection this September.
But after that the future looks uncertain with the company pinning its hopes on Asian markets amid eurozone gloom.
Mulberry chief executive Bruno Guillon said: "After three years of rapid growth, we have had a year of consolidation during which we have laid the foundations for the transition of Mulberry from a UK success story into a global luxury brand. In particular we are increasing UK production and enhancing both our retail experience and product range.
"Mulberry's challenge for the future is to accelerate our brand awareness in the USA and Asia."
He said boosting the brand's profile in Asia would help sales to tourists visiting Europe and the USA as well as growing its local business.
Mulberry revealed that in the year to the end of March it had opened 17 new international stores and recently completed the construction of a second Somerset factory, doubling UK production capacity.
Five partner stores were opened in Korea with others in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Nagoya and Bahrain.
Figures for the ten weeks to June 8 showed like-for-like retail revenues continuing their upward trend, climbing 6%.
Three new stores have been opened since the end of March with a total of 15 to 20 expected during the financial year.
The company said it expected to turn around wholesale revenue to modest growth. The latest figures in this area had been knocked by a slowdown in demand in Asia following two years of rapid growth, as well as a reorganisation of European distribution.
It added: "The outlook for both the retail and wholesale businesses for the year to 31 March 2014 remains challenging given Mulberry's heavy reliance upon the UK and European markets where the economic climate continues to be difficult.
"The trading conditions in Mulberry's more developed domestic market highlight the importance of our international growth strategy."
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Nuseed is celebrating the first anniversary of the Nuseed Innovation Center in West Sacramento, California, which provides world-class R&D facilities and a hub for Nuseed’s global business.
In January 2020, Nuseed completed construction of the 48,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility to support analytical and molecular breeding R&D activities, as well as global management. Many of Nuseed’s global commercial operations, marketing, supply chain and finance teams are based from the facility.
Nuseed R&D takes place across the globe, however, operations based out of the new West Sacramento Nuseed Innovation Center play a significant role supporting Nuseed’s key global markets, including:
- Sorghum seed sold by Nuseed in Europe, Africa, and Asia
- A large proportion of Nuseed’s sunflower seed sold in Europe
- All sunflower seed sold in both the US and Canada
- Expansion of Nuseed Omega-3 Canola grain production with operations managed by Nuseed’s North American supply chain leadership
Nuseed’s Global R&D Lead, Leon Streit says, “The addition of this industry leading R&D, supply chain and global management location in the US, in combination with our Horsham Innovation Center in Australia and our rich bank of global germplasm, gives Nuseed a competitive global advantage across both hemispheres.”
Leon, who managed the Innovation Center’s development, leads a team of scientists, breeders and technical support staff based out of the facility.


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Nearly two years after Coty paid $12 billion to acquire Procter & Gamble beauty business, the deal remains a drag on the struggling beauty giant.
Weak performance of former P&G brands, including names like CoverGirl makeup and Clairol hair dye, weighed on sales in the most recent quarter, Coty said Tuesday. A trucker strike in Brazil also contributed to a loss of $181.3 million, or 24 cents a share, compared with a loss of $304.8 million a year ago.
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Activision Blizzard's stock closed up 10% on Tuesday, reaching a 52-week high of $92.91 per share, after US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied a motion from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requesting a preliminary injunction to block its merger with Microsoft.
After a week-long hearing in San Francisco, California, Judge Corley ruled that the US regulators failed to demonstrate how Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition as the Xbox maker has publicly committed to license Activision's Call of Duty to rivals.
Concerns about the acquisition of Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard are mounting, not only over Microsoft's capacity to keep the game away from competitors in the home console market, but also because this move may give the Xbox owner undue power to shape the future emerging cloud gaming market. This deal risks enabling Microsoft to establish a damaging monopoly.
Once likely to block the Activision-Microsoft deal, regulatory obstacles are disappearing as the winds continue to change in both the UK and the US. This is a positive outcome in the long uphill battle to bring Activision game franchises under Microsoft's umbrella — a move that could boost gaming-related artificial intelligence and usher in a new era for the industry.
There's a 90% chance that Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


text: Entertainment Music Miley Cyrus and Maxx Morando Share Passionate Kiss in West Hollywood amid Rumored Relationship The pair of musicians have been rumored to be dating since January By Abigail Adams Abigail Adams Instagram Twitter Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 16, 2022 02:51 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Miley Cyrus and Max Morando. Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock It looks like things are heating up between Miley Cyrus and Maxx Morando! The pair of musicians were seen sharing a passionate kiss out in West Hollywood on Thursday. Cyrus, 29, was pictured wearing a black halter dress by Frankies Bikinis, according to E! News, while Morando, 23, was photographed wearing white jeans and a yellow-and-white striped collared shirt. Morando and Cyrus have been rumored to be dating since at least January. He was previously the drummer for the Regrettes and is currently with the band Liily. What to Know About Miley Cyrus' Rumored New Boyfriend Maxx Morando In late December, the potential couple was spotted together ahead of the Miley's New Year's Eve Party special on NBC in Miami. backgrid During her commercial breaks, Cyrus was caught on video dancing with Morando backstage. In November, Cyrus and Morando were seen attending the Gucci "Love Parade" fashion show in Los Angeles together. Cyrus posted a photo of the two during the event on her Instagram. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In addition to his passion for music, Morando is also a budding fashion designer. In an interview with Vogue in September, Cyrus revealed that the drummer previously helped create one of her festival looks alongside designer Shane Kastl. "Their collaboration is the perfect example of sustainability becoming the next fashion phase," the singer told the publication. "It proves that anything can be reinvented, which resonates with me deeply."


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(ATF) Six months after it acquired the Dutch start-up Etergo and weeks after appointing General Motors veteran Jose Pinheiro as the head of its electric vehicle (EV) business, India’s homegrown ride-hailing company has finally made its expected big-bang announcement.
On Monday Ola announced that its EV subsidiary Ola Electric will invest $326 million to set up, what it calls, the ‘world’s largest’ electric scooter (e-scooter) manufacturing plant in Hosur, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The SoftBank-backed Ola aims to make India a manufacturing hub for EVs, which upon completion will create almost 10,000 jobs with an annual capacity of 2 million e-scooters.
“We are excited to announce our plans to set up the world’s largest scooter factory,” says Bhavish Aggarwal, chairman and group CEO of Ola. “This is a significant milestone for Ola and a proud moment for our country as we rapidly progress towards realising our vision of moving the world to sustainable mobility solutions across shared and owned mobility.”
Ola claims to be India’s largest mobility platform and one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, serving more than 250 across India, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK including key global markets like London and Sydney.
“This will be one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world. This factory will showcase India’s skill and talent to produce world class products that will cater to global markets,” Aggarwal said.
The proposed EV factory will cater to customers not only in India but in markets around the world including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and more, said the company.
The Indian government has been pushing automakers to move to cleaner fuel technology, especially electric, in an effort to reduce its oil import bill and curb pollution in major cities.
While carmakers have been slow to launch electric vehicles (EVs), mainly due to the high cost of batteries and weak demand from buyers, sales of electric scooters and rickshaws have picked up pace and are leading India’s electrification drive.
“The bane of the Indian components sector (in the EV space) has been the lack of scale or volume in the electric vehicles space; the sector could not develop an ancillary industry because there were not enough EV manufactures to supply to,” Vinnie Mehta Director General Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India, told Asia Times Financial.
According to Sohinder Gill, the director general of Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), “It’s good that companies are taking a keen interest in the EV industry, off lately,”
Currently, the Indian EV industry is in a nascent stage and India needs more players to develop the market. “Any such investments in the sector would certainly strengthen the existing EV ecosystem. Additionally, it would give a boost to the EV infrastructure,” Gill told ATF.
The country needs an investment of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure until 2030 to meet its EV ambition, according to the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance, an Asian think tank.
According to Ola, the e-scooter plant is expected to establish India as a key player in the EV manufacturing space. India with its unique skill-sets, manpower and demography is well placed to be a global hub for the cutting-edge manufacturing of EVs, says Aggarwal.
Unique skill sets
Ola also believes that India with its unique skill-sets, manpower and demography is well placed to be a global hub for the cutting-edge manufacturing of EVs. “Investments of these nature spur the auto components industry to grow in the area of new-age technology products. As the EV eco-system grows the Indian component industry to would grow too to harness the opportunity,” added Mehta.
Besides these investments also address India’s cleaner fuel ambition, he added. According to Ola, the investment will catalyse reduction of India’s import dependence in a key future sector like electric vehicles, boost local manufacturing, create jobs as well as improve the technical expertise in the country.
If India achieves its 2030 electric vehicle ambition and targets, it would offer a market opportunity worth nearly $206 billion in about a decade, says CEEW-CEF.
This is the latest push by Ola, which backed by Softbank’s investments, is betting on its EV business at a time when the pandemic continues to batter the ride-hailing industry. In July 2019 Ola Electric raised $250 million from SoftBank that made the company a “unicorn”, or a start-up valued at more than $1 billion.
Subsequently, Ola expanded operations in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the UK – to grow its electric mobility ambition. Last week, the company hired Julien Geffard, formerly at Peugeot Motorcycles, to build and grow its EV business in Europe.
In November, Ola had said it hired General Motors’ veteran Jose Pinheiro as global head of manufacturing and operations for its electric business, following which the industry was expecting an announcement said sources.
(With reporting by Reuters)


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The priciest cities for summer travel (Boston hotels rank 5th)
Out-of-town visitors to Boston in July, the official start of the summer tourism season, are paying 11 percent more this year for modestly-priced hotel accommodations than last year but 29 percent less for intermediate level rental cars, according to the latest AAA Leisure Travel Index.
AAA reports that the average price of an overnight stay at a 3-Diamond rated Boston hotel this month is $208, an 11 percent increase from the $186 rate in July 2011, while the average rate at a modestly priced 2-diamond hotel here is $165, a 13 percent increase from the $146 rate posted a year ago. Boston rates averaged $229 and $165 per night at 3- and 2-diamond hotels in June.
AAA diamond ratings start at budget level (1 diamond) to luxury (5 diamond). The three-diamond rating is offered to hotels that "appeal to the traveler with comprehensive needs. Properties are multifaceted with a distinguished style, including marked upgrades in the quality of physical attributes, amenities, and level of comfort provided."
Rental car rates, however, have seen a substantial decrease in daily rates this month, according to AAA Leisure Travel Index. The report shows that the average car rental rate for July is $56, a decrease of $24 per day per rental car from July 2011.
Boston ranks the fifth and fourth most expensive U.S. city for hotel rates for 3- and 2-diamond hotels, respectively, in July, according to AAA. Three-diamond hotels in New York City top the list with an average overnight stay of $250 this month, followed by Chicago ($229) and San Francisco ($210).
Two-diamond hotels in San Francisco average $199 per night followed by New York ($183) and Chicago ($181). Boston ranks as the fifth most expensive car rental market in the U.S., behind Miami ($75 average rate), Orlando ($75), San Francisco ($68), Chicago ($60) and Seattle ($57).
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ALEXANDRIA, VA — The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s (NBWA) 75th Annual Convention will be taking place October 14-17 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in San Diego, California, where it’s always 75 and sunny!
For the first time ever, NBWA members will hear from leaders of some of the nation’s most prominent brewers and importers together, all on one stage, during the General Session on Tuesday morning, October 16. Participants include:
- Sam Calagione, President, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
- Luiz Edmond, President North America, Anheuser-Busch
- Bill Hackett, President, Crown Imports LLC
- Tom Long, President, MillerCoors LLC
- Dolf van den Brink, President and CEO, HEINEKEN USA
These leaders will participate in a conversation on issues facing the beer industry and the future of brand beer. They also will answer some of the most burning questions from the NBWA membership.
“As NBWA prepares to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, we are excited to have this distinguished group highlight the virtues of this great system, which works so well for so many,” said NBWA President & CEO Craig Purser.
Visit www.nbwa.org and register today! A discounted room rate for NBWA Convention attendees is available at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, and reservations can be made by calling 1-888-421-1442 or clicking here. Reference the NBWA Annual Convention to obtain the special discounted room rate ($245/night) when you reserve your room before September 20. Don’t delay. The NBWA guest room block can sell out prior to that date. Once the block is sold, rooms and rates cannot be guaranteed.
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents the interests of America’s 3,300 licensed, independent beer distributor operations in every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Beer distributors are committed to ensuring alcohol is provided safely and responsibly to consumers of legal drinking age through the three-tier, state-based system of alcohol regulation and distribution. To learn more about America’s beer distributors, visit www.AmericasBeerDistributors.com. For additional updates from NBWA, follow @MrBeerGuy on Twitter and visit www.facebook.com/Mr.BeerGuy.


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Apple has always liked doing things their way, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. On one hand, by doing their own thing Apple has managed to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack, but on the other hand certain aspects have caused some of their users a bit of headache. For example when the first iPod was released it used FireWire to connect to Macs exclusively, and now Apple has Thunderbolt, another piece of technology that isn’t available on the PC.
Granted that Thunderbolt does not belong to Apple but rather Intel, the amount of Thunderbolt peripheral devices available in the market is not a lot and they can cost quite a fair bit. USB, as the “Universal” in its name suggests, is widely adopted across PCs and Macs, but the latest version USB 3.0 has yet to make its way to Apple computer, but now it has been reported that Apple is looking to add USB 3.0 ports to their computers by sourcing it from third party host controller chips instead of waiting for Intel.
While there are benefits to Thunderbolt technology, the fact of the matter is there are more USB 3.0 devices available in the market that don’t necessarily cost more than their USB 2.0 counterparts and instead of looking at USB 3.0 as competition, it should instead be looked at as complementary technology.
Given how the MacBook Air, Mac Mini and iMac have seen a refresh not too long ago, we expect USB 3.0’s to make their way to the next refreshes, assuming of course the reports are true. What do you guys think? Would USB 3.0 be a welcome addition to your Mac? Or are you still holding out on Thunderbolt reigning supreme?


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Qualcomm unveils its Qualcomm Satellite: text messages via satellite, urgent or not, for Android smartphones.
Last year, Apple introduced Emergency SOS which allows the iPhone 14 to connect to a satellite to send an emergency message. Today, Qualcomm unveils its own satellite communication feature for smartphones android. baptized Snapdragon Satelliteit allows devices with an X70 modem to connect to a satellite to send messages when no cellular signal is available.
Qualcomm unveils its Qualcomm Satellite
The feature, which is expected to be available on smartphones in the second half of 2023, is the result of a partnership with satellite phone maker Iridium. Android devices with an X70 modem and the SoC Qualcomm will be able to connect to the Iridium satellite network to send SMS.
As with the majority of Qualcomm’s technologies, the final implementation will depend on the smartphone manufacturer. They have great flexibility on this point. If we do not yet know precisely when all this will be available, Qualcomm gave a demonstration to our colleagues from Engadget at CES 2023.
As with Apple Emergency SOS, you must be outdoors with clear skies to use satellite communication. Once activated, a message appears to make you point the device correctly to establish the connection. It takes a few seconds to initialize the process once the phone is in position.
When the phone is connected to a satellite, the demo devices were able to send text messages to a pre-established contact list. Qualcomm explains that this feature will remain in place to ensure that spam does not clog the satellite network. However, the company said manufacturers would have some leeway to make the process more like a traditional messaging app.
However, there are some limitations compared to these conventional apps. Satellite messages remain limited to 140 bytes, or about 160 characters, which makes it an old-school SMS, or almost. It is therefore impossible to send photos or videos via satellite.
Text messages via satellite, urgent or not, for Android smartphones
Unlike Apple’s Emergency SOS, Qualcomm wants to make Snapdragon Satellite a messaging solution not just for emergencies. So the Android version of the feature might be a little more useful, keeping in touch with loved ones in hard-to-reach areas. That being said, these communications will obviously have an additional cost. Qualcomm did not go into pricing details.
Snapdragon Satellite also only allows text messages, not calls. For truly dangerous situations, the company has partnered with Garmin, which offers an emergency communication device via satellite called inReach. This means that emergency messages will be routed by the same team that handles SOS calls from inReach devices. It’s a slightly different approach than Apple, which sometimes forwards calls to first aid on behalf of the person sending the emergency message.
Details are unfortunately rare as to the arrival date of the smartphones which will be entitled to Snapdragon Satellite, nor to their number. For now, Samsung says it expects to see the first models from “several” manufacturers in the second half of 2023. That also doesn’t mean the feature will be available on all Android smartphones with an X70 modem. and Qualcomm SoCs. Indeed, smartphones equipped with an X70 modem launched before the second half of the year do not have the necessary components to enable Snapdragon Satellite connectivity.
We should know more in the coming months. To be continued !


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We are excited to bring Transform 2022 back in-person July 19 and virtually July 20 - 28. Join AI and data leaders for insightful talks and exciting networking opportunities. Register today!
It’s been quite a year for beauty brand Glossier (pronounced gloss-ee-ay). In 2017, the New York City-based startup added two product categories and expanded to new markets, opening offices in London and Montreal. It also acquired Canadian tech agency Dynamo in December. Today, Glossier announced that it has raised $52 million to develop new digital products for its customer base. Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) and Index Ventures co-led the round, with participation from existing investors Thrive Capital, Forerunner Ventures, and 14W. New investors Imaginary Ventures and Starbucks founder Howard Schultz also joined.
Glossier is the brainchild of founder and CEO Emily Weiss, who created beauty blog Into The Gloss in 2010 after working as a fashion assistant at Vogue. By sharing beauty tips and interviewing celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Weiss amassed an impressive number of followers, which created a solid base to launch Glossier in 2014. Into The Gloss has two million monthly unique visitors today.
Glossier has managed to appeal to millennials, in particular, in part by bypassing traditional marketing tactics and relying on word-of-mouth and referrals. The brand also has a strong presence on social media, especially Instagram, where users can view product prices by tapping on an image. They are then redirected to the Glossier website to purchase the product.
Price points are another draw for the younger generation. The Milky Jelly Cleanser, for example, sells for $18, and the Wowder finishing powder for $22. Glossier currently ships to the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
The website is the only place where customers can buy Glossier products online, something Weiss wants to maintain as a way to distinguish her brand from retail giants like Sephora. The underlying mantra for Weiss, who has been dubbed the millennial’s Estée Lauder, seems to be “simplicity.” Simple branding, simple products, and a simple way of purchasing.
Although Weiss did not elaborate on the specifics, the fresh injection of capital will be used to focus on new digital experiences to further expand the Glossier community. The startup declined to comment on the number of customers it currently has.
Competitors in this space include Milk Makeup, Beautycounter, and Memebox.
Like many beauty brands, Glossier has a strong female entourage supporting its vision. From its female founder to strong female backers like Forerunner Ventures’ Kirsten Green, Glossier is a shining example of a successful female-led startup.
Dear Tech People reported the startup as having 79 percent female employees, ranking it as number six in its report of the 100 most diverse and inclusive tech companies. This is an important reality check for the tech community as a whole: Having a healthier gender ratio within a company can lead to a healthier work environment. Not that men should be banished altogether, but it has been a trying year for women in tech (to say the least), so a bit of good news is very welcome.
To date, Glossier has raised a total of $86 million, and it currently has just over 150 employees.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn more about membership.


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- The app will be free for tradies and sub-contractors to use
- Two years was spent on developing the app
- Securely keeps payments from customers, which are then released when approved by the customer
Securely – a Queensland based Fintech startup – will launch its app in Perth this week, helping to counteract the $20 billion-a-year issue of tradies not being paid.
Free for tradies and sub-contractors to use, Securely is a secure customer payment gateway application that was founded by a group of investors and technical experts spearheaded by founder Rob Neely.
Mr Neely said the ultimate aim of Securley is to ensure that all tradies are consistently paid on time.
“We began working on the architecture of the software for this app just over two years ago. We set out to make the app as simple to use as using Airbnb or Uber, but what we found that whilst those apps are very simple for end users, the level of complexity behind the scenes is something we could never have imagined,” said Mr Neely.
“After two years and a couple of million dollars spent on the Research and Development, we finally have the app ready to use, and given what happened to tradies and subcontractors with the recent collapse of the Pindan Group we have decided to officially launch the App in Perth first, before the rest of the country.”
Rob Neely, Securley Founder
Once a quote is approved, the customer sends the funds to Securely which places the funds in safekeeping, before being released when permission is granted by the customer. Customers pay a service fee of 0.89% for the app.
Mr Neely said the business model took a lot of refining that involved focus groups of both tradies and customer to find a model benefiting both parties.
“Our app protects both the customer and the tradie and makes sure the job gets done right.
There is barely a week goes by that a current affairs program doesn’t air a dispute regarding a tradie not finishing a job or taking a deposit only never to be seen again, or a Customer that doesn’t have the money to pay for the job when it comes time for paying for the job.
Our new app will stop all of this.”


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Self-managed health is a rapidly growing trend in healthcare today. New tools and technologies seek to democratize healthcare by providing access to better health information, and enabling consumers to make better health decisions.
Theranos: Revolutionizing Blood Testing
One of the most innovative companies in health is Theranos, which is revolutionizing blood testing by making it more efficient and affordable. Theranos utilizes nanotechnology applied to medical diagnosis, and allows hundreds of tests to be conducted from only a single drop of blood.
How affordable is Theranos? According to the New Yorker, a cholesterol test from Theranos administered at Walgreens will cost $2.99 compared to $50 for a typical lab test. The Cleveland Clinic is also partnering with Theranos, and will be performing its own tests to see how results compare to traditional tests before employing Theranos widely across its health system.
Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes believes more affordable testing means more people will choose to be tested, and get preventative treatment.
“I think this question about preventative medicine is about the individual, and about the consumer. There is this incredible opportunity that we have to connect and engage with individuals in such a way that they can begin to love the products and services that result in changing their lives.” – Elizabeth Holmes
Holmes dropped out of Stanford at 19 to work on her company in stealth mode. Now 31, she is the youngest self-made billionaire to make the Fortune 2015 Female Billionaire List, while demonstrating that “financial power and doing good don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” Listen to more in this interview with Holmes at the Computer History Museum.
Iodine: A Suite of Tools for Health Information
While at Wired, Thomas Goetz, also an advocate for empowering patients, re-imagined the way blood testing data could be presented. His TED talk on visualizing medical data has been viewed more than 400,000 times. Goetz and former Google employee Matt Mohebbi have used their experience in the design and communication of healthcare data to co-found Iodine.
Iodine’s mission is “to build tools that help people understand their health and improve their healthcare choices.”
Iodine says 23 percent of American consumers are searching for drug information online, and are not satisfied with what they find. Iodine’s primary tool is built so consumers can:
- research medications by generic or brand name,
- get relevant information provided by medical experts, and
- read valuable experiences submitted by other patients.
Consumers can also use a cost tool to compare drug prices depending on insurance coverage.
Iodine’s Medical Translator
Tools with Expertise
As consumers get access to better health information, they still need to have context around these tools. Connected health means providers are engaged for shared decision-making.
“Providers go through decades of training to help them separate the spurious or benign data point from the serious. It is important for consumers to have access to this information, but that information should be accompanied by context.” – Harry Greenspun MD
Latest posts by HealthIsCool (see all)
- Tech giants and repatriated cash, more health acquisitions in 2018? - January 2, 2018
- Insilico Medicine and the world’s first personal health data marketplace - November 22, 2017
- Digital health: Current state & future growth 2017-2025 - October 25, 2017


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Aside from achieving its new monthly sales record last March 2017, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) donated a brand new L300 XV Microbus to the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) Go Negosyo.
MMPC teamed up with Centro Manufacturing Corporation to make this donation possible. It aims to boost PCE Go Negosyo’s “Kapatid Project,” which encourages medium and large corporations to help micro and small enterprises.
The turnover ceremony was graced by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey A. Concepcion, PCE Adviser for Entrepreneurship Development Merly M. Cruz, Centro President Raphael T. Juan, and MMPC President and CEO Yoshiaki Kato.
In a speech by Kato, he said micro, small, and medium enterprises choose the L300 for its proven reliability, affordability, and low maintenance cost. Furthermore, the local production of the L300 has helped the Philippine automotive industry with jobs for MMPC, local parts suppliers, and truck body builders. Of note, MMPC has also started producing the Mirage G4 at their local assembly plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
To recall, the Mitsubishi L300 is a commercial vehicle that is available in different body configurations. It is powered by a 2.5L diesel engine that delivers 71 hp and 140 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Caltex’s borescope test gets a 9.8 out of 10 rating for the cleanliness of engine intake valves in the Philippines.
The World Health Organization is not impressed on how road safety is currently being tackled, stressed that this is a problem with proven solution.
Quite a milestone for Nissan when its one-millionth unit rolled off the brand’s Sunderland plant in the UK.


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Well the boy wonder scambook.com founder Lin Miao settled with the FTC. We at SFA hope this serve as a good lesson for these wiz kids that ethics and doing the right thing is always best route in LIFE.
Operators of Massive Mobile Cramming Scheme Will Surrender More Than $10M in Assets in FTC Settlement
June 13, 2014
“Cramming unauthorized charges on consumers’ phone bills is unlawful, and this settlement shows the FTC is committed to making sure that anyone who does it won’t be able to keep their ill-gotten gains,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers have the right to know what they are being charged.”
Under the terms of the settlement, Lin Miao and the corporate defendants will be permanently banned from placing any charges on consumers’ phone bills, making any misrepresentations to consumers about a product or service or a consumers’ obligation to pay, and will also be prohibited from charging consumers for a product or service without their express consent. The settlement includes a monetary judgment of more than $150 million, which is partially suspended based on Miao’s inability to pay the full amount after he turns over nearly all of his and the companies’ assets.
Among the assets Miao and the corporate defendants will be required to surrender under the terms of the settlement are:
- the contents of 14 bank accounts and one life insurance policy, less $5,000;
- five real estate properties, including three in Chicago and one in each in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills;
- four vehicles, including a 2013 Mercedes SUV, a 2014 Range Rover SUV, a 2011 Audi and a 2008 Bentley; and
- numerous items of jewelry, including three Patek Phillippe watches, a Tiffany watch, two Tiffany rings with 10 and eight carat diamonds, a pair of six-carat Tiffany earrings, and a Tiffany necklace, bracelet and diamond bracelet.
The FTC filed its complaint against Miao, along with the corporate defendants Tatto, Inc., Shaboom Media, LLC, Bune, LLC, Mobile Media Products, LLC, Chairman Ventures, LLC, Galactic Media, LLC, and Virtus Media, LLC, in December 2013.
The complaint alleged that Miao and the other defendants pitched text message services offering “love tips,” “fun facts,” and celebrity gossip alerts, but placed charges for these services – typically $9.99 a month – on consumers’ bills without their permission — a practice known as mobile cramming. They also allegedly used deceptive websites designed to collect consumers’ mobile phone numbers that would then be billed for the services.
The charges appeared on consumers’ phone bills under confusing names such as “77050IQ12CALL8663611606” and “25184USBFIQMIG” and in many instances, consumers did not notice the variations in the amount of their bills from month to month. When consumers did notice the charges and attempted to seek refunds, the process was often highly cumbersome, with some promised refunds from the defendants never arriving, or consumers receiving only partial refunds from their phone company.
The Commission vote approving the proposed stipulated order was 5-0. The FTC filed the proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and it was entered by the court on June 11, 2014.
NOTE: Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
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One thought on “ScamBook.com Lin Miao Settled With The FTC”
Lin Miao is a known crook. Lin Miao, owner of Scambook.com is a crook – the the FTC called his business practices “an organized criminal” – scambook tries to extort money from small businesses. Scam book or ScamBook.com and other so-called consumers advocate websites allow ANYONE to post negative and false information on their websites about businesses and individual true or fake thereby ruining the individual or company image. Then they try to exhort money by asking for $500 a month to that small business to remove the fake posts. This a scam. Beware public. This is the new gold rush for these creeps.


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(Yicai Global) Oct. 17 -- Cainiao Network Technology Co., a smart logistics provider under e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA], has recently introduced a warehouse in Huiyang in Guangdong province with over 100 robots, TechWeb reported.
The facility can make more than a million shipments per day, and the firm designed it to provide efficient logistics services for online shoppers in the Southern mainland and Hong Kong.
The warehouse is one of the company's flagship delivery service centers for the high-volume season created by China's largest online shopping festival on Nov. 11, known as Singles' Day or Double 11, Cainiao Network's technical expert said.
Bots capable of deep learning can turn a vacant warehouse with basic electrical facilities into a smart one on their own, the expert said.
Traditionally, sorters would pick up goods one by one in warehouses. Now, automated guided vehicles can bring goods to the sorters. "In the past, a sorter could only pick up 1,000 to 2,000 items a day by walking 60,000 or 70,000 steps, but with the aid of robots, their working efficiency has tripled with only 2,000 or 3,000 steps a day," the expert said.
Cainiao Network plans to unveil various types of robot warehouses in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hubei before the retail rush.


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just The Preview - The Coca-Cola Co Q3 & YTD
Coca-Cola releases its year-to-date results tomorrow
The Coca-Cola Co will report its third-quarter and year-to-date results tomorrow (15 October). Here just-drinks takes a look at the company's highs and lows in the three months to the end of September.
- Coca-Cola expanded the launch of its 25cl “slimline” can as the packaging innovation was unveiled in the UK. The move was part of a number of steps the company has taken in the UK this year to reduce calories in its sugared products, including reformulating Sprite to contain stevia.
- In July, an analyst questioned whether Coca-Cola H2 results will improve after a disappointing first half. Bernstein's Ali Dibadj said improving weather is unlikely to make up for any increase in “macro weaknesses” and “competitive pressure”.
- A US federal judge in July recommended Coca-Cola face a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of misleading consumers over the health benefits of its Vitaminwater. The lawsuit, which is unable to claim money, still has to have approval from a district judge.
- Coca-Cola Co appointed the head of bank Santander's UK operations to its board of directors. Ana Botín, 52, took on the role immediately, the company said in July.
- Coca-Cola faced a recall of its Minute Maid brand in China in August after its New Zealand supplier confirmed it had exported tainted ingredients.
- Coca-Cola launched an ad campaign in the US to address fears over artificial sweetener aspartame. However, an analyst warned the move could backfire.
- Coca-Cola's Thai unit launched the company's first herbal product in August. Habu mixes four herbs - rosella, licorice, monk's fruit and cogongrass - and is designed to suit Thailand's tropical climate. But is this the start of Coca-Cola's move into health foods?
- Gay rights activists poured bottles of Coca-Cola down New York drains in August in protest at the company's sponsorship of the Winter Olympics, due to be held in Russia next year. In response, Coca-Cola said it “values and celebrates diversity”.
- In September, an analyst warned that Coca-Cola is losing out to PepsiCo in its race to capture the Chinese bottled water market.
In Coca-Cola's Q1
- Net profits fell by 15% to US$1.75bn
- Net sales slipped by 1% to $11.04bn
- Operating profits fell by 4% to $2.4bn
In Coca-Cola's H1
- Net profits dropped by 9% to $4.43bn
- Net sales fell by 2% to $23.8bn
- Operating profits slipped by 3% to $5.65bn
To read a just-drinks rundown of the group's second-quarter ups and downs, click here.
The Coca-Cola Co (TCCC) is the leading player in both soft drinks and in HW soft drinks. The company’s strength is based on its diversity of category presence from HW carbonates to RTD tea and bottled...
We're just over two months away from the start of the biggest sporting event on earth: The FIFA World Cup kicks off on 12 June, when host country Brazil take on Croatia in the first match of the month...
Ranked sixth in hot drinks in 2012, the company has a strong presence in other hot drinks, in particular in chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks under the Toddy brand. Competing for the same target...
PepsiCo China Ltd is seeking sustainable growth by enhancing brand awareness around the world and bringing innovative products to the marketplace....
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Innovation and authenticity are reoccurring themes across social media platforms this month. Instagram takes initiative by creating a new anti-bullying tool, and Facebook updates its algorithm to demote misleading health claims. Pinterest expands its capabilities, increasing its marketing value for businesses, while LinkedIn keeps updating its campaign manager platform with the addition of three new features.
Instagram Implements Anti-Bullying Tool
- Instagram is adding a new feature that could potentially limit the impact of bullying on the platform. A warning powered by AI was added to the comment section that will alert users before posting if it determines that their comment would be considered offensive. Though this feature provides a warning, it does not automatically stop the user from leaving the comment. This warning, however, aims to encourage users to rethink their potentially negative comments and allows them to reflect before posting by asking, “Are you sure you want to post this?” The platform also added a new restriction feature as “the middle ground between blocking and doing nothing.” When a person is “restricted,” only the owner of the account and the restricted user can see their comments. The user will not know that they have been restricted unless they search to see if their comments are visible by looking on another user’s account. Also, the restricted user will now know if the account owner is online or has read their direct messages. This feature has been tested in only a few select countries but will be available to all in the coming months.
- What this means for brands: This new feature can help transform the tone of the comments section for brand pages by calling attention to potentially offensive behavior and work to limit the number of negative comments. For healthcare brands, this can help reduce negative discussions among users in the comment section. The reduction in unfavorable threads could lead to a shift toward addressing customers’ needs and complaints via email, direct message or phone instead of in the comments section. Hopefully, this feature will encourage users to become less critical and to communicate with brands in other, more productive ways besides commenting on social media posts.
Facebook Updates Algorithm to Indicate Misleading Health Claims
- Facebook added two algorithm updates to its News Feed to reduce posts with (1) misleading health information and (2) the promotion of products with sensational health claims (e.g., promoting a medication or treatment that claims to cure a medical problem). With this update, when Facebook detects a misleading ad for a health-related product (e.g., promoting a miracle cure, such as pills promising instant weight loss), the ad will be placed lower in a user’s News Feed. Facebook previously faced challenges with clickbait posts that drove audiences to spam offerings. The company has since worked to address these issues by identifying keyword phrases commonly used in these posts.
- What this means for brands: Healthcare pages will need to be both strategic and creative when choosing to post copy to ensure it is not misleading and that it includes fair balance, but also gets to the point of the post or advertisement so the ad does not get flagged or caught in this new filter. For audiences, seeing fewer misleading posts and less promotion of products with sensational health claims as a result of this new filtering feature could potentially increase the perceived trustworthiness of the posts that are allowed to remain in the News Feed.
(via Facebook Newsroom)
Pinterest Updates Video Tools Feature
- Pinterest rolled out both new and improved video tools, including a new uploader, a video tab, video analytics and pin scheduler. The updated video uploader allows brands to upload videos directly to their page in a more seamless process. The video tab allows brands to display all of their videos in a single, organized space. The video analytics tool gives users insight into lifetime views and the performance of their video over time, and the pin scheduler allows brands to schedule their video content in advance.
- What this means for brands: These new tools offer new opportunities for brands to reach relevant audiences within the platform with content that is more likely to resonate with users, while also measuring its success (or lack thereof and where to optimize). Since last year, searches for “inspirational videos” have jumped 31%. Brands that can leverage this theme or content have an opportunity to share videos to generate more exposure and engagement.
(via Pinterest Newsroom)
LinkedIn Adds New Features to Campaign Manager
- LinkedIn announced three new additions to its campaign manager: brand awareness, website conversions, and job applicant. This rollout has already had tremendous success, with a 67% higher rate of customer satisfaction compared with the previous version of the campaign manager. The new brand awareness feature offers advertisers “top of the funnel” ads to give them increased exposure opportunities. For the updated website conversions feature, advertisers can now create campaigns that are “optimized for specific actions on a website.” These include event registration, downloads and purchases. The job applicant feature will allow LinkedIn Talent Solutions customers to advertise via LinkedIn or on their own website.
- What this means for brands: The brand awareness feature offers a new opportunity for healthcare brands to reach existing employees, while reaching key stakeholder audiences (e.g., patients, stockholders, potential applicants and prospective partners) outside their immediate company network. Website leads will now help healthcare brands capture and drive meaningful leads. Brands can now choose job applicant as their ad objective, therefore having the potential for more views, clicks on the job ad and applicants. With more than 4 million healthcare professionals on LinkedIn, these updates make it easier for healthcare brands to maximize their recruitment efforts.
(via Marketing Land)
Bonus Feature: Apple Plans to Unveil Disability-Themed Emojis
On World Emoji Day (July 17), Apple announced it will add disability-themed emojis to users’ iPhones. Apple said the goal of this update is to “bring diversity to the keyboard.” The new emojis include a prosthetic arm, prosthetic leg, wheelchairs and guide dogs, which Apple plans to release by the end of this year. Though the use of emojis is not appropriate for all brands or product messaging, for some healthcare brands, this is an opportunity to represent patients more accurately and help them feel more included within online conversations.
Additional Resources: CNN Business
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International Fresh Produce Association Announces Laura Linney to Keynote Women’s Fresh Perspectives General Session; Megan Nash and Anthony Barbieri Detail
WASHINGTON, DC - Ozark, The Truman Show, Mystic River, and now the International Fresh Produce Association’s at the Global Produce and Floral Show. These are all things that Golden Globe, SAG, and Emmy Award-winning actress Laura Linney has been a part of as the organization announced that she will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives General Session.
“Women’s Fresh Perspectives portfolio focuses on providing the produce and floral industry with professional development, education, and networking through the gender lens,” said Director of Education and Talent Megan Nash. “We’re excited to have Laura Linney, a widely recognized talent in her own field, to share her experience with gender inequality in a male-dominated industry. I’m looking forward to her dismantling some of our common misconceptions and inspiring our industry to consider how any kind of inequality can put everyone in our industry at risk of discrimination.”
During the session entitled “Women in Film: Navigating a Male-Dominated Industry,” Linney will share her insights on her Hollywood experience with attendees on October 29, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. The session is open to all attending and does not require a separate registration. Those interested in hearing what Linney has to say can add a ticket to the Saturday General Session to their registration.
Linney is the latest speaker shared from the event lineup. Cathy Burns will deliver the State of the Industry on Thursday, October 27, and José Andrés will lead the morning General Session on October 28. Following the General Session on Friday, the Exposition will open for all at 10 a.m. EST.
“We know that time on the Expo floor is critical for our members to make meaningful business connections,” said IFPA Vice President of Membership Engagement and Business Development, Anthony Barbieri. “Opening the Expo for two hours on Thursday will mean that exhibitors will no longer have to choose between meeting potential customers in their own booths and connecting with Business Solutions Providers for their own needs in supply chain equipment and services, packaging, merchandising, and more.”
To register for the event, click here.
As more updates and speaker insights become available, AndNowUKnow will keep you in the loop.


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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic turned the auto industry on its head. Faced with forced dealership lot closures and stay-at-home orders pleading with the majority of the population to stay inside their own homes as much as possible, many major automakers and their dealerships struggled to remain afloat through the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent trends show that F-15 is now a favorite amongst a different group of buyers.
Although they certainly endured many blocks in the road, major automakers have now for the most part adapted to the challenges that COVID-19 created for this industry. Met with fear and uncertainty from customers regarding the safety of buying a car during a pandemic, many dealerships began taking extra steps to sanitize their on-site facilities and minimize face-to-face contact with customers by allowing them to complete much or even all of their car-buying process virtually via services like online financing and home delivery.
Buying trends among consumers have also shifted in the auto industry as a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to placing a much higher value on being able to browse and shop for cars online, many consumers have changed their minds about which type of vehicle they want to drive.
One particularly interesting trend shows that younger buyers—those who were born in the late 1980s, 1990s, or before and are members of either the Millennial or Gen Z generations—have shifted their focus toward pickup trucks on the mainstream auto market. In fact, drivers who buy pickup trucks are now almost 25% more likely to be members of these younger generations compared to pre-pandemic statistics. Keep reading to explore this shift, the reasons behind it, and what it means for the auto industry as a whole moving forward into the future.
Why Has Demand for Pickup Trucks Increased Among Young Buyers?
The fact that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an overall increase in demand for pickup trucks among young buyers is not a particularly intuitive concept. However, there are valid reasons behind this seemingly random shift in the auto industry.
One of the major reasons why more young drivers are buying pickup trucks is these drivers’ desire to go road-tripping. Many young drivers who are either working from home, taking classes from home, or have been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic are taking advantage of the luxury of not having to be anywhere in person by planning road trips.
Pickup trucks are some of the best vehicles for taking road trips, as they offer plenty of cargo space and are powerful and reliable enough to travel longer distances without breaking down. They also tend to be some of the safest vehicles on the market, which helps give young drivers greater peace of mind while on the road.
Which Pickup Trucks are Young Drivers Buying?
Young drivers are much more likely to choose a pickup truck as their next vehicle now than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Within the pickup truck segment of the auto market, however, there are many different vehicle models. Which models are most popular among young drivers who have chosen to purchase a pickup truck during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The Ford F-150 pickup truck is one of the most popular pickup trucks on the market. Throughout 2020, more than 750,000 F-150 trucks were sold just in the United States alone. The iconic F-150 has also become one of the most popular pickup trucks among young drivers in 2020.
It’s really no surprise that the F-150 has become a favorite among young buyers in the auto industry. The Ford F-150 is one of the most powerful, off-road-ready pickup trucks within its vehicle segment. It is a high-performing, reliable pickup truck that is also fairly affordable.
Plus, the Ford F-150 is relatively fuel-efficient—compared to other pickup trucks within its vehicle class—which is an added bonus for young drivers who are in the market for a pickup truck to take on a road trip.
Will the F-150 Demand Among Young Drivers Stay High Post-COVID-19?
After the COVID-19 pandemic finally comes to a close—a day which can’t come soon enough—will young drivers maintain their heightened demand for pickup trucks on the mainstream auto market?
The answer to this question is somewhat unclear, and there are several factors that play into its lack of clarity. For many young drivers, affordability is definitely a roadblock when it comes to buying a pickup truck. In fact, many millennials and Gen Z’er drivers report that they are unlikely to purchase another pickup truck in the future due to finance-related concerns.
However, members of these younger generations also report very high levels of interest in purchasing an electric pickup truck in the somewhat near future. In fact, more than 40% of millennials and Gen Z’ers report that they plan to buy an electric pickup truck within the next 10 years.
As such, whether or not a demand for pickup trucks among young drivers remains high depends largely on what the future holds—both in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability and popularity of the many electric pickup trucks that are set to be released by major automakers throughout the next several model years.


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Yottalan is a company within the telecommunications sector, which aims to convey the most effective connection by way of different providers. The platform is changing Humber’s pilot with Ensemble Video, and might be available for use within the coming weeks. We might be sending everybody an email with the model new URL and entry instructions as quickly because the platform is ready. The proposed policy directions were revealed for public session in the Canada Gazette, Part I on Saturday, June 10, 2023. But on-going public consultations have just been extended, and the general timeline for implementation targets “Late 2024”, according to a published government agenda. YouTube, which has opposed the bill, stated it’s committed to preserving intact the ecosystem of its platform, which relies on creators.
Sign as much as our Newsletter to receive new program alerts and special presents. Check out our newest weblog posts to stay up-to-date with all issues occurring in the world of Erstream. If you’re already tied into Apple’s ecosystem of telephones, laptops, or tablets, you will find that the Apple TV streaming field is each bit as elegant, intuitive, and useful as you’d expect an Apple-produced product to be. High dynamic range (HDR) is a relatively new commonplace that makes imagery extra natural-looking. Combined with a 10-bit panel capable of producing 1.07 billion colors, HDR offers an authentic and visceral viewing experience.
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In addition to streaming video packages, the library has bought and licensed over 400 particular person titles in current years as a result of an increase of college requests for streaming versions of particular content material. First, Canadian iptv provider has a rising commitment to the event and enchancment of on-line and hybrid programs. In the autumn 2016 semester, 142 courses were supplied totally on-line, and one other 117 with a hybrid (combined on-line and in-person) providing. The college additionally has a college of extended studying that offers a few dozen master’s levels and certificates totally on-line.
In 2012, Youku merged with Tudou (土豆), one other well-known Chinese on-line video platform. After the merger, Youku consolidated its domination among the Chinese on-line video platforms. On Tuesday, the Conservatives promised to repeal the act ought to they type government, arguing that imposing Canadian content guidelines on online-streaming providers nonetheless amounts to overreach. The ultimate policy path, which is binding, will apply to broadcast providers, not content creators. That means those producing content on social media, podcasts and video games is not going to be regulated beneath the regulation, the coverage direction exhibits. All media streamers connect to the internet, which opens you as a lot as a world of limitless entertainment prospects.
More advanced options like multi-camera support, analytics, and monetization choices can significantly improve the price of improvement. Additionally, components like platform compatibility (iOS, Android, web), design complexity, and third-party integrations also can impression the general value. YouTube, widely known as the world’s largest video-sharing platform, has not solely revolutionized the best way we devour content material but has also developed into a well-liked reside streaming app. With its massive user base and strong features, YouTube presents creators a dependable and dynamic platform to engage with their audience in real-time through captivating live streams. Live-streaming video content is a wonderful method to interact together with your audience on social media platforms.
A lot of data and opinions have been printed about Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. Some folks have raised concerns and we wish to handle what we’re hearing. The modifications ensuing from this Bill at the second are captured underneath the modernized Broadcasting Act.
Change To Queen’s Streaming Service Platform
The Android ecosystem is compatible with a much wider range of media streaming units. The most notable embrace the Xiaomi Mi Box S, the TiVo Stream 4K, the Nvidia Shield TV, and Sling’s AirTV Mini. Although they are all strong selections, none is pretty much as good as Chromecast with Google TV. Powered by the cutting-edge A10X Fusion CPU, Apple TV 4K will easily play again any content. But the system may even be ready to access a variety of games through the Apple Arcade subscription service, successfully becoming a miniature gaming console.
However, Android television bins are additionally in a position to run open source streaming apps that put the consumer in management. Many even support a full internet browser experience, going above and past just discovering your favourite 4K TV reveals on a shared content material platform. We design and develop one of the best OTT platforms in Canada that help to enhance the overall consumer experience.
The track rose to the top of Apple iTunes’ charts final week after the Hong Kong authorities sought an injunction from the courts to ban “unlawful acts” related to the track and any derivatives of it, including the lyrics and melody. “Glory to Hong Kong” rose to recognition through the 2019 pro-democracy protests, and have become an unofficial protest anthem. It is a precedence for CBC to create merchandise that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Georgie also predicts that with so many players, every charging between $10 and $20 a month, some providers might not survive the competitors. And as both U.S. and Canadian economies have shifted lately, buyers and shareholders have turn out to be less keen to put money into corporations that are not delivering immediate income.
ACF (Audio Cine Films) Streaming popular movies and classics has never been easier. As a cheap add-on to our standard public efficiency license, our streaming service allows you to view films anywhere within your group with out the trouble of bodily copies. Our staff has experienced and devoted developers who are experts in creating video streaming options.


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Airbnb thinks the city of San Francisco is trying to unfairly double-tax hosts there and access too much information about users.
In a blog post Thursday, Airbnb wrote:
Recently, some hosts in San Francisco have received letters from the City Tax Collector demanding that they pay hotel taxes, even though Airbnb is already collecting those taxes and sending them to the city on your behalf. The city is accepting nearly $1 million every month from the Airbnb community, but bureaucrats are demanding our community pay the same tax twice.
San Francisco, like many cities, requires that Airbnb rentals be treated like hotel rooms, at least when it comes to taxes. But the company — which enables homeowners to make money on short-term room or full-dwelling rentals — is arguing that San Francisco’s attempt to directly collect hotel taxes amounts to a demand for a second payment of the same fees.
Added Airbnb in its blog post, which is clearly aimed at getting users of its service to object to the city’s move:
On behalf of hosts, we have collected taxes on every required transaction since October 2014. Along with the monthly checks, we already give the City anonymized booking data confirming that our community has paid all required taxes. It is wrong for the City to tell you to pay a tax it already has received.
What’s more, when the City performed a comprehensive audit and told us what they thought was owed in back taxes, we paid the assessment in full.
The company also argued in its post that it thinks the city’s taxation effort may be about obtaining detailed information about the service’s users.
Even though the City has all the information they need to verify that our community has paid its tax bill, they won’t be satisfied unless we give them personal, private information about our hosts and guests.
The City of San Francisco wants to know who you are, where you live, who stayed in your house and when they were there. This demand for your personal information is wrong and we’re concerned that it sets a bad precedent for how the city treats other Internet platforms.
The company said it is working to resolve the issue without compromising users’ privacy.
Airbnb is headquartered in San Francisco.
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NXT Journey will make its way to the Sunshine State to exhibit at the Brisbane Truck Show for the fourth time. Making its debut in 2017, the show has become an unmissable event for the small Australian company.
At Booth M14, NXT Journey will have stock of their popular Truckie Bag, DayTripper and Toiletry Bags. If you would like bags for your team, call past and they will have a special offer available for the show. They can do a digital concept of how your logo will look on the bags and can even add your team member names to personalise the bags that little bit more.
Managing director, Simon Sutherland, thinks back to NXT Journey’s first show. “Travelling nearly 1300 kilometres to exhibit at a truck show was a massive gamble at the time. We were an up-and-coming business, and like any young business, every bit of expenditure had to be scrutinised. We still need to do this, but there is not as much pressure as there was six years ago,” he said.
NXT Journey has come a long way since the launch of its first work bag in 2015. The company now travels to the USA twice per year to exhibit at truck shows. In March they exhibit at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, and in November at the Women in Trucking Conference, in Dallas, Texas. In 2024, they also plan on exhibiting at IAA Transportation in Hanover, as they expand into the European market.
“It is important for us to be continually pushing ourselves forward. We could easily stay here in Australia, but getting out of our comfort zone helps us not only get in front of more customers, more importantly, it focuses us on getting better. Designing better bags. Being more efficient. Fine tuning our customer service,” Sutherland explained.
NXT Journey continues to widen its range of work and travel bags with the un-veiling of a new backpack design at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show. “We have been working on a backpack for a few years now, just now quite getting it to a point where we were happy with the design. Our range of bags have developed a strong reputation for quality, so we are not about to rush a bag to market that is not ready,” Sutherland said.
“The Brisbane Truck Show provides a perfect opportunity to get feedback on new bags before we go into production.”
Glenn ‘Yogi’ Kendall will be at the NXT Journey booth throughout the four days of the show. Stop by and say hello, get your photo taken and have a yarn with ‘the bear’.
NXT Journey is excited to be a part of the ClubBTS 2023 at this year’s show. They have 100 Toiletry Bags that will be available for the ClubBTS members to collect from their booth.
For those that cannot make this year’s Brisbane Truck Show, you can find all the details of NXT Journey’s products at their website nxtjourney.com.au. You can also visit their shop at 80 Parker Street, Cootamundra, NSW.
One thing that Sutherland is looking for this year is business partners that are interested in distributing and reselling the NXT Journey bags. “We constantly have people contacting us wanting to know where they can find the bags in store around Australia. There is a perfect opportunity for an established business to partner with us to make the bags more accessible,” he said.


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If you watched the BBC breakfast news today you’d have seen their top story that was the government plans to create three new high-street banks from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and Northern Rock. Separating some of the good assets from the toxic loans the new banks would be sold to companies not already in the banking industry.
The low down is that Richard Branson and Virgin Money could be in the running to bid for a bank, they already applied to the FSA for a banking license back in October. The bank of Tesco was another possibility the BBC mooted.
There is another company it might be worth placing an outside bet on to become a bank. PayPal already have an EU banking license which was granted to them in May 2007. They’re one of the most ubiquitous payment methods in the UK – almost everyone who has an eBay account also has a PayPal account. They’ve already diversified with PayPal credit cards and PayPal topup cards so why not get into mortgages and deposit accounts?
Back in 2007 PayPal said there were no plans to use the new licence to offer traditional banking services but that was two years ago and it’s not often the opportunity arises to buy a fully fledged bank along with existing deposit customers and mortgages. Whilst there has been no indication that PayPal may have changed their mind I wonder what services the Bank of PayPal could offer?
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Japan fintech investments fall to five-year low in Q1
There were only eight investment transactions during the quarter.
Japanese fintech investment fell to its lowest quarter in five years, according to a report by FinTech Global.
Investments reached US$100m during the first three months of 2022, with only eight transactions during the quarter.
The opening quarter was marked by major deteriorations in the Japanese stock market, impacting company valuations, especially in tech, according to FinTech Global. This may have caused venture capital firms to pull term sheets.
Not even the Japanese government’s growth plan strategy promoting digitization and proposals for new Digital infrastructure, released in June 2021, was able to change VCs' minds.
Of the eight investment transactions, challenge bank Kyash clinched the largest FinTech deal in Q1, raising $41m in their Series D funding round. This value alone accounted for 41% of the total FinTech investments Japan received during the quarter.
Kyash said that it will use the proceeds to double its headcount and bolster product growth.