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In a day of swings and roundabouts for the UK’s 5G arena, communications provider Virgin Media revealed that 5G services are now available in 100 towns and cities across the country, but the edge was taken off by comms regulator Ofcom announcing that it is delaying the long-awaited auction of the 700MHz and 3.6-3.8GHz spectrum bands that will support next-generation network services.
Ofcom’s regulations for the auction came into force on 18 November 2020 and applications to participate in the auction have now closed, but the regulator has now provided an update on timing for the principal stage of the auction, expressing concerns about the Covid-19 status in the UK where lockdown regulations have been in place since 26 December 2020.
Following a pause in the auction process, Ofcom was originally planning for the principal stage of the auction to take place in January 2021. It has now said this bidding stage will begin in March. However, the regulator said it would continue to monitor developments.
After the Ofcom statement was issued, a spokesperson from EE 5G network owner BT said that even though it understood the unique circumstances of the decision, it was disappointed that the auction would be delayed and cautioned against any further holds-ups given the negative effect that these could have on the UK economy.
“The auction and subsequent release of spectrum remain central to the future roll-out of mobile networks and 5G,” the spokesperson added. “The economy’s recovery from Covid-19 is dependent on resilient digital infrastructure and we urge Ofcom to resist any further requests for delays.”
As it fought to warn the UK government against the removal of its technology from the national infrastructure, comms tech provider Huawei calculated that severely delaying UK operators’ 5G roll-out plans could adversely affect the UK economy by £18.2bn, potentially losing the UK’s current competitive advantage in 5G market leadership.
As it joins this market in what the company calls a milestone moment in its history, Virgin Media’s 5G services will be making exclusive use of the Vodafone UK 5G network. The launch is a major milestone in its partnership with the company, which was first announced in 2019.
Jeff Dodds, Virgin Media
Virgin customers who upgrade to 5G will be migrated to receive all mobile services from the Vodafone network. New and existing mobile customers taking a 4G plan will remain on Virgin Media’s mobile service via EE’s network until Virgin Media’s agreement with BT Enterprise comes to an end in late 2021. Virgin Media anticipates that all of its mobile customers will have transitioned to the Vodafone network by early 2022.
“As the world’s first virtual mobile operator, our offering has long been about breaking boundaries and offering our customers a premium service without the price tag,” said Virgin Media chief operating officer Jeff Dodds.
“That’s why we’re launching fast, reliable 5G connectivity at no extra cost while keeping the added extras of our existing mobile plans in place. By offering 5G and gigabit broadband all under one roof, Virgin Media customers can experience next-generation connectivity both in and out of the home, putting them in a great place to take advantage of the latest technology,” he added.
Vodafone UK’s head of wholesale, Mike Cartwright, said the move was a continued validation of Vodafone’s wholesale strategy of bringing new mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) onto its network.
Virgin said its virtual mobile network would offer average speeds in the region of 176.62Mbps, around 4.5 times faster than its average 4G speeds. 5G services will be available to customers on a range of plans, including SIM-only and pay monthly. New 5G plans include the new Samsung Galaxy S21 handset.
Read more about UK 5G
- UK operator Three now offers 5G in 154 towns and cities services from over 800 sites across the UK and announces partnership with Ericsson that includes roll-out of 5G and improvements to 4G network.
- UK’s largest and busiest container port at Felixstowe to test the potential of 5G across two use cases: enabling remotely controlled cranes and optimising predictive maintenance through IoT and AI.
- IT services, consulting and business solutions provider Tata employed to help Three to configure and maintain its next-generation mobile network and ensure first time right network operations.


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Moving to significantly expand its LATAM market profile and ambitions, Betfair has outlined securing its Official Partner’ status with CONMEBOL as one of the firm’s most important strategic marketing initiatives in the betting brand’s history.
Announced last week, the partnership – which runs until December 2022 – sees the Betfair brand displayed across CONMEBOL’s flagship Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana tournaments, South America’s most prestigious club competitions.
Undertaking its biggest South American marketing commitment, the Betfair brand will be displayed across syndicated CONMEBOL matchdays played in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Speaking to SBC, Harry Phillips, Head of Sponsorship at Betfair, commented on the significance of securing the CONMEBOL partner status as Betfair pursues its global growth agenda.
“This partnership with CONMEBOL will form an important part of our global growth strategy,” he said. “With 260 matches running from January to November across both The Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, the partnership gives us extensive in stadia and broadcast exposure and reach.
“Both competitions are renowned for the passionate fans and performed strongly in consumer research we carried out in the region. By associating our brand with competitions of such calibre and activating the partnership in a way which that engages fans, we hope to improve both our brand awareness and perception in LATAM.”
Betfair recognizes the structural reforms CONMEBOL governance has undertaken to boost the global appeal and reach of its tournaments, whilst further strengthening its member state football development with increased investment.
Acknowledging CONMEBOL’s efforts, Betfair underlines its responsibility as the governing body’s first-ever betting partner by detailing that transparency will lead its marketing directives for South America – a region in which a number of bookmakers have chosen to operate under the radar.
“As with any sponsorship we sign, we always operate in a transparent way,” added Phillips. “Given the scale of this partnership, our intention has always been to activate it in a way that reaches our target audience.
“Betfair already has an established customer base across a number of countries in Latin America and we very much have the ambition to keep expanding and growing our business in the region, especially as more countries move to regulate.
“The CONMEBOL partnership is a testimony to our focus on LATAM and our desire to deliver the best and most relevant proposition to local customers.”

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Retail sales dropped in February but gasoline prices are not to blame-rather auto sales. Retail sales in February declined 0.6 percent after decreasing 0.8 percent in January. The market consensus for February was for 0.3 percent gain. As expected from unit new auto sales data, auto sales dropped 2.5 percent, following a 0.5 percent rise in January. Excluding autos, sales decreased 0.1 percent, following a 1.1 percent drop in January. Analysts projected a 0.5 percent increase. Gasoline sales actually partially rebounded 1.5 percent in February after dropping 9.8 percent the month before. Excluding both autos and gasoline sales fell 0.2 percent after slipping 0.1 percent in January. Expectations were for a 0.5 percent increase.
Some components may have been weak due to winter weather and a stay at home attitude. Declines were seen in furniture & home furnishings, electronics, building materials & garden equipment, health & personal care, general merchandise, miscellaneous, and food services & drinking places.
Gains were seen in food & beverage, sporting goods & etc. and nonstore retailers (largely Internet sales).
The latest consumer sector numbers are curious. Confidence is still moderately high, discretionary income is moderately high, but spending is sluggish. Today’s numbers will nudge down estimates for first quarter GDP growth.


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In January, the Missouri Renewable Fuel Standard became law in the Show-Me state. The standard requires an E10 blend of gasoline (10 percent ethanol) when the price of ethanol is less than regular gasoline. Missouri is one of three states with such a fuel standard and the first to have such a pricing mechanism.
But is it really saving drivers money at the fuel pump? To find out, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council recently commissioned a study by John Urbanchuk and LECG, an economic consulting service.
Study in hand, in late April, Urbanchuk (http://www.lecg.com/website/LWBios.nsf/OpenPage/JohnM.Urbanchuk) testified before lawmakers — along with opponents of the new standard — at the Missouri State Capitol. He spoke with Delta Farm Press shortly after that appearance. Among his comments:
On the Missouri testimony…
“The legislation developed by the opponents of the E10 mandate (was discussed). They're seeking to have the mandate removed and they presented the picture from the perspective of the cattle industry.
“Those of us working on the side of the corn industry — and my client, of course, is the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council — pointed out that not just the corn sector, but all Missourians, benefit from E10 blended gasoline. Ethanol works to the benefit of all Missourians.”
On highlights from the study…
“We were asked to examine and analyze the impact of E10 on gasoline prices at the pump — that would be 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol. We used actual data for gasoline prices at various stages of distribution channels … and the retail price for 2007 and year-to-date for 2008 (through the end of March).
“Then, we made projections based on forecasts for gasoline and wholesale ethanol prices that were developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and published in the Energy Information Agency's long-term U.S. energy outlook. Those numbers were first published in January and updated in March.
“What we found is that in 2007, when roughly 70 percent of the gasoline in Missouri was voluntarily blended with ethanol, the average savings was 7.7 cents per gallon.
“In 2008, we estimate the difference will be 9.8 cents. Obviously, oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed. While ethanol prices have increased, they haven't (risen like gasoline).”
So the numbers you cited in your testimony mean 2008 will be better for consumers?
“I'm confident in the 9.8 cents per gallon (prediction) as a consequence of using E10. And that's a benefit for every Missouri driver. There are 3.9 million licensed drivers in the state. They'll each end up saving about $73.”
When would ethanol be cost-prohibitive?
“The combination of factors that would render ethanol uneconomical would be if oil and gas prices fell while ethanol prices increased.
“Because what you're looking at is 90 percent of the blend is gasoline. Keep in mind, the ethanol price was adjusted … There's a 51 cent volumetric ethanol excise tax credit that the blender — the person who buys the ethanol from the producer — receives. Basically, that tax allows him to reduce his effective cost for ethanol.
“So, if you have a circumstance where gas prices fell and ethanol prices rose, ethanol may not be cost-effective. But I have a hard time seeing that circumstance occur. Oil prices continue to rise and gasoline is following.
“Ethanol prices are determined by a combination of gasoline — because it's sold as an additive to gasoline — and ethanol production. While rising oil prices will also carry ethanol along, the ethanol price will be moderated by the fact that we're producing more and more of it.
“I feel confident that over the next decade Missourians will save about 7.2 cents per gallon due to use of E10.”
With rising food prices are you having an increasingly hard time getting your message across?
“In many respects, these are two separate issues.
“What we're doing is looking specifically at retail level gasoline prices and asking, ‘what is the impact of ethanol at the pump?’
“Looking at food prices, last month the CPI for food beverages was 4.7 percent above March of 2007. Total CPI was up a bit over 4 percent.
“So, food prices are accelerating faster than they have in the past several years. They aren't anywhere near the rates of change we had back in the early and mid-1990s. And you could go back to the glory days of Jimmy Carter when we had double digit increases in prices.
“But food prices are beginning to rise. Why is that happening? Critics of biofuel say it's because of the way corn is being used. Corn being used to make ethanol isn't being put into the food system and, as a consequence, food prices are going up.
“The fallacy with that argument is when you make ethanol from corn, you don't lose the full feed value. And keep in mind — and it astounds me that we must continue to remind people of this — that the corn we're talking about is eaten by us in the form of a pork chop or chicken or a glass of milk. That corn represents one raw material, one ingredient — an important one, I admit — in the production of meat, milk and poultry. And it has some impact on other things like sweeteners. But it's only one raw material.
“The price for energy, however, has a much greater impact on retail food prices than does the price of corn. To say that the only reason that food prices are increasing is due to ethanol is absolutely wrong and a ridiculous allegation, in my opinion.
“Is it having an impact? Is it a contributing factor? Yes but not, by any stretch of the imagination, the major factor or even a major factor.
More on the error of fusing food prices and ethanol…
“The other part of the situation involves the consumer retail food basket. Take a look at the products corn plays a direct role in as a cost of production: beef, pork, chicken, turkeys, and eggs. And let's add milk in, too, although corn plays a tiny role in dairy costs.
“Looking at all that, you'll find that those foods only account for about 30 percent of the food products in the average retail food basket.
“There's a lot of stuff going on that impacts food prices. To lay the blame for food price increases at the feet of biofuels is wrong.
“Also, take a look at where food prices are increasing the fastest: cereal and bakery products. Those are made almost exclusively from wheat.
“We don't make ethanol from wheat. There are a few people around the world who do. And wheat prices have been affected by things other than biofuels such as drought in Australia and other global production distortions.
“Some say, ‘We're taking land out of wheat and putting it in corn.’ That isn't true. The wheat acreage in the United States has increased for the last two years. And if you believe the USDA planting report from a couple of weeks ago, even more is being planted this year.
“As for the price increases in dairy products and eggs, those are due to strong foreign demand. Our exports of those are up significantly and that's driving prices up.
“It's a complex issue and there's a lot more to it than just ‘food prices are up because we're making ethanol from corn.’”
That case is being aggressively made…
“You can't pick up a newspaper almost anywhere in the world where food shortages and world hunger are being discussed and not find a reference to the use of corn for ethanol.
“The most significant crop being covered recently is rice. There are problems with the supply and access that has pushed up prices dramatically. There are countries that have put on export restrictions on rice and have regulations against hoarding.
“Well, none of that is due to the use of corn for ethanol. No one makes ethanol from rice. The problems with rice stem from production and distribution issues.
“But critics point to biofuels as a reason for the problems with the rice supply. And people often blindly accept that and say, ‘I guess that's right.’
“It's not. And corn is rarely planted on the same ground as rice. It's rare there's competition for land between those crops. Worldwide, rice is primarily a paddy crop. In Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas — where most U.S. rice is grown — rice land isn't usually suitable for corn.”
On the different reactions from grain farmers and ranchers to his report…
“Grain farmers — corn, soybean, wheat — understand this. They know the market dynamics. In many respects, they actually transcend basic agricultural factors.
“For example, one global problem is market speculation. There has been a tremendous surge of speculative money in the form of investment in commodity funds and the like. Those represent money coming out of the weak financial and housing sectors and going into hard assets and commodities like grains. That's significantly raised prices.
“We may be looking at a circumstance where roughly a third of the price of corn is due to pressures being driven by the investors. That's the commodity bubble.
“And I'll tell you that, as with every other bubble, this one will burst and there will be a rationalization of prices.
“When I speak with farmers and ranchers in the poultry and livestock industries, they're much more vociferous in their criticism of biofuels. The current situation is certainly driving up their cost of production and creating financial anxiety.
“Now, I'm looking at this from the side of the corn industry. We went through several years where corn prices were around $2 per bushel. At that time, the livestock and poultry industry weren't complaining. They were more than happy to allow the taxpayer to subsidize corn through farm programs and payments because that helped keep their costs down. Now, the shoe is on the other foot and they're justifiably concerned.”
(See Urbanchuk's full report at www.mocorn.org.)


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The European Central Bank (ECB) has warned about the exuberant behavior exhibited in different markets, including that involving cryptocurrency. The central bank is encouraging regulators to act on regulating stablecoins, also known as fiat-backed cryptocurrencies. According to the bank, the stablecoin market is growing rapidly and requires an immediate regulatory framework for it.
The bank is worried about the effect of stablecoins on the traditional financial market, given that they are prone to volatility like Bitcoin. It said that investors could record significant losses if they continue to leverage the growing market.
ECB President Says Stablecoins Are Assets and Needed to be Backed
In September, ECB President Christian Lagarde, suggested that stablecoins shouldn’t be treated as currencies but as assets, reiterating the need for such coins to be backed by the corresponding fiat currency. While discussing the launch of the region’s CBDC Digital Euro, Lagarde stated that although stablecoins have the same attributes of a coin, it isn’t actually a coin. It is completely different from and associated with fiat currencies. Their values will be pegged to the US dollar.
The bank discloses that global monetary easing has encouraged risky investment practices, despite the region witnessing a 4.1 inflation rate in October. The bank predicts that markets could see correction, pointing to the weak economic recovery, sudden adjustments in market expectations about monetary policy, and emphasis on the non-financial corporate sector as possible triggers. The market cap. of stablecoins are now put at $120B.
Plans to Launch Digital Euro Still Underway
In March, the ECB president disclosed that the European region may release its digital Euro in the next four years, provided that policymakers agree to the decision. According to Lagarde, discussions alongside preparations may take up to four years or a little longer than expected.
Earlier this September at the World Economic Forum, the bank revealed that it will open a two-year investigation into its proposed plan to release the digital Euro. The investigation will focus on the processes involved in distribution, the economic effect of the CBDC on the European market, and the laws that need to be put in place to facilitate utilization.
According to Lagarde, the reason for the investigation is to ensure that the region’s CBDC addresses the concerns of its citizens without hampering the traditional financial structure. At the summit, Lagarde said that the digital Euro must address the people’s demands, thus stressing the need for the bank to be more prepared to release the technology to the region.
With different countries of the world experimenting with CBDCs, it’s apparent that many countries will launch their digitized fiat currencies soon. Some countries like Nigeria and China, have already launched the eNaira and eYuan to facilitate cross-border payments and help the unbanked conduct transactions easily. India, Brazil, and Jamaica are also exploring the use cases of the CBDC and how to integrate it into their financial infrastructures.


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Chicago — DSI Holdings Corporation, the largest owner and operator of ServiceMaster franchises in the United States, has hired Michael Ganda as its new director of strategic marketing. His primary responsibility will be overseeing DSI’s web site and digital presence.
“I am thrilled to welcome Michael Ganda into the DSI family,” says Jim Boccher, DSI’s president and CEO. “Michael has over 18 years of experience developing and executing digital marketing and business strategies. He has led billion-dollar companies in this capacity and his vision and skill set is exactly what we need to support DSI’s future growth.”
Prior to joining DSI, Ganda was director of marketing and strategy for ServiceMaster Brands. During this time, lead generation grew by 300% for the five brands under his leadership.
DSI Holdings is an ownership/management group headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., specializing in providing residential and commercial disaster restoration services through the ServiceMaster DSI and ServiceMaster Recovery Management (SRM) brands. Starting with its first ServiceMaster license in 1981, DSI Holdings has grown to be the premier ownership group within the ServiceMaster network, amassing 85 licenses within the United States and serving as the flagship SRM operator. Through these brands, DSI services clients in all 50 states and its large loss team has provided commercial disaster restoration services in more than 20 countries around the world.
SOURCE: DSI Holdings Corporation


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On December 14, Moonray PBC, the developer of multiplayer action role-playing game (RPG) Moonray, announced that the project had raised $3.5 million from strategic investors. Moonray is considered the first metaverse and gaming non-fungible token (NFT) exchange built on the Bitcoin network through Stacks.
Moonray PBC Relies on Stacks to Create Blockchain Game on Bitcoin, Project Raises $3.5M from Strategic Investors
Play-to-earn (P2E), non-fungible token (NFT) and metaverse games have become very popular lately. There has been a huge amount of funding going to video game development projects and new ventures launched by major game makers. A report published in mid-November shows that game developers are beginning to integrate blockchain technology into games more frequently. On Tuesday, startup Moonray PBC announced that the team had raised $3.5 million in a funding round led by Animoca Brands.
The funds will be dedicated to scaling up the Moon Beam multiplayer action-RPG, an NFT marketplace, and an in-game economy. In addition to Animoca Brands, investors such as LD Capital, Lucid Blue Ventures, GBV Capital, and Metavest Capital have joined Moonray’s funding round. Unlike the myriad of blockchain games built on networks like Ethereum and Solana, Moonray is built using Bitcoin (BTC) protocol through Battery. “Stacks is an open-source blockchain network that leverages the security and capital of Bitcoin for decentralized applications and smart contracts,” the Stacks website Explain.
According to Rodrigo Etcheto, CEO of Moonray PBC, bitcoin (BTC) will be an integral part of the Moonray gaming ecosystem, with the ability to earn bitcoin yield and Lightning Network integration. “Building a game in the metaverse is more than just putting something in VR or AR, there needs to be an economy where players can have a real financial stake in the things they own,” Etcheto said in a statement on Tuesday. “Players have found roundabout ways to trade digital items in the past and we’re trying to make it easier for them to trade and sell items.”
The Moonray PBC executive added:
When our marketplace is fully operational, we will offer Lightning Network integration, [bitcoin] payments and NFTs that have the ability to earn [bitcoin] yield.
Moonray plans to launch in March 2022
The Moonray game and Moonray NFT Marketplace are aiming to launch with select players around March 2022, according to the funding announcement. The funding from Animoca Brands follows Animoca’s partnership with the popular NFT Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) project. Animoca Brands and the creators of BAYC, Yuga Labs, plan to launch a play-to-earn (P2E) blockchain game based on BAYC NFTs next year as well. Yat Siu, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Animoca Brands, believes blockchain games are transforming the industry and Moonray will be part of the change.
“Blockchain games are evolving rapidly. Moonray is at the forefront of this change, creating a far-flung RPG experience that will be unlike anything most gamers have ever seen on the blockchain,” Siu said in a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News. “We’re very excited about the potential Moonray demonstrates as it builds this ambitious AAA multiplayer experience.”
What do you think of Moonray PBC raising $3.5 million from investors like Animoca Brands and Lucid Blue Ventures? Let us know what you think about this topic in the comments section below.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Warning: This article is for informational purposes only. This is not a direct offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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Google is rolling out a Pixel Buds firmware patch that should fix an audio glitch some users experienced. The patch, part of firmware update v552, resolves an issue where audio cuts out every minute and 50 seconds.
When the latest Pixel Buds arrived in April, we were impressed by their solid audio, reliable touch controls, fit and price. But shortly after the earbuds launched, users began reporting issues with audio cutting out. Google acknowledged the problems in June and said it would begin rolling out software fixes.
As 9to5Google notes, firmware updates in June and August decreased audio hissing and static and improved call stability, autorecovery after losing connection, media playback and more. Not all users experienced audio cutting out after one minute and 50 seconds, so this latest update is a pretty specific issue. Some users are still experiencing random cutouts, so Google still has work to do.


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StorySign: Huawei Launches Story Platform for Deaf Children
4th December 2018
Huawei has had a pretty impressive year with not one, but two amazing handset launches. Today, they launched StorySign, an app aimed at making...
© Goosed.ie 2021


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District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (D) on Monday broadened the antitrust lawsuit he filed against Amazon in May, accusing the e-commerce giant of locking owner sellers into anti-competitive deals.
The amended lawsuit filed in DC Superior Court alleges that Amazon required wholesalers to guarantee that the company will make a minimum profit when buying and reselling merchandise.
“Amazon continued to use its dominant position as an online marketplace to rig the system, resulting in higher prices for consumers and less competition between online marketplaces,” Racine said.
Racine’s initial lawsuit in May dealt with Amazon’s treatment of third-party sellers.
The complaint alleges that Amazon charges excessive fees and does not allow these sellers to offer their products elsewhere at lower costs, which ultimately results in higher prices and less choice for consumers.
The amended complaint adds alleged anti-competitive treatment of wholesalers, who sell products to Amazon.
According to Racine’s office, under the company’s minimum margin agreement, Amazon essentially forces owner sellers to make up the difference if the ecommerce platform drops prices to compete with other markets.
These agreements lead wholesalers to artificially increase their prices on online marketplaces and make it difficult for these other platforms to compete with Amazon.
The Hill has contacted Amazon for comment on the amended complaint.


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New Millngate development at Brockhurst Gate in Gosport could affect traffic, say councillors
EARLY concerns have been raised over a multimillion-pound retail development on a former military site.
As reported by The News, developer Millngate has revealed a plan to build a development on Brockhurst Gate, in Gosport, opposite the leisure centre, which would include an M&S Food Hall, Lidl and McDonald’s.
There are also plans for a football pitch.
Councillor Patrick Bergin, who represents Rowner and Holbrook, has had several local residents get in touch with him, although says it is still early days as a planning permission has yet to be submitted.
He says traffic along the A32 has been one of the key topics that has come up, as well as fears that the proposed football pitch could also become a site for housing later.
He said: ‘The big question people have asked me about is the football pitches. Developers will need to put sinkholes and other things to make the ground suitable to build on.
‘We don’t have all that many football pitches in Gosport and it will be good, but developers often change their minds down the line.
‘There will have to be a traffic impact assessment carried out as the A32 is bad at the best of times.’
Cllr Mark Hook, leader of Gosport Borough Council, also noted that it could have an impact on the town centre.
Cllr Hook said: ‘There are already complaints that the town centre is not used enough and, if we encourage people to shop out of it, what will effect will it have?
‘We need to make sure that the shops proposed are the ones that will come in and it is M&S Food and Lidl.
A Millngate spokesman said: ‘The new football pitches will remain in private ownership but with greatly increased public access.
‘It will employ a groundsman and manager and ensure that it does not detract from our investment in the adjoining retail and restaurant development. The vast majority of vehicles visiting will already be on the local road network and a full traffic assessment will be submitted.
‘The proposed new traffic light-controlled junction into Brockhurst Gate on Heritage Way has been subject to an independent road safety audit. So we are happy that the traffic impact will be minimal.’


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Indian woman sprinter Dutee Chand wants to sell her BMW to fund her training expenses due to lack of sponsors amid global coronavirus pandemic.
In a Facebook post, Dutee Chand posted a photo of her BMW and wrote in Odia “I want to sell my BMW car. If anyone wants to buy, contact me on messenger.”
“No sponsor is willing to spend on me due to this pandemic. I am in need of money and so have decided to sell it off to meet my training and diet expenses as I’m preparing for the Tokyo Olympic, which has been shifted to July 11, 2021, due to COVID-19 Outbreak,” Dutee Chand told India Today.
Dutee Chand had bought a BMW 3 series in 2018 from Telangana for 30 Lakhs after recovering a cash reward of Rs 3 crore from Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik for her achievement in Asian Games.
Dutee does not train as per the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) rules and regulations and hence has no support from the AFI.
She trains under the aegis of the state government and KIIT University as a sponsor. She also got Rs 50 lakh for Olympic training from government of which she spends around Rs 5 lakh per month including salaries of coach, physiotherapists, dietician and other purposes. All the money from sponsors had been spent keeping in mind the earlier dates of Olympics, 23 July 2020.
“I’m not upset. I was able to buy the car because of my competitions. I will again compete, earn money and buy myself a luxury car. The important thing right now is to focus and train for Olympics in 2021,” said Asian Games 2018 silver medalist said to timesnownews.com.


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— JustCBD (@JustCbd) June 18, 2020
- Hemp Farming Act Of 2018
- S. 2667 (one hundred and fifteenth): Hemp Farming Act Of 2018
- S. 2667 (one hundred and fifteenth) Was A Bill In The United States Congress.
- H.r.5485 – Hemp Farming Act Of 2018115th Congress (2017-
- Summary: H.r.5485 — a hundred and fifteenth Congress (2017- All Information (Except Text)
Hemp Farming Act Of 2018
FDA has been working closely with our state, tribal, and native partners to assist them in navigating the regulation of hemp products, together with people who include CBD. A number of states, tribes, and native jurisdiction have enacted varied legal guidelines that decriminalize or enable several types of hashish compounds or products beneath state law. FDA can also be aware that products that include CBD have turn out to be out there in these jurisdictions, in addition to in jurisdictions that have not enacted any cannabis legalization-related legislation. The legislation prevents anyone with a drug-associated felony from working in authorized state hemp industries, preventing many individuals who have been impacted by the unequal enforcement of cannabis prohibition from participating within the financial alternatives created by new applications.
S. 2667 (one hundred and fifteenth): Hemp Farming Act Of 2018
As the legislation is written, state applications would wish to include strategies for tracking land used for hemp production and audit producers to ensure that the hemp they’re rising contains less than zero.three% THC. Programs would additionally must be permitted by the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, in consultation with the Attorney General within 60 days of being submitted. Additionally, states would not be permitted to ban the transportation of hemp and hemp merchandise by way of their jurisdictions, but manufacturing and gross sales would solely be permitted in states with accredited applications. The invoice also accommodates numerous directives for research on hemp and hemp cultivation. The USDA held its first listening session on March 13th where it solicited public feedback on the 2018 Farm Bill dealing with hemp and the USDA’s forthcoming regulations.
S. 2667 (115th) Was A Bill In The United States Congress.
Now that the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 is regulation, hemp shall be treated the identical as another legal crop by the Department of Agriculture, with a number of caveats based on its previous standing as a controlled substance and the potential for unscrupulous growers to domesticate strains with excessive THC ranges. There existed “ongoing pressure between federal and state authorities over state hemp insurance policies” as a result of non-cooperation of the DEA with state applications, and lawsuits introduced or threatened by farmers and states against the DEA.
H.r.5485 – Hemp Farming Act Of 2018115th Congress (2017-
The US authorities even promoted hemp progress for industrial uses with a propaganda film throughout WWII (called “Hemp for Victory”). Farmers and corporations which were working to deliver CBD to the market. They have been facing various dangers with out the federal legalization of hemp gross sales. There are still many unknown questions about labeling necessities, trademark protections, product legal responsibility, coming into the international market and more. Andre Bourque (@SocialMktgFella) is a hashish trade connector, brand advisor, contributing writer, and the Vice President of Business Development for Verdantis Advisors, a full-service hashish consulting company.
Summary: H.r.5485 — one hundred and fifteenth Congress (2017- All Information (Except Text)
In 2014, Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) secured a hemp pilot program in that 12 months’s farm bill. Since then, a minimum of 35 states have taken up the supply and developed industrial hemp programs, and people states will be eligible to pursue a authorized, regulated market when the invoice is signed into regulation. The passage of this provision will surely bring about a new era for the agricultural industry, and the hashish business — when hemp returns to American farmlands. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, states will continue to be the first regulators for hemp production and distribution—although not with out the direct approval of the USDA.
FDA looks forward to maintaining Congress and stakeholders updated on our work to deliver appropriate hemp products to market via current regulatory pathways, in addition to our efforts to find out whether or not extra regulatory frameworks are applicable for products containing CBD. Our work on hemp products will continue to be based in our public health mission and our commitment to making sound, science-primarily based coverage. While FDA is considering the possibility of new legal pathways for CBD products, we all know that you will need to preserve enough incentives for drug research and improvement.
The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) and the State Department of Agriculture (“State Department”) have been permitted to conduct pilot packages devoted to learning hemp. As a results of the studies, hemp has been cultivated for this limited objective. The 2018 Farm Bill now supplies an expansive stage of cultivation – past pilot packages. Hemp can now be cultivated for the transfer of hemp products across states for each industrial and non-business purposes. The Bill does not present for restrictions related to move, sale, or the possession of hemp-associated products.
The 2018 Farm Bill extends federal crop insurance coverage coverage to industrial hemp. Hemp producers can apply for USDA certification and grants, as with different agricultural commodities. The U.S. hemp industry is anticipating enterprise to broaden and buyers to beckon after Congress on Wednesday handed farm legislation that included a provision to legalize and regulate the plant beneath the Department of Agriculture. That mentioned, no different nation has a cannabis business like America’s (mostly as a result of America has developed 33 totally different packages), which makes predicting the impression of federal legalization on market trends difficult, according to Battley.
Typically, hashish is not a part of the conversation round farm subsidies, dietary help, and crop insurance. Yet, this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s robust help of and leadership on the difficulty of hemp has thrust the cannabis plant into the limelight. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) handles the extramural research aspects of business hemp which incorporates provisions contained under the 2014 Farm Bill allowing for pilot applications for industrial hemp cultivation. Until the USDA AMS rule establishing the domestic production of hemp pursuant to the 2018 Farm Bill is effective, researchers ought to continue following the guidance received concerning Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill and not exceed interpretation of the 2014 Farm Bill, Section 7606.
Fda’s Commitment To Sound, Science Based Policy On Cbd
Modern Luxury Palm Beach Article link:https://t.co/APGS1s8Vpj
— JustCBD (@JustCbd) June 4, 2020
However, marijuana and CBD derived from marijuana is still a Schedule I managed substance within the United States. The 2018 Farm Bill abolishes this inconsistent therapy by eradicating industrial hemp from the definition of “marihuana” in the CSA. In addition, THC contained in industrial hemp will be faraway from the purview of the CSA, making clear that industrial hemp plants can be grown domestically in addition to imported.
With decrease barriers to entry, the remaining 10 states that have not yet developed a pilot program could also be extra more likely to broach the market. The plant might be taken off the federal listing of managed substances, in any case, and sales will become authorized throughout the country. (The definition of the hemp plant remaining inextricably tied to that zero.3-% THC limit, imposed by earlier policy and case regulation.) Hemp cultivators and researchers will now have the ability to apply for federal grants and particular crop insurance policies, opening the door to greater entry to capital.
Prior to the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, the CSA didn’t differentiate between marijuana and hemp, and all hashish (with certain exceptions, e.g. sterilized seeds and mature stalks of the plant) was a Schedule I substance and therefore managed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Early interest in clinical analysis was targeted on the development of medication using THC rather than CBD. More lately, interest in CBD as a drug is rising, and, as mentioned above, FDA accredited Epidiolex in 2018, a drug for the therapy of two severe types of childhood seizures. Now, for the first time since the end of World War II, states are slated to soon have the ability to create federally authorized hemp applications underneath the 2018 Farm Bill, which President Trump is anticipated to signal into regulation any day.
FDA works collaboratively with USDA and EPA on a day in and time out basis across the Agency’s applications to make sure coordination throughout the Federal authorities. Hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) could be exempted from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in states with permitted programs, however CBD will remain a Schedule 1 substance beneath the CSA and unlawful on the federal stage. The Farm Bill also does not impression the present Food & Drug Administration ban on CBD merchandise or its capacity to regulate the substance sooner or later.
Several provisions of the Farm Bill include adjustments to current provisions of agricultural regulation to include hemp. One of the most important provisions from the attitude of hemp farmers lies in part 11101. This section consists of hemp farmers’ protections under the Federal Crop Insurance Act. This will help farmers who, within the regular course of agricultural manufacturing, face crop termination (crop losses).
The new bill will allow farmers to get to insurance for their hemp crops and participate in USDA applications for grants and certifications. The invoice also legalizes transportation of hemp and hemp products across all 50 states.
Stated simply, Aurora’s world plans transcend being first to market as new international locations develop their medical or adult-use cannabis packages. The company is seeking to establish cultivation and manufacturing companies in a number of markets and tailor those companies’ practices to those environments. With the rise in popularity of cannabis and CBD oil, hemp has slowly been working its means into the spotlight.
In addition, Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill will remain in effect and continue to be an possibility for hemp researchers for one 12 months after the AMS rule becomes effective. The 2018 Farm Bill made tremendous adjustments to the regulation of hemp merchandise, and FDA is fully dedicated to the work that lies ahead in this house. We recognize the significant interest and potential this crop has for farmers throughout the United States.
It additionally establishes a Federal plan for producers in States or territories of Indian tribes that don’t have their very own USDA-approved plan. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) authorized the production of hemp and eliminated hemp and hemp seeds from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) schedule of Controlled Substances. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue laws and steering to implement a program to create a consistent regulatory framework around manufacturing of hemp throughout the United States. The institution of hemp as a regulated commodity also paves the way in which for U.S. hemp farmers to participate in different USDA farm packages.
By 2018, teams calling for de-scheduling of hemp included the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the National Farmers Union and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Under the 2018 Farm Bill hemp is treated like other agricultural commodities in many ways. While there are provisions that closely regulate hemp, and concerns exist amongst legislation enforcement—rightly or wrongly—that hashish vegetation used to derive marijuana will be comingled with hemp vegetation, this laws makes hemp a mainstream crop.
The listening session was supposed to permit trade participants to help the USDA in its rulemaking efforts because it pertains to the manufacturing of hemp. The USDA is required underneath the 2018 Farm Bill to create laws and tips “as expeditiously as possible.” Regulations are anticipated previous to the 2020 planting season. The 2018 Farm Bill directed Congress to check the hemp production pilot programs developed by states underneath the 2014 Farm Bill. These pilot applications will remain in place till one yr after the USDA releases its laws governing hemp manufacturing.
- Since then, no less than 35 states have taken up the supply and developed industrial hemp applications, and those states might be eligible to pursue a legal, regulated market when the bill is signed into law.
- The bill authorizes the production, manufacture, retail sale, and inspection of commercial hemp crops and merchandise in Texas.
- In 2014, Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) secured a hemp pilot program in that yr’s farm invoice.
- On June 10, 2019, House Bill 1325, was signed into legislation by Governor Greg Abbott.
- This additionally includes merchandise for consumable hemp merchandise which contain cannabidiol (CBD), in addition to different edible elements of the hemp plant.
As the local weather adjustments and as farmers get used to growing this “new” product, these protections might be necessary. It has solely been seven months for the reason that 2018 Farm Bill eliminated hemp, which includes low- THC derivatives of hashish, corresponding to CBD merchandise, from the definition of marijuana in the CSA.
This week, Congress agreed to the ultimate model of the 2018 Farm Bill, and President Trump is expected to signal the legislation within days. While it offers essential agricultural and nutritional policy extensions for five years, essentially the most attention-grabbing adjustments involve the cannabis plant.
Some States have already began engaged on new hemp cultivation rules to comply with the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill. These States will probably proceed to modify their laws as the USDA releases extra information about what the USDA expects to see in each State’s plan. In the meantime, States could continue to operate under the 2014 Farm Bill and should implement pilot packages to review the viability of hemp as an agricultural product. The 2014 Farm Bill does not expressly permit business sale of hemp merchandise produced pursuant to a state’s pilot program, however some states have interpreted the ability to research the “advertising” features of hemp as allowing commercial activity, at least to some extent. Second, there might be important, shared state-federal regulatory power over hemp cultivation and manufacturing.
On June 10, 2019, House Bill 1325, was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott. The bill authorizes the manufacturing, manufacture, retail sale, and inspection of commercial hemp crops and merchandise in Texas. This also includes products for consumable hemp products which comprise cannabidiol (CBD), as well as different edible components of the hemp plant. Marijuana’s “cousin,” hemp, is generally barred because it is part of the cannabis plant, even though it accommodates very little of that drug’s key psychoactive ingredient, THC.
Prior to the 2018 Farm Bill, federal legislation regarding industrial hemp was a patchwork of statutes, rules and court docket choices that allowed for the importation of sure hemp products, however not for the domestic production of the crop. After a lengthy process by way of Congress, the President signed into law The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) on Dec. 20, 2018. The bill replaces the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2014, which expired Sept. 30, 2018. Distributing more than $850 billion, the 2018 Farm Bill is an enormous piece of laws that funds packages such as crop insurance coverage, college lunches and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aka meals stamps.
Drugs have important therapeutic value and are accredited after rigorous scientific studies that provide essential new information about therapeutic uses. It is important that we continue to do what we will to support the science needed to develop new drugs from cannabis. To date, FDA has permitted four medicine that contain lively ingredients that are cannabinoids found in or related to the hashish plant. In addition to Epidiolex, which contains plant-derived purified CBD, and was approved for treating two rare forms of pediatric epilepsy, FDA has accredited three drugs containing different cannabinoids for treating the unwanted effects of chemotherapy, similar to nausea9. Among these three products, two contain synthetically-derived dronabinol, which is chemically equivalent to THC, and the third contains nabilone, a synthetic chemical analogue of THC, not naturally occurring in hashish.
The invoice additionally makes hemp producers eligible for the federal crop insurance program and sure USDA research grants. A second restriction is that there’s each state and federal regulatory power over the cultivation and production of hemp. The same section of the Bill, state regulatory our bodies, such as the department of agriculture, must discuss with their state’s governor and chief regulation enforcement officer to generate a plan. The plan is then submitted to the USDA secretary, who then approves – or denies – the plan. States that decline to plan a regulatory system for the cultivation of hemp should apply for a license under the federal program.
Good morning, Chairman Roberts, Ranking Member Stabenow, and Members of the Committee. I am Dr. Amy Abernethy, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency), which is part of the U.S. Thank you for the chance to seem before you today to debate FDA’s position in the regulation of hemp products. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Alexandra Dunn from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This system of shared regulatory programming is similar to choices states had in other coverage areas similar to medical health insurance marketplaces underneath ACA, or office security plans underneath OSHA—both of which had federally-run methods for states opting not to arrange their very own techniques. The allowed pilot packages to study hemp (often labeled “industrial hemp”) that had been approved by both the U.S. This allowed small-scale enlargement of hemp cultivation for restricted purposes. It allows hemp cultivation broadly, not simply pilot packages for studying market interest in hemp-derived merchandise. It explicitly permits the transfer of hemp-derived products across state strains for commercial or different functions.
This amendment to the CSA decriminalizes the manufacturing and use of hemp and its derived merchandise that match the definition of commercial hemp, corresponding to seed oil, CBD oil, fibers and paper. Spearheaded by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), The Hemp Farming Act federally legalizes the manufacturing of business hemp (outlined as Cannabis sativa L. crops containing less than three-tenths of a p.c of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)). The low focus of THC makes hemp unsuitable for marijuana production, which remains federally illegal. Hemp is specifically outlined on this bill as “delta-9 tetra-hydro-cannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than zero.three%, together with the plant’s viable seeds, extracts, and derivatives” on a dry-weight basis, growing or not. It legalizes strains with low THC, that are plants essential for many uses in the trade.
Sen. Mitch McConnell inserted language from his Hemp Farming Act of 2018 into the Farm Bill to federally legalize the cultivation and sale of commercial hemp, which is defined as cannabis that contains less than 0.3-percent THC. Congress handed the $867-billion agricultural laws Dec. 12, successfully eradicating hemp from the list of managed substances and allowing states to manage its production, commerce and research with approval from the USDA. Even CBD products produced by state-legal, medical, or grownup-use cannabis packages are unlawful products underneath federal law, each inside states and across state lines. There are numerous myths concerning the legality of CBD merchandise and their availability.
However, a late compromise led to the inclusion of a ten-year sunset interval from both the date of conviction or the beginning of the state program, whichever is more modern. If the Texas Agricultural Commissioner (Sid Miller) and the Texas Department of Agriculture create a plan and submit it to the USDA, it’ll transfer by way of the approval course of above. Sid Miller just lately said that he helps industrial hemp and the financial opportunities it’s going to provide Texas Farmers.
The 2018 Farm Bill amends the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 so that hemp plants containing 0.3 % THC or much less are not categorised as a schedule I controlled substance under federal legislation. The invoice, awaiting President Trump’s signature, opens the door to state-by-state regulation, removes hemp, which is a part of the cannabis plant household, from the federal enforcement of outlaw medicine and provides hemp farmers access to banking, crop insurance and federal grants, experts mentioned. Some states, like California and New York, have taken the position that the sale of CBD in food products within the state is illegal.
The 2014 Farm Bill created a authorized regime on the federal stage that approved individual states to ascertain programs for cultivating industrial hemp for analysis purposes. This invoice allowed for the analysis of commercial hemp however didn’t authorize the authorized commercialization of industrial hemp in the U.S. The invoice provides control to the states and tribal governments in choosing restrictions and requirements. More importantly, companies and community members can now work with federally companies that were not obtainable to the business earlier than. Organizations like banks, credit card companies, advertisers and merchant providers are actually free game.
The 2018 Farm Bill strikes regulatory authority from the CSA and DEA to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA) and the Department of Agriculture. The AMA authorizes and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out applications to assist the manufacturing, transportation and marketing of crops.
However, California does permit marijuana and hemp-derived CBD to be sold in edibles in the regulated marijuana market. Some of those states are actively working to embargo food and drink merchandise containing CBD. Other states have taken a hands-off method and are waiting to see how the FDA decides to regulate the product on the federal level. plant that contains greater than 0.3 % THC is taken into account marijuana and therefore a controlled substance.
Under the 2018 Farm Bill, there shall be more broadly obtainable, legal, CBD merchandise; nonetheless, this does not imply that each one CBD products are authorized moving forward. Knowing your producer and whether or not they’re authorized and bonafide will be an essential a part of shopper analysis in a post-2018 Farm Bill world. Further, as a result of cannabis is still largely illegal beneath federal law, it could even be unlawful under state legal guidelines. This is an important distinction to make as a result of it impacts consumer productions. Though the Bill could provide for improved availability of CBD merchandise, the legality relies upon upon fulfilling the situations of the Bill.
The 2018 Farm Bill (pdf) directed USDA to ascertain a national regulatory framework for hemp manufacturing in the United States. This rule outlines provisions for the USDA to approve plans submitted by States and Indian Tribes for the home production of hemp.
It additionally puts no restrictions on the sale, transport, or possession of hemp-derived merchandise, as long as those gadgets are produced in a way in keeping with the regulation. This invoice legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) focus of no more than 0.three% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. States and Indian tribes could regulate the production of hemp by submitting a plan to the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Specifically permits all tribe lands to develop hemp with or without a state sanctioned program. Subsequently, the Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) outlined industrial hemp as strains of Cannabis sativa L. crops having THC content of not more than 0.three % on a dry weight basis.
The USDA is expected to release draft rules throughout the subsequent twelve months, but the timing of a full program as described within the 2018 Farm Bill is unknown. At this time, the business continues to be ruled by the 2014 Farm Bill pilot applications on the state degree. The 2018 Farm Bill also permits CBD Vitamins for interstate commerce of hemp and hemp merchandise produced in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill. What this means is that States and Indian Tribes are prohibited from impeding the transportation or cargo of hemp or hemp merchandise through their state or tribal land, so long as the hemp or hemp merchandise are produced in accordance with the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill and the U.S.
In 2016, Dr. Bronner’s celebrated in solidarity with Alex White Plume, former President of the Oglala Sioux Lakota Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, when he gained a 16 12 months-lengthy court battle defending the best of his tribe to cultivate hemp on their tribal lands. This litigation began in August of 2000, when DEA agents violated the Sioux Treaty of 1868 by illegally getting into Pine Ridge to destroy White Plume’s hemp crop and intimidate other Pine Ridge farmers contemplating hemp cultivation. White Plume’s hemp crop had been planted legally, per an ordinance the Oglala Sioux Tribe had previously handed under White Plume’s leadership, two years prior, to permit hemp farming on Pine Ridge.
Following the DEA raid, a federal injunction was positioned against the White Plume family, to prevent them from ever cultivating hemp once more. Dr. Bronner’s, alongside Vote Hemp, provided $25,000 for White Plume’s authorized defense, lastly leading to victory sixteen years later when the injunction was lifted. Today, Kentucky is a leading producer of hemp—a lucrative various for farmers exiting the declining tobacco industry.
Reckless, understanding and intentional violations of rules, such as the cultivation of excessive-THC strains of the cannabis plant or concealing manufacturing from regulators, will lead to legal penalties set forth in state and federal laws. THC itself is also deemed a Schedule I substance, prompting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2003 to make use of its authority to control substances beneath the CSA to ban all parts and products of the Cannabis sativa L. Consequently, litigation was filed to enjoin the DEA’s new rules, and the ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held in Hemp Industries Association v. Drug Enforcement Administration, 375 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2004), that banning merchandise with THC in non-psychoactive amounts was outside the DEA’s authority. This ruling created the pre-2018 Farm Bill system allowing importation of sure hemp merchandise but barring farming hemp in the U.S.
From paper to rope to protein and CBD, hemp has many valuable makes use of within the American market. The 2018 Farm Bill officially reclassifies hemp for business makes use of after decades of statutes and authorized enforcement conflating hemp and marijuana, the Farm Bill distinguishes between the two by eradicating hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. (While the 2 are carefully related, hemp lacks the excessive concentration of THC that is answerable for the high from smoking marijuana.) This would successfully move regulation and enforcement of the crop from the purview of the Drug Enforcement Agency to the U.S. First, as noted above, hemp cannot comprise more than 0.3 percent THC, per part of the Farm Bill. Any cannabis plant that accommodates greater than 0.three percent THC would be considered non-hemp hashish—or marijuana—underneath federal law and would thus face no authorized safety underneath this new legislation.
The $867 billion farm bill redefines hemp as an agricultural good, removing it from the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Which thankfully, also removes it from the purview of the Controlled Substances Act. This monumental step has everyone within the hemp trade enthusiastic about cannabis reform.
The most significant change for hemp farmers is the Farm Bill’s transfer of regulatory power from the federal authorities to the states. The Farm Bill empowers states to set up their own applications for hemp cultivation by submitting a plan to the USDA detailing procedures for inspection, testing, crop disposal and land appropriation. Will not apply to any individual lawfully rising hemp with a license, registration, or authorization beneath a 2014 Farm Bill agricultural pilot program previous to the 2018 Farm Bill enactment. Anyone who makes a false statement CBD Oil for Cats on an industrial hemp utility will also be banned from the industry. Marijuana is a controlled substance.To date, numerous business merchandise – such as some CBD oils – are marketed as being derived from hemp, although some experts in the field dispute the notion that such crops are an environment friendly supply for cannabinoids.
If the Texas State Legislature decided to enact legislation concerning hemp, then those statues would information the program. If Texas decides to not transfer ahead with both of the above avenues, it appears that Texas farmers could be ineligible to grow hemp. “This legislation marks the primary change within the federal classification of the cannabis plant because it was initially classified as a Schedule I managed substance by Congress in 1970, and paves the best way for the first federally-sanctioned industrial hemp grows since World War II.” – Paul Armentano, NORML.
Under part of the Farm Bill, state departments of agriculture must seek the advice of with the state’s governor and chief legislation enforcement officer to plan a plan that must be submitted to the Secretary of USDA. A state’s plan to license and regulate hemp can solely start as soon as the Secretary of USDA approves that state’s plan. In states opting not to devise a hemp regulatory program, USDA will construct a regulatory program under which hemp cultivators in these states should apply for licenses and comply with a federally-run program.
Department of Agriculture’s (the “USDA”) rules, which are nonetheless being drafted. However, States and Indian Tribes retain the best to ban the production and sale of hemp or hemp merchandise, including hemp-derived CBD, inside or on their state or tribal land. The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly generally known as the “2018 Farm Bill,” is an omnibus piece of laws that Congress makes use of to set national agricultural, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy.


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Sega Sammy released their financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and they had a lot of profits to show for, with a big thanks going to Persona 5 and Total War: Warhammer.
Under Entertainment Contents, it was revealed that sales for Phantasy Star Online 2 remained robust for its fourth anniversary and PS4 release last April. As far as Smartphone games go, Hortensia SAGA and PuyoPuyo!! Quest had strong sales.
Packaged games sold 10.28 million units in the fiscal year, an increase over last year’s 9.22 million and this was thanks to the launch of mainstay titles including Total War: Warhammer, the latest entry of the Total War series that is super popular in Europe, and has sold more than 20 million copies in 16 years.
Persona 5, the new installment of the Persona series, also had a strong performance, as you might recall Atlus announcing last month that it shipped out 1.5 million copies worldwide.
KanColle Arcade has continued its favorable performance in the amusement machine field, and helped Sega with amusement sales at 108.5% compared with the previous fiscal year.
In total, Sega’s Entertainment Contents saw a net sales of 205.7 billion yen, or about $1.8 billion USD, in revenue and an 8% increase over the previous fiscal year. The company saw a huge 11.176 billion yen operating income, an increase of 165.1% from the previous fiscal year. Sales from packaged and digital games accounted for almost half of Sega’s total revenue. It’s also worth noting that of the 10.28 million games Sega sold, a little more than half, or 5.24 million units, came from new releases.
Below is a look at the consolidated operating results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017:


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Exports and faster scripts are the next steps for Aussie cannabis in 2018
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California has legalised recreational marijuana and Australians are wondering: when is it going to happen here?
Not anytime soon, says Medical Cannabis Council general manager Blaise Bratter.
“It’s very unlikely, it won’t happen in the foreseeable future,” he told Stockhead. “That’s the kind of conversation that will happen in 10 years time.”
The Federal Government has been extremely conservative, creating strict rules around how cannabis products can be sold and who can get licenses – so the day it opens the doors to everyone is “a long way off”.
California is the eighth US state to legalise the recreational use of marijuana.
But federally, cannabis is still illegal so the country is closed to foreign suppliers.
It means companies cannot legally transport cannabis across state lines — even between weed-friendly neighbours like California and Oregon — and foreign companies can certainly not supply Middle Americans with marijuana.
Canada legalises recreational cannabis use on July 1 and The Hydroponics Company (ASX:THC) and Creso Pharma (ASX:CPH), through subsidiaries, are the Australian businesses with direct access to that part of the market.
The California news didn’t translate into a bounce for Aussie listed cannabis companies on the first day of trading in 2018. After six months of massive share price growth, investors spent December taking profits.
Getting Aussie cannabis into international hands
Mr Bratter says this year two forces will drive the Australian cannabis industry forward: exports and changes to State prescription processes.
Exports were initially prevented to protect Australian-grown supply for Australian use but there’s recognition that the local market is still too small to sustain the over 60 businesses that have emerged.
In August the federal Office of Drug Control, prompted by health minister Greg Hunt, found “overwhelming support for allowing the export of medicinal cannabis products”, and analysts like Cannacord Genuity’s Matthijs Smith are positive that moves are afoot.
Indeed, just last month Cann Group said it would raise a $60 million warchest to ramp up production in its secret Victoria locations in preparation for exports.
Mr Bratter hopes exports will be allowed within the next six months.
“We hear of companies being granted a ‘licence’ to cultivate or manufacture, but only a small handful of these companies have actually been granted approval to start cultivating or manufacturing,” he wrote on the Medicinal Cannabis Council website on Tuesday.
“This is because in order to receive a ‘permit’, they have to demonstrate supply chain – they have to show where, and to whom, they are selling their products.”
“This is exceptionally difficult, considering the Australian market is currently very small, and will remain small until products are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (which we anticipate will take a few more years). Only so much cannabis can be grown for research purposes.”
Opening the local market
Longer term, streamlined State prescription processes will open up the local market, enabling companies to make sustainable revenues at home.
“[Across the country] there are stories of people getting Federal approval for prescriptions and being turned down by States,” Mr Bratter told Stockhead.
“The more expensive products can cost upwards of $50,000 per year.”
“In Western Australia they have a committee of people who meet for a couple of hours once a month to approve prescriptions.”
Mr Bratter holds out hope for Western Australia to streamline its prescription approval processes this year but not NSW, Tasmania or Queensland.


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Apple’s special event is currently underway in Brooklyn Academy of Music, NY. It has been speculated widely as to what will Apple unveil in the event, it was rumored that a new MacBook Air will be revealed along with a number of other Apple products such as second gen Earpods and an updated MacBook Pro. While we are yet to see what will come ahead, their first announcement is the new Apple MacBook Air 2018. Let us see what the new MacBook Air has to offer.
This year’s MacBook Air has a lot of new features apparently, with additions such as TouchID and Retina display, the MacBook Air 2018 is surely an upgrade over the previous gen. So what’s up with the new MacBook Air 2018. let’s find out.
13.3 inches Retina Display
4x more pixels than before
8th Gen Intel Dual Core i5 CPU
8 to 16 GBs
SSD up to 1.5 TB
2x Thunderbolt 3 ports
Stereo speakers, louder bass
3rd Gen keyboard
Force Touch trackpad
This year’s MacBook Air is 10 percent thinner than the last one. This is a significant improvement keeping in mind the latest and fastest hardware that can be found inside the thin notebook. According to Apple, they have used a special aluminum alloy for the body which is stronger and lighter than conventional aluminum.
MacBook Air 2018 Price and Availability
MacBook Air 2018 will retail for starting from 1199 USD. It will be available for purchase from Nov 7 onwards.


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To coincide with this week’s Clean Up the Czech Republic project, environment minister Richard Brabec announced an initiative tasking restaurants, cafes, and food courts with the restricted use of disposable plastic packaging.
Data provided by the #DostByloPlastu campaign says that the biggest source of unnecessary plastic waste in the Czech Republic comes from plastic dishes and utensils, takeaway coffee cups, and straws.
Estimates show that up to 20,000 tons of plastic containers are consumed in the Czech Republic per year; Europeans daily consume 725 million disposable coffee cups.
“We are currently in talks with many fast food operators, companies operating food courts in major retail chains, as well as rail and bus carriers who also use disposable plastic dishes and packaging,” Brabec said.
The initiative asks businesses to sign a voluntary agreement outlining concrete steps targeted at reducing the consumption of disposable utensils and food packaging.
Customers would receive a discount for bringing their own coffee mug, for instance, or be given the option of substituting plastic plates for ceramic ones.
Restaurants would also be encouraged to only provide straws upon request.
According to Brabec, EU regulation of plastic waste is expected in the near future; he says agreeing on certain rules beforehand will be beneficial, citing the amendment to the Packaging Act which, in line with EU regulations, limits the volume of plastic waste.
Countries and cities around the world are making headlines for banning plastic straws and utensils.
As of July 1, 2018, restaurants in Seattle will no longer provide plastic straws and utensils to consumers; in 2016, France passed a law requiring all plastic cutlery to be made of compostable material starting in 2022, becoming the first country in the world to do so.


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It’s official Potterheads – J.K. Rowling has confirmed the release of a brand new Harry Potter book and it’s hitting shelves this year!
A hardback edition and ebook of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II will be released on Harry Potter’s birthday – July 31, Rowling’s literary and brand management agency The Blair Partnership announced today.
— Little, Brown UK (@LittleBrownUK) February 10, 2016
Rowling has said that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an official sequel to the original seven books, featuring the script for a new stage play telling the wizard’s story.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THIS ADVERTISEMENT
It will be set 19 years after the end of the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was published in 2007.
It sees Harry as a father and an overworked Ministry of Magic employee as well as the untold story of the lives of his murdered parents.


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New Drama "Fashion King" to Film Overseas
Actor Yoo Ah In, actress Shin Se Kyung, and Yuri of SNSD will be heading to the United States.
SBS TV’s new drama “Fashion King,” (Screen play Lee Sun Mi and Kim Ki Ho, director Lee Myung Woo) which is scheduled to air in March, has decided to take the cast abroad to film in the US.
Shooting is scheduled to take place from February 11 through 23 as they will be filming in both New York and Las Vegas. They will begin this week by filming in Las Vegas and then will depart for New York.
Yoo Ah In recently updated his Twitter as he made his way stateside. He tweeted, “I’m going to the desert.” Along with the message he verified his location as he uploaded a rather stylish photo of himself.
In particular, the “Fashion King” team hopes to align their stay with New York’s Fashion Week. New York is one of the world’s major fashion centers and since the drama is based around fashion it only seems appropriate to time their filming with New York’s Fashion Week.
“Fashion King” focuses on the relationships as well as the hopes and dreams of young aspiring designers in Dongdaemun Market. They hope to break free and achieve worldwide success as famous fashion designers. The first episode is scheduled to air on March 12 at 9:55PM KST.


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As the category's become more congested, direct-to-consumer (DTC) mattress brands have started pulling out all the stops to edge out competitors and differentiate their products. Some are taking the route of experiential events, while others are partnering with retailers on pop-ups or taking on a traditional business expansion strategy by pledging to open 200 stores. For Nectar Sleep, a focus on measurability, attribution and data helps keep the brand looking fresh.
Attribution is a key tactic in Nectar's marketing. By tracking every click and impression across display, paid social and streaming sites, the company puts data at the center of nearly every decision its product and marketing teams make. This is why the marketer focuses on digital channels like Spotify, Hulu, Pandora, Facebook and YouTube and has deprioritized print, offline and broadcast media, according to Nectar's Vice President of Marketing Scott McLeod.
"If we can't glean data from it, how can we smartly allocate marketing dollars to the right places?" McLeod told Marketing Dive in an interview. "Offline is measured by predictability models, so we consider whether to put our budget where we know what we're getting back instead of somewhere where there are a lot of question marks."
Tracking the journey
But why involve so much technology and data for mattresses, a product that's historically involved very little flash and frills? Mattresses are not an impulse buy thanks to high sticker prices and long lifespans, and those browsing typically have a carefully considered path to purchase.
The customer journey also often takes weeks across a variety of devices — conducting research on a phone, perhaps more browsing on a tablet and a desktop to seal the deal — and sometimes involves multiple people within a household. This complex combination can be simplified with technology and data, according to McLeod.
"The big data problem we have to solve is: How do we marry a long buyer's decision that includes many people and many devices?" he said. "This has definitely been part of the company's ethos since day one."
Because of Nectar's DTC model — similar to most disruptive newcomers to the space — its storefront is its website. The company has so far stuck with digital efforts and hasn't launched pop-ups or physical retail spaces, though the Nectar team has considered them as part of a potential long-term initiative.
For McLeod, it comes down to how offline or out-of-home efforts complement DTC brands' online strategy and support their bottom line. With a policy that lets customers return a mattress any time within a year, Nectar aims to take a cautious approach to how showrooms, pop-ups or other retail spaces fit into the mix.
"Our model is to cut out the middleman, so at what point does adding retailers not allow us to provide a lower price for customers?" McLeod said. "We want to approach it in a way that doesn't cannibalize our online sales, but only complements the user experience."
'Make America Sleep Again'
In a twist on the old "this is your brain on…" adage, Nectar launched a campaign in March around how people develop "grumpy brain" from a lack of sleep. What made the three-minute video, titled "Make America Sleep Again," particularly compelling was that it starred animated versions of world leaders President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.
"Our focus wasn't to be political," McLeod said. "We were looking to communicate the value proposition of our mattresses, and we kicked around the idea of 'who is the most grumpy because they're not getting enough sleep?'"
The Nectar team tested combinations from sleep-deprived bosses to tired, angry neighbors, but the winning variation was world leaders, mainly because of strategic timing and a bit of luck, as the testing and video production took place before the announcements around the meeting between Trump and Kim.
Despite months of brainstorming and testing, McLeod knew the world leaders route was risky and had the potential to drum up negative attention. He said the final decision came down to assessing whether that risk supported Nectar's message and didn't come across as political for the sake of pushing people's buttons.
"At the end of the day, marketing is often a matter of understanding your specific moment of time and to not take too polar of an opinion, but be part of the narrative in a fun, light way," he said.
Playful by nature
"Make America Sleep Again," which ran on YouTube and Hulu as pre-roll ads and generated tens of millions of views, fits into Nectar's broader strategy of delivering a playful, funny message.
Just one month before the campaign rolled out, the company launched its first national ad effort with "Sleep Like a Baby," featuring real customer testimonials recited by grown adult heads superimposed onto babies' bodies as they laid on a Nectar mattress. In April, the brand also debuted a video campaign around mattresses being delivered to homes by a team of butterflies and hummingbirds.
"Nectar is a brand for everybody, so we naturally wanted to be fun and light and include more people through laughter," McLeod said. "A big piece of it is being inviting and comforting."


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3DS Roms Dumped
Just so you know, the first Roms have been dumped: http://gbatemp.net/t295852-first-3ds-roms-dumped
Let the Games begin
3ds rom dump
has this gone anywhere, all the searches are either fake advertisements or this news that they dumped the roms last year.
I'm sure that if something comes up it will be everywhere, so far I've seen nothing.
Originally Posted by noonevac
Remember, just because something's dumped doesn't mean it can be run easily, look at the PS3 where you could dump games years ago but not run them until last year.
There is a new team on the block "Crown3DS" that claim to have a work in progress card solution that allows the dumped rom images to be played back on the latest system software to date.
There is a video floating about on the internet showing "splinter cell" apparently running using their device, although this was first shown about a month ago now, with no further proof of it's authenticity.
Their website claims "50% progress", and some people are speculating that while they may have a working solution, they are having a hard time reducing their product to meet the size of a standard 3ds card...I believe there has therefore been rumour that the new and struggling company may simply sell their idea and workings to one of the more well established card manufacturers, who will undoubtably find it much easier to create a more user-friendly, mass marketable product.
Only time will tell, but perhaps this is still some form of progress towards a working card (although whether it's uses will be limited to piracy, or whether it will also enable users to launch custom software remains to be seen)


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Facebook backs social commerce startup Meesho in first India investment
As Facebook explores ways to generate revenue from WhatsApp, the company is now turning to a startup that already has a lead. The social juggernaut said today it has invested in social-commerce startup Meesho in what is the first time the firm takes equity in an Indian startup.
Neither Facebook nor Meesho, which prior to this announcement had raised about $65 million from a number of investors including DST Partners, RPS Ventures and Shunwei Capital, shared financial terms of the deal. A source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch the size of the capital was “very significant.”
Meesho, a Y Combinator alumnus, is an online social commerce that connects sellers with customers on social media platforms such as WhatsApp. The four-year-old startup claims to have a network of more than 2 million resellers who largely deal with apparels and electronics items.
These resellers are mostly homemakers, most of whom have purchased a smartphone for the first time in recent years. Meesho has most of its customers in smaller cities and towns, popularly dubbed as India 2 where the next phase of internet users are joining from. These are two things that attracted Facebook to Meesho, Ajit Mohan, VP and Managing


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Made in Colorado: Fall 2022
Some of our favorite products and services, made by, and for, Colorado.
Farm to Summit — Dehydrated Meals
Louise Barden saw a void in backcountry cuisine while working as a research ecologist in the Yellowstone backcountry. “These grown men were just complaining about food and how they hated their meals,” Louise says.
She subsequently teamed with her culinary-focused wife, Jane, to launch a line of dehydrated meals made with fresh, high-quality ingredients from local farms. Farm to Summit hit the retail market in 2021, and now offers delicacies like Green Chile Mac & Cheese and Thai Red Curry online and through 30 brick-and-mortar outlets largely in the Four Corners area.
Jane and Louise have now opened a storefront on North Main Avenue in Durango with manufacturing, warehouse and retail space. Up next: more “cold-soak” meals that don’t require hot water to prepare. Backpackers “are gearing away from carrying their stove,” Jane says.
$2.50 to $14.50 retail.
Motherlove Herbal Company
CEO Silencia Cox was part of the Motherlove story before she was born. Her mother, Kathryn Higgins, started making herbal tinctures and salves for expecting mothers in the Fort Collins foothills in the early 1980s while she herself was pregnant with Cox. “And I’ve worked for Motherlove my entire life,” she laughs.
The all-organic catalog has expanded to include belly salve, nipple cream and a variety of supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as babies. “We’ve always stayed really focused on the new mom and baby,” Cox says. “We make topicals—so oils, salves, creams and balms—as well as some herbal supplements to help support breast milk supply primarily.”
Moving from the farmers market to the mass market, Motherlove’s products are now available at 13,000 locations nationwide. The company now has 22 employees and manufactures its topical products at a 17,000-square-foot facility.
$12 to $45 retail.
Set It Down — Macrame Kits
Allie Cunningham founded Set It Down in 2019 after realizing how much time she spent on social media while managing social media for a fly shop in Telluride. “I would be at work all day on social media, getting work done on the computer, and then I’d just go home, and I’d scroll through my social media,” Cunningham says. “I wouldn’t actually take my dogs for walks, or go fishing after work, and I live in this beautiful area of the country.”
It follows that Set It Down’s mission is “to help people get off of their screens and have more meaningful experiences.” Puzzles were due out for the 2020 holiday season, but a delay at the North Carolina manufacturer led Cunningham to come up with macrame kits for snowflake ornaments and plant hangers that she makes herself in Ridgway.
$22 to $28 retail.
Smörgåsboard creator Craig Gaherty had an epiphany after working in corporate sales for more than 10 years: “Having success didn’t equate to being fulfilled.”
Opening an insurance agency opened up time for woodworking, leading to the idea for the Smörgåsboard in 2020. “My kid started skateboarding, and I was teaching him how to skateboard,” Gaherty says. “As I was looking at the side of the board, I was like, ‘Man, this is really pretty.’”
He now uses colorful skateboard decks to liven up wooden serving boards, some of which feature a live edge. “I actually build a skateboard veneer based on the colors I want to use—basically build a brand-new skateboard—and then I slice it up,” he says. “I find a piece of wood and cut it at a point where I think that grain flow would be nicely interrupted by that colorful rainbow pattern.”
$65 to $300 retail.
Also available at Modern Nomad and the Artisan Center in Denver.


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tech2 News StaffAug 03, 2018 14:13:18 IST
The annual IFA trade show is scheduled to take place in Berlin later this month starting 31 August and will go on till 5 September. Meanwhile, Samsung has just announced a press conference a day before the exhibition begins.
According to a report by GSMArena, Samsung is planning to unveil a new range of Smart TVs and a range of other home appliances like refrigerators and washing machines. This has not been mentioned explicitly in the invite for the press conference, but looking at the invite, it is quite evident what Samsung is up to here.
The company is also expected to launch the Galaxy Watch which has been spotted in a lot of leaks lately. Whether they decide to unveil it alongside the Galaxy Note 9 on 9 August or wait till the end of the month, we should be seeing the new smartwatch soon enough. Samsung does have a history of announcing their new Gear smartwatches at IFA, so it wouldn't be surprising if the company sticks to the same pattern.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Top of three world records at last night’s Bonhams auction of South African art in London is a landscape painting Kransberg, Rustenberg, Transvaal by Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886-1957), which sold for £361,250 (R5m), a source from the sales disclosed.
Next on the top sales comes Red Jacket, an image by Vladimir Griegorovich Tretchikoff (1913-2006), sold at £337,250 (R4.7m). It’s about the artist’s muse and one-time lover.
It was estimated to sell for £50,000 to £80,000. Tretchikoff was a Russian emigrant and described as South Africa’s “most controversial artist.”
The third world record of the sales, The Garden of Eden by Stanley F. Pinker (1924-2012), estimated to sell for £70,000 to £100,000 was sold for £337,250 (R4.7m).
|Kransberg, Rustenberg, Transvaal by Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886-1957) sold for £361,250 (R5m) at South African auction of Bonhams, London sales, yesterday|
Pierneef’s pair of daylight lit-mountain and farm images, Cape Farmlands, also made a world record for the artist, beating the previous record, set at Bonhams in 2008, five times over). Estimated to sell for £70,000 to £100,000, the pair “was sold at £289,250 (4m).”
A self-taught artist, Gladys Mgudlandlu (1917-1979), also set for herself a new world record with 'The newly weds', an intimate scene sold for £27,500 (R384, 000).
Total sales of £3.1m (R43.5m), according to sources, have been recorded at the Bonhams auction.
Bonhams’ Director of African Art, Giles Peppiatt, said: “The message of this sale is that while the best South African artworks continue to reach world record prices in London where the world comes to buy, bidders are being far more selective. You might say that the market is maturing and that the stampede to buy everything available that we saw five years ago, has passed for now into much more thoughtful and sophisticated buying.”
Part of Pierneef’s PROVENANCE of Kransberg, Rustenberg, Transvaal says: Acquired directly from the artist by the Geological Survey for presentation to director Dr L.T. Nel on his retirement. Thence by descent by the current owner Pierneef chose to paint the Kransberg mountain for its particularly geological subject matter, which he felt was appropriate for this commission.
Of his 1950s landscapes Anton Hendriks wrote, "Pierneef painted Africa. His landscapes were different from anything seen in paint before. Baines, Oerder and others had painted the same scenes, but Pierneef saw them with new eyes. He created a new style out of this new subject matter." (Ibid. p.101) Pierneef used the same composition in a smaller pencil work dated 1943 (private collection).


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If you just can’t wait until the weather gets a little crisper for your PSL, you’re in luck!
According to Busniess Insider, the PSL will be back on August 27th!!! Starbucks has declined to comment, but that actually seems legit. It was released on August 28th last year.
Full story HERE


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SEARCHED FOR:CONTACTLESS DELIVERY
PhonePe enables home delivery, contactless payment for groceries and essentials
PhonePe believes these features also solve the problem from the merchant’s side as they not only open shops as per the extant Govt. regulations but also per stocking levels.
RBI announces a slew of measures to boost digital payments
For making digital payments more accessible, a pilot for offline-based payments, w...
Tech Mahindra CEO Gurnani earned Rs 28.57 crore, up 28% in FY20
While his base salary was Rs 2.79 crore, 21% lower than the previous financia...
Samsung regains top spot in overall handset space, narrows gap with Xiaomi in smartphones: IDC
In the feature phone plus smartphone market Samsung (24% share) is now trailed by Xiaomi and Vivo which only sell smartphones. Though trailing behind Xiaomi in the smartphone market, Samsung has narrowed the gap, by capturing 26.3% of the smartphone market in the June-ended quarter as against 15.6% in the previous quarter.
Online payment firms chase restaurant chains for a larger share of the digital dining pie
Paytm, Google Pay and PhonePe are upgrading their app interfaces to smoothen in-app order flows for restaurants already using their platforms, even as they court other chains to get with the times; the expansion drive comes from a belief that resumption of offline businesses, including dining, could be led by mandatory contactless services.
Spotlight: Fitness band Zenta can track your sleep, steps, heart rate
The band also has advanced sensors that track heart rate variability, pulse transit time, pulse wave velocity and blood oxygen levels.
Which payment mode will you use in the future?
While mobile-based payment methods will gain traction in the coming months, the traditional ways using credit and debit cards will not come down
India leads the world in payment processes with UPI
The huge convenience of not having to log into multiple secure websites and applications is supplemented by security as well.
How startups are building business models around challenges posed by smaller markets
Entrepreneurs are realising there is huge untapped potential in India’s many underserved markets and are coming up with technology and business innovations to tap the opportunity.


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Trucking news and briefs for Monday, July 31, 2023:
Carrier safety selection standard bill intro’d in Senate
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) recently introduced the Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a “safety fitness determination” test for shippers and brokers to ensure trucking companies are licensed, registered, and insured. U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) co-led the introduction of the legislation.
The bill also would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, within a year of the bill's enactment, to finalize efforts to revise the methodology for issuing carrier safety ratings. The bill arrives with the FMCSA in the process of planning a potential rulemaking to update that methodology.
“Our legislation is a common-sense measure to improve highway safety and end the confusion over motor carrier selection standards,” Fischer said. “Implementing a single, simplified federal rule will also strengthen America’s supply chain and provide much-needed clarity for the transportation sector. I want to thank Senator Crapo for his support to push this legislation forward.”
If passed, the bill would require trucking companies to be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, meet at least the minimum insurance requirement, and not have an unsatisfactory safety rating. If this standard is followed, a shipper or broker would be considered to have selected a carrier in “a reasonable and prudent manner.”
A similar bill was introduced in the U.S. House in February by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin).
C.H. Robinson voiced support for Fischer’s Senate bill, noting that it would help small carriers that make up most of the market -- with a quote from company Chief Legal Officer Ben Campbell that was nearly identical to one that accompanied press releases announcing the House-introduced version.
Internal combustion engine bans: Bill advances that would block them
Legislation that could amend federal law to block attempts to eliminate the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines cleared its first hurdle last week, as it passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and will move to the full House floor.
Introduced in March by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pennsylvania), the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act was introduced in response to the California Air Resources Board’s decision to effectively ban the sale of new, internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
“California regulators shouldn’t have the power to determine what vehicles are sold to families in Pennsylvania,” Joyce said. “One state should not be able to set national policy, and Americans should not be forced into making purchases they are unable to afford. I’m proud to see the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act pass through the Energy and Commerce Committee and look forward to its passage in the House.”
In addition to blocking attempts to ban the sale of traditional engines, it would also restrict the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing any Clean Air Act waivers that would ban the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines.
A version of the bill was also introduced in the Senate in June by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma). According to a press release from Mullin, the bill has support from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), among others.
Volvo recalls 55K trucks over windshield wiper motor issue
Volvo Trucks is recalling more than 55,000 trucks due to the windshield wiper motor gears possibly wearing prematurely, causing the motor to fail, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
The recall includes 55,012 model year 2022-‘24 VNR, VNL, VHD and VAH trucks.
Dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Sept. 15. Owners can contact Volvo Trucks customer service at 800-528-6586 with recall number RVXX2309. NHTSA’s recall number is 23V-511.
Small number of Peterbilt, Kenworth trucks recalled for driveline issue
Paccar is recalling 19 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks because the adhesive thread-lock may not have been applied to the four flange-mounted yoke bolt threads on the driveline, allowing the driveline fasteners to loosen.
Loose fasteners may allow the driveline to separate from the truck, increasing the risk of a crash, the recall states.
Affected models include:
- 2023 Peterbilt 548
- 2023-‘24 Peterbilt 536
- 2023-’24 Peterbilt 537
- 2023-‘24 Kenworth T280
- 2023 Kenworth T480
- 2024 Kenworth T380
Dealers will apply adhesive thread-lock and replace the fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Sept. 19. Owners can contact Paccar customer service at 425-828-5888 (Kenworth) with recall number 23KWE or 940-591-4220 (Peterbilt) with recall number 23PBE. NHTSA’s recall number is 23V-504.
Mack recalls small number of garbage trucks
Mack Trucks, Inc. (Mack) is recalling approximately 19 model year 2024 LR garbage trucks.
In the affected units, the reinforcing floor welds may be missing from around the passenger seat pedestal, reducing floor strength. The pedestal may buckle during a crash, preventing the passenger seat from properly restraining a passenger, the recall states.
Dealers will inspect and add welds as necessary, replace the missing floor welds, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Sept. 15. Owners can contact Mack customer service at 800-866-1177 with recall number SC0446. NHTSA’s recall number is 23V-513.