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Modifications & violations
Some aftermarket parts will get police after you
Police say one was illegal while the other was road worthy. Sometimes, though, it's hard to tell the difference.
Auto enthusiasts have been beefing up cars to boost their performance since the first horseless carriage hit the streets. Today, some modifications, such as decorative lights that shine from the undercarriage, are banned, while others, like those that increase horsepower, are not.
Police said Alexander Soto, 38, was driving a modified 1981 Toyota Corolla outfitted with racing gear: a roughly 450-horsepower engine, a racing-style restraint system and a bar that can help protect the driver in the event of a roll-over.
Soto, a father who friends say was a skilled mechanic, died when the Toyota went off the side of Chase River Road last week and crashed into a fence. Soto was ejected from the car. Police suspect he wasn't using the restraint system.
Those types of modifications — massive increases in horsepower and race-style safety systems — are legal in Connecticut.
However, the LED lighting system that police say was on the bottom of a Ford Mustang driven by Eric H. Ramirez, 20, when he crashed in Oxford in March is banned in the state.
A 15-year-old passenger in the back seat of that car was killed in the crash, which occurred after a Seymour police officer tried to pull it over on Route 67 after he saw multi-colored lights flashing on the bottom of the car.
Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, said certain items are illegal on highways and roads, including lights that shine from the undercarriage of cars. Racing tires, usually called "slicks," aren't allowed on the roads, he said. Cars can't have red lights facing forward or white lights facing backward as they move down the road either.
But items that boost the horsepower and performance of the engine, aren't regulated, he said.
"The fact of the matter is, if you have that kind of aftermarket stuff on your car, you have to abide by the rules of the road," Vance said. "In all fairness, we're going to look hard and fast at you if that (vehicle) shows that excessive speed potential."
Troopers can conduct a safety inspection on a car from bumper to bumper to ensure it complies with road regulations, he said. Vance recommended that car owners research state statutes if they're unsure if a piece of equipment meets regulations. Most reputable car dealers and shops know what the law is, he said.
Nearly any car can be modified in some way to increase its horsepower and handling. As a result, a wide variety of aftermarket parts are available, including colored headlights, suspension systems that mimic the handling of race cars and exhaust systems that are loud, but can increase performance.
A Department of Commerce report stated the specialty auto equipment industry grew to $28.8 billion in 2010 and, even in a weak economy, had been increasing during the preceding years. That same report even forecast an emerging market for performance and styling parts for hybrid cars, which are now a growing slice of the automotive sector.
Ted Jannetty, the owner and operator of Jannetty Racing Enterprises on East Main Street, has been doing performance work on cars at his shop since 1986. He grew up up working on engines, even small lawnmower motors, but now tunes up the high-powered rides that have gained him attention around the country.
"There are a lot of speed shops around, but they don't have the technology we do," he said. "In order to be able to modify something, you have to have a sense of how it works and why."
Although they perform nearly any type of engine modification at the shop, they won't remove emissions equipment, which is considered an "absolute no-no" in the industry, he said.
A 2012 Camaro SS owned by a Chicago man sat in Jannetty's garage Wednesday. A supercharger — which boosts the horsepower by sending mass amounts of air into the engine — gleamed under the hood. The car's brakes were upgraded so they cooled down quicker than the factory versions. To tune it up, Jannetty's son would use a laptop computer for the calibrations.
Jannetty said the many modifications done at his shop totaled about $60,000 on top of the Camaro's base price. When it's complete, the engine should produce close to 900 horsepower, an amount equivalent to several smaller-sized engines. Horsepower can almost always be added and customers are only limited by their wallets, he said.
Illegally tinted windows on cars are a continual problem for police, who in some cases face glass so dark that it's difficult to see inside during a traffic stop.
Rear windshields and rear side windows can have what's commonly referred to as "limo tint," or extremely dark film that only allows about a third of outside light to filter in.
In some cases, car owners, or shops, will illegally outfit the car with that same dark, limo-style glass on the driver's side window, which makes it nearly impossible to see the driver when looking at the car from the side.
Waterbury police have created a traffic unit that targets driving violators, especially those who operate cars with the illegal tint. According to state law, window tints installed after the car leaves the factory require an inspection by the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to receive a sticker proving they comply with regulations.
The fine for illegal tints is $136. If the tints aren't removed, police can impound the car for a second violation.
conservative1 wrote on Sep 27, 2012 8:33 AM:
shagi wrote on Sep 27, 2012 8:57 AM:
savalas wrote on Sep 27, 2012 9:30 AM:
anon wrote on Sep 27, 2012 10:17 AM:
blue star wrote on Sep 27, 2012 11:41 AM:
A couple of kids in a convertible with undercarriage lights hardly justifies endangering the kids, the cops, and anyone else on the road.
Just can't stand to let the kid go right? Was it worth the price? "
Colon McEnroe wrote on Sep 27, 2012 6:50 PM:
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In an interim order, the Delhi High Court directed Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail to maintain status quo on the Rs 27,513 crore Future Retail-Reliance deal until ‘the pronouncement of the reserved order’.
The court blocked the sale of a swathe of assets to Reliance Industries on Tuesday after Amazon raised objections to the $3.4 billion deal.
The court said it was of the prima facie view that a Singapore tribunal order, which asked the company owned by Kishore Biyani not to proceed with the deal, was enforceable in India.
The Delhi High Court had said that the order by Singapore Arbitration International Centre (SIAC) passed on October 25, 2020 in enforceable under the Arbitration Act and that Future Group will now have to place all steps taken post the order on record.
Amazon has sought the enforcement of its Emergency Award passed under the SIAC Rules under Section 17(2) of the Arbitration & Conciliation Act. It has alleged that Future Group, Kishore Biyani as well as other promoters and directors have “deliberately and maliciously” disobeyed the Emergency Award in spite of their participation in the arbitration proceedings.
The decision is a setback for Future Retail, the country’s second-largest retailer with over 1,700 stores, which agreed to sell its retail businesses to market leader Reliance last year. It has said it could face liquidation if the deal falls through.
US-based e-commerce major Amazon, which had its sights set on ultimately owning part of the retail assets itself, argued a 2019 deal it had with a unit of Future contained clauses prohibiting Reliance Retail from selling them to anyone on a “restricted persons” list including Reliance.
Future Retail has said in a statement that the company will explore all legal remedies and take appropriate steps to pursue the deal. The company said in its statement, “The Company is legally advised that the basis of the interim award of the Emergency Arbitrator has been superseded by the judgement dated December 21, 2020 passed by the Single Judge bench of Delhi High Court.”

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BEIJING: The coronavirus medical
test equipment being procured by India from China to combat the pandemic gathered pace on Thursday as 6.50 lakh Rapid Antibody Tests and RNA Extraction Kits were dispatched to the country.
In a tweet, India's Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri said the medical kits were dispatched early on Thursday from Guangzhou Airport in southern China.
"#IndiaFightsCoronavirus A total of 650,000 kits, including Rapid Antibody Tests and RNA Extraction Kits have been despatched early today from Guangzhou Airport to #India," Misri tweeted.
Over two million test kits being procured from China will be sent to India in the next 15 days, Misri told PTI.
The Rapid Antibody Test Kits deliver results in 15 minutes and work on blood samples instead of nasal swabs to tell whether a patient has ever been exposed to the novel virus. The RNA extraction kit enables the total RNA extraction from tissues. This extracted RNA is a mix of a person's own genetic material and, if present, the coronavirus' RNA.
Two major consignments of the medical kits were reported to have been sent to India from China earlier as part of the efforts to step up testing especially in hotspots during the ongoing lockdown in the country.
On Tuesday, Misri told the media here that India has placed orders to procure 15 million personal protection gear from China for medical personnel treating COVID-19
patients, besides three million testing kits.
The orders are being placed with bonafide firms with the help of the Chinese government.
"I think facilitation of our needs and our requirements in a timely manner, in a smooth manner, on a predictable timeline at prices that are stable and orderly, would be the best signal possible to send for the India-China relationship," Misri said.
As its factories resumed operations after over a two-month grim battle against the coronavirus, China is busy tapping into the vast business opportunities of export of key medical goods, especially ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE), across the world, including India, where both private and government bodies are placing orders for the import of these products.
India has extended its ongoing lockdown to fight the coronavirus
till May 3. It has reported 414 deaths due to the disease and 12,380 people have been infected by the disease in the country.
Considering the importance, Misri said the Indian embassy
is facilitating commercial procurements besides coordinating flight linkages for their timely arrival in India.
As demand for Chinese medical supplies scaled up due to the spread of the virus in several parts of world, China on Wednesday asked all the countries to import these items through reputed Chinese firms cleared by the government and vowed to punish those involved in counterfeit behaviour.
Responding to questions about quality concerns raised by several countries related to medical equipment imports from China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here on Wednesday that the Chinese government is facilitating the orderly exports.
"We hope foreign buyers can choose products from companies that have been accredited by Chinese regulators with good production credentials," he said. Watch Covid-19 pandemic: China dispatches over 6.5 lakh test kits to India


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US FTC Moves to Block Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm
it was obvious that the deal would have to go through serious global regulatory challenges
On 3rd Decembebr, it was reported that the US Federal Trade Comission (FTC) is suing to block the acquisition of British chip technology provider, Arm, by the U.S. chip company, Nvidia in a deal worth more than USD 40 billion on fairly obvious competition grounds. When the deal was announced in September 2020, it was obvious that the deal would have to go through serious global regulatory challenges.
FTC is worried about the following three global markets where Nvidia competes using Arm-based products.
- High-Level Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for passenger cars. These systems offer computer-assisted driving functions, such as automated lane changing, lane keeping, highway entrance and exit, and collision prevention;
- DPU SmartNICs, which are advanced networking products used to increase the security and efficiency of datacenter servers; and
- Arm-Based CPUs for Cloud Computing Service Providers. These new and emerging products leverage Arm’s technology to meet the performance, power efficiency, and customizability needs of modern datacenters that provide cloud computing services.
Holly Vedova (FTC Bureau of Competition Director) commented on the proposed acquisition deal and said, “The FTC is suing to block the largest semiconductor chip merger in history to prevent a chip conglomerate from stifling the innovation pipeline for next-generation technologies. The proposed vertical deal would give one of the largest chip companies control over the computing technology and designs that rival firms rely on to develop their own competing chips.”
Some semiconductor companies like MediaTek Inc., and Broadcom Inc., have supported the biggest semiconductor merger in the history; however companies like Qualcom have raised concerns over the deal saying Nvidia would have monopoly over the new technologies that these companies depend on and can have advantage over their future products.
Before Nvidia offered USD 40 million for the acquisition of Arm, Soft Bank – the parent company of Arm, had plans of filing an intitial public offering (IPO) for Arm. The revenue of Arm has surged to USD 1.46 billion in 6-months ended in September; however, it is not clear if Arm would raise anything close to USD 40 billion offered by Nvidia for the acquisition of the company.
The Nvidia-Arm merger was initially expected to take 18 months to complete or March 2022 to be more precise but it seems this will not be the case now. FTC expects the administrative trial to begin on August 9, 2022.


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An iPhone 7 burst into flames a few days ago, according to images posted on the web by the owner. It’s unclear as of this time what triggered the event, and apprehension shouldn’t be noted by you just yet. The iPhone 7 doesn’t seem to have a widespread issue like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, but isolated events will always occur. Cell phones do burst, and many people go about our daily lives without even noticing them. It’s only that knowledge has been increased by the Galaxy Note 7 recall about gadgets and their batteries.
With that, a second episode involving an iPhone 7 is now making the rounds, but this time, the mobile failed to go up in flames. Instead, the battery simply “inflated,” which is something you might remember having noticed before with defective batteries in Apple apparatus. The screen is definitely dislodged in the back casing, and An Apple worker only leaked information regarding. And yes, a malfunction that triggered the battery to blow up internally is the offender. It’s perhaps not very easy if you don’t have the appropriate tools to remove the display from your iPhone as teardowns have demonstrated. Many fall evaluations have demonstrated the display can withstand some serious drops thanks to the telephone’s sturdy build. What exactly happened in this instance? The cellphone may have already been lost in a sense that somehow ruined the battery, MyDrivers reviews, but that’s merely a hypothesis that was working at this time. Apple will likely analyse these damaged units carefully, particularly given the context. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 fiasco continues to be making the news nearly a month after the apparatus was recalled by Samsung. Events like these happen all the time and no one bats an eye, as we mentioned. Following Samsung’s Galaxy Notice 7 debacle, however, everyone is on high alert.https://plus.google.com/u/0/112861041073806496162


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Dubbed EverQuest II Extended, the new service will open more than five years of content to keep online adventurers busy in Norrath for free.
"As the digital entertainment market evolves, SOE is focused on continued innovation in content delivery that best fit the needs of the growing consumer base," said SOE President John Smedley. "Our goal with Extended is to offer players an alternative to our current subscription program that gives them the option to choose a program that best fits their play style."
Without a subscription, credit card, or software purchase, players can dive into the wide pool of content EverQuest II has put out since it was launched in 2004. All game zones are accessible, and SOE hopes to hook a new generation of fans and create a new revenue stream through microtransactions.
"The very nature of an MMO is change, and the decision to create Extended was fueled by evolution of the industry landscape," said EverQuest II Producer David Georgeson. "By offering two services side by side we have given the power to our players to determine the program that best fits their game play style."
Extended is scheduled for a beta launch on August 17 alongside a major gameplay and graphics update to the core game. Those of you with questions can find answers here.
Sharkey says: SOE is trying to play it safe, hoping to retain its subscription buyers while bringing in new revenues with microtransactions. It's a dangerous path, as many long-time players will likely feel burned that the game they've invested in for years, both at retail and through subscriptions, is now available for free. And I wonder what SOE will try to do to make it worthwhile for anyone to pay the monthly subscription fee. Any EQ II fans out there like to add their two cents?


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Google is a hugely successful company but there is one area they haven’t done so well: social networking. Google Plus died the other day, Google Allo too but it seems Google is not giving up yet on social networking.
According to Android Police, Google is working on a social networking site which has a funny name: Shoelace.
Google’s Area 120 group is testing Shoelace and it is quite interesting. Google Area 120 group was created to house the company’s experimental projects and this is sure an experiment.
Shoelace focuses on current relationships between people. it is geared towards meeting new people and growing your social circle. It also matches users based on their interests and makes it easy to plan and meet for events. That makes it sound like Facebook in a way, but it is a system that has been tried and tested.
The problem is that this is currently being beta tested right now. It is currently invite only and will launch in New York City and partnering with select communities. Interestingly, it is also limited to mobile apps where it supports Android Oreo and later and iOS 11 and later.
Apparently, the app relies on a substantial input of human curation since it promises hand picked activity suggestions. Activities called Loops (interesting choice there) and apparently this feels similar to an app they had back in 2011 (Schemer).
We wonder whether this will go beyond the experiment stage and roll out to other countries, so we have to keep our hopes low on this one.


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The November issue of D.C. Magazine, “All that Glitters,” hit newsstands today. Bragging spoiler alert ahead: Among the stories featured in this issue is a piece by FBDC’s Matt Dornic on p. 56. The story examines the new tricked out resto-lounges in Washington and the technology that cost their owners a small fortune.
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Today's top news for digital marketers


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Tea Sparrow — a monthly premium tea delivery service — is the culmination of one man's passion for the ancient drink and his desire to share that with North Americans
Move over caffeine addicts and make way for Canada’s new beverage craze: the fruit smoothie. Those icy blends of berries, bananas, mangoes and yogurt are now the fastest-growing menu item in the restaurant industry, nearly doubling in number of servings for the year ending November 2011 to more than 72 million servings
Molson executives said the new products should help spur sales so the company can put less reliance on cost-cutting to drive its profit.
The Financial Post team weighed in Monday with their reviews of Tim Hortons’ new espresso drinks. And here’s how our readers responded: DaGo commented: Thanks for the early reviews. I was hoping Tim’s new Latte products would be at least decent, if for no other reason then to have a quick, drive through, convenient Latte, […]
Coca-Cola Ltd. has a history of using fluffy white polar bears in its ads, but this year the soft drink giant will use its marketing to highlight efforts to protect the iconic animal’s habitat. Coca-Cola Canada is changing the colour of its can to white from red over the holidays to honour the animal as […]
While Canada's wine industry is thriving, producers adjust to changing demands
The good news keeps bubbling over at beverage maker Cott Corp
The Cola wars are heating up again this summer with Pepsi taking aim at one of rival Coca-Cola’s longstanding advertising icons: Santa Claus.
For those seeking consistent gains over the long term, there are few investments as tasty as McDonalds
The latest Smartwater campaign featuring celebrity spokeswoman Jennifer Aniston takes a nod at a variety of internet memes: dancing babies, cute animals, YouTube lip syncing sensation Keenan Cahill and that Double Rainbow Guy.
Theresa Tedesco: Laurence’s swipe would have made the late Ted Rogers proud; his numbers so far as CEO of Rogers Communications, maybe not so much
Planning on buying a new iPad or just looking for something different for your current iPad? This list will help you sort through the thousands of Apple apps
Howard Levitt: Want three months off a year, job security despite your performance and to retire at age 55 with a great pension? Become a schoolteacher
Auto lending — which has swelled 20% a year since 2007 — has exposed Canadian banks to the risks of bad loans if the economy turns sour, Moody’s warns
I’ve done this six times as a manager and supported many more as an HR advisor. This advice is meant to help you through a very difficult conversation


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CAMARILLO, Calif .– (COMMERCIAL THREAD) –Semtech Company (Nasdaq: SMTC), one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, has announced that it will host its first Tech Topic webinar on Wednesday, October 6. The virtual event will begin at 4 p.m. EDT (1 p.m. PDT) and end shortly after 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT).
Presenters include Mohan Maheswaran, President and CEO, and Alistair Fulton, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless and Sensing Products Group, and provide an overview of long-term strategies, markets and opportunities for the technology LoRaÂ® from Semtech.
The event can be viewed via a live webcast in the Investor Relations section of Semtech’s website at investors.semtech.com/events. A replay will be available after the event ends.
Semtech Corporation is a leading global supplier of high performance analog and mixed signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for infrastructure, consumer and high-end industrial equipment. The products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The Company is committed to reducing the impact it and its products have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technologies, and design for resource reduction. Listed on the stock exchange since 1967, Semtech is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SMTC. For more information visit http://www.semtech.com.
Semtech, the Semtech logo, and LoRa are registered trademarks or service marks of Semtech Corporation or its affiliates.


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We’ve heard from several communities across the commonwealth that improving downtown hospitality is a high priority in making their downtowns a destination! With help from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, DHCD has put together a series of 20 workshops across the state called Delivering Memorable Experiences Downtown, which aims to strengthen business hospitality to provide an … More Experiences that Bring Customers Back!
Last Thursday, at the Virginia Main Street 25th Anniversary Milestone Achievement Awards, keynote speaker Chuck D’Aprix spoke about the importance of making your downtown attractive to entrepreneurs. One way to do this is to focus on the quality of the experience rather than the quantity of products you sell. In short, it is difficult to compete … More Quality v. quantity
We’re turning over the space today to Jeff Curtis, director of the Orange Downtown Alliance for some tips on rallying downtown merchants for an effective training. One of the recurring issues addressed in our Business Development Committee meetings has been customer service, or more specifically, the lack of it. It’s an important issue for any community, and especially … More Guest Blogger: Orange’s Jeff Curtis on rallying Main Street around customer service training


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US food distributor Nash Finch has agreed with Roundy’s, Inc. to acquire the net assets, including customer contracts, of its wholesale food distribution divisions in Westville, Indiana, and Lima, Ohio, and two retail stores in Ironton and Van Wert, Ohio, for approximately $225m.
The Westville and Lima Divisions to be acquired represent approximately $1.0bn in annual food distribution sales, servicing over five hundred customers, principally in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, the company said.
Ron Marshall, Chief Executive Officer of Nash Finch, commented on the acquisition, “We have long admired the outstanding customers and dedicated associates of these divisions and are excited for them to join our organization,” said Ron Marshall, CEO of Nash Finch. “Customers of both Nash Finch and these Divisions will benefit from our ability to buy product much more efficiently as a combined organization, improving their ability to win in an increasingly competitive market. Most importantly, however, this acquisition continues to underscore our strategic commitment to the independent grocery retailing community.”
The distribution centres to be acquired fit well with the company’s existing network and no facility closures are anticipated, Nash Finch said.


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Protect your vehicle this holiday season!
Last year, roughly 77,000 vehicles were stolen in the state of Texas and nearly 200,000 vehicles are burgled each year
LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) -Now that the holiday season is officially underway, authorities are reminding drivers, to protect your ride and everything inside when you are out shopping.
Last year, roughly 77,000 vehicles were stolen in the state of Texas and nearly 200,000 vehicles are burgled each year.
During the holidays, many motorists often go store to store to shop for holiday gifts, which is when thieves might be looking to make their move.
In an effort to prevent becoming a victim of car theft or burglary, Laredo Police are reminding drivers to lock your car doors, hide valuable items, and park in well-lit areas.
Authorities say to park your vehicle with its wheels turned toward the curb and use your emergency break, making it harder for your vehicle to be towed away.
Police add that you should never leave your vehicle running while unattended.
If you have been a victim of theft or burglary you can report to police at 795-2800.
Copyright 2020 KGNS. All rights reserved.


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It’s said that a Rolex watch can’t leave the factory unless it’s recognizable as a Rolex from at least 20 feet away. Is this true? It’s hard to know for sure, but it might actually be when you take a look at what makes Rolex watches so expensive: their reputation. The craftsmanship is exquisite and even though Rolex watches are on the lower end of the luxury watch spectrum when a buyer is purchasing a Rolex they know exactly what they’re getting. They know this because Rolex has been producing iconic watches for decades and they have an immaculate reputation. Watch expert Cara Barrett from Hodinkee breaks down why Rolex watches are so expensive and it’s clear that a lot of it has to do with the history as well as the care that goes into making each watch:
It’s hard to point to any one factor of why Rolex watches are so expensive. It’s reputation, craftsmanship, and scarcity. There’s a full transcript of the video above below the description on YouTube. So, if you’d rather read than watch a video you can access the video directly and just read the description there.


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Last week we were invited by The Banker to do a video interview about Akoni. For those of you who are not familiar with The Banker, it is part of the Financial Times Group and the interview was held in the Financial Times building. They have a series of interviews, which are done by The Banker’s Joy Macknight providing insight into the world of rising financial technology (fintech) start-up companies that will likely shake up the financial services industry.
It was great to be there and we had a chance to talk about Akoni’s new Cash Management platform, which allows SME’s to shop around for the best interest rates that will allow them to maximise the return on their cash holdings. In addition to easy access to up to date market information, business owners will be able to move around their money with just a few clicks, saving them a lot of time and resources. We talked about how it will provide a solution for SMEs and small corporates to earn more money, which will drive the economy, particularly after Brexit.
In addition, we had an interesting conversation about the impact of PSD2 and told them a bit about our inspiring experience at the Accenture Fintech Lab.
Of course, we will share the video with you once it’s out. In the meantime, enjoy a few of the pictures of our day at The Banker.


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Dubai: The year 2010 was the best year for tourism in Jordan. But the Arab Spring and unrest in the Arab world saw foreign tourist arrivals plummeting till the end of 2015. However, in early 2016, tourism started showing visible signs of revival, and has been continuing on that path ever since.
“Last year was very good for tourism in Jordan”, said Ala’a Al-Hindi, Director, Digital Marketing and IT, Jordan Tourism Board (JTB). “Tourist arrivals grew by 15 per cent and major source markets like Spain and Italy saw over 50 per cent growth in visitor traffic; Chinese arrivals grew by 40 per cent and India by 20 per cent.”
The first quarter of 2018 fared better than the corresponding period in 2017 across all markets except a few GCC countries. The KSA market grew by over 50 per cent. Russia and CIS, another important source market, also witnessed increased traction.
“In 2017, Jordan began marketing the country as an adventure tourism destination. A separate division for adventure tourism marketing was established within JTB. A new cross-country trekking route is helping in that direction.”
Billed as the ‘Inca Trail of the Middle East’, the 400-mile Jordan Trail runs from the Mediterranean village of Umm Qais in the north to the Red Sea in the south, passing through 52 villages, and two UNESCO® World Heritage sites. Trekkers can now undertake the 36-day hike in one go or choose one of the eight 50-mile-long sections. The Jordan Trail is perfect to appreciate the diversity of this country’s landscape.
“The accommodations along the trail range from eco-lodges to camping tents and Bedouin tents (beit alshaar). One of the goals of the Jordan Trail is to integrate the Bedouin communities and preserve the culture of these nomadic desert dwellers,” Al-Hindi added.
In 2018, JTB is investing all its efforts to promote Faith Tourism. The Baptismal site and numerous Islamic locations add to the charm. “We call it Umrah Plus. Faith tourists to the Holy Cities can spend a few days in Jordan before or after Umrah.” The port of Aqaba is seeing increased action on the cruise tourism front. Cruise ships are arriving at the port carrying tens of thousands of guests who spend a day or even a night visiting the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum.
The archaeological site of Petra, the crowning jewel of Jordan’s tourism offerings and a must-visit destination for every tourist is only a 90-minute drive from the port. Wadi Rum is ideal for dune bashing and was made popular by the Matt Damon starrer The Martian. Managed by Hilton, the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre (KHBTCC) on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea can host up to 3000 delegates. The Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa, which opened in 2017, is connected to the convention centre.
The ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) convention and the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) conference are scheduled to be held at the KHBTCC. “Apart from the Hilton, many 5-star hotels are also located close by on the shores of the Dead Sea. The Fairmont opened recently, W Hotel and Rotana are operational on the Boulevard, St. Regis will open soon and the Ritz Carlton is under construction. So, Amman is all set for MICE.”
A few months ago, Jordan granted visa on arrival for Indian tourists. Jordanian authorities predict that this year alone will witness a whopping 200 per cent increase in the number of global tourists coming to the Kingdom compared to last year.


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Highland Park Cafeteria's announcement to permanently close this week is hard for many to wrap their mind around.
It's been a part of the Dallas community for 95 years.
However, Friday is a reminder they're closed for good as they kick off an online auction that will let you take home memorabilia from inside their restaurant to remember them by.
This week has been filled with similarly grim announcements for beloved and iconic businesses in the metroplex. Music venue Lizard Lounge will close after almost 30 years in Deep Ellum. Bird Café, a community favorite in Fort Worth’s Sundance Square, confirmed to NBC 5 on Thursday that it will close for good on May 22 after seven years in business.
Plano-based JC Penney is planning to file for bankruptcy protection, people familiar with the matter tell CNBC.
The latest news from around North Texas.
These closures are something the Better Business Bureau and financial experts are following closely.
The BBB Serving North Central Texas said it is seeing a huge increase in the number of company closures and bankruptcies reported in their database. In fact, the BBB recently released an impact report about COVID's effect on businesses.
Of the more than 1,300 BBB Accredited Businesses surveyed between March 23-27th, 70% believed the coronavirus outbreak would have a significant negative impact.
“More than half of business owners surveyed say they do not have enough cash or credit to last them past 60 days should another unexpected crisis arise,” said Phylissia Clark, vice president of Public Relations & Communications for the local BBB.
Dallas-based financial advisor Spencer McGowan, president of McGowan Group Asset Management, said that is the key to these closures. It's something many businesses just simply didn't expect.
"“If you didn’t have 90 days’ worth of cash reserves, this was catastrophic. And when they couldn’t see a path forward they had to make a decision,” he said. “It’s tragic. The bottom five percent, certainly with restaurants, hotels -- you're probably looking at one and 20, maybe one in 10 depending on the region -- that is probably considering shutting their doors and not trying to reopen."
He said insurance companies are another factor at play that is hurting businesses because policies aren’t recognizing the coronavirus or the pandemic as part of the fine print for coverage.
“We have reports that business insurance companies are not honoring claims for business disruption. And that’s a big issue,” McGowan said.
The BBB data shows small and newer businesses are at high risk, especially among companies with 10 or fewer employees and in business for less than six years.
The BBB said access to capital to ride through this period would make a tremendous difference in helping businesses stay open. Companies are also changing the way they do business to survive – from eliminating expenditures, leveraging technology, or adopting a work-from-home practice for employees. While 36% of businesses say they will likely reduce staffing, 30% of business owners tell BBB they will have to change or adapt to a new business model.
Clark said locally in Dallas-Fort Worth, it appears that restaurants and department stores are also suffering tremendously.
“Industries that operate on narrow margins like restaurants are particularly at risk. Also, industries that were already struggling to keep up with a changing marketplace were hit even harder, like department stores,” she said.
The BBB report revealed the industries that have been hardest hit in North America, ranked by the number of complaints:
- Travel Agency
- Online Travel
- Vacation Rentals
- Property Management
However, for some industries, it's a different story.
BBB data shows construction, remodeling, and building trades are most likely to report a positive outcome with sales and growth.


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Executive reshuffle also sees new Americas head appointed.
Mobile money firm Monitise has announced several executive levels changes, including the departure of its long-term CIO.
Mike Keyworth, who joined the payments company in 2004 as the "Delivery Director" for its flagship UK launch, became CIO in October 2005 and joined the company’s board in 2012.
Keyworth will remain as a technology advisor at Monitise, which has around 30m registered users worldwide and oversaw $71bn of transactions last year.
"Mike has made a huge contribution to Monitise over the years and been an invaluable member of our executive team and, for me personally, a great support," said Monitise co-CEO Alastair Lukies. "He has been part of Monitise since its inception and at the very heart of our success. He was responsible for first establishing the bank-grade and award-winning technology platform that our business is built on, a platform that now handles more than 4.0 billion transactions on an annualised basis."
Lukies added: "On behalf of everyone in our company around the world I would like to give Mike massive thanks for his exemplary achievements and guidance. I am also delighted that he will continue to provide his invaluable technology insights and experience to the business."
Elsewhere, Monitise also announced that Mike Dreyer, former Visa global head of technology, has been appointed President of its Americas division, overseeing all sales activity and major accounts spanning the US, Canada and Latin America.
Dreyer is the second former Visa executive to join Monitise following the appointment of Elizabeth Buse, former executive vice-president of solutions at the company, as its co-CEO in June.


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Green biz awards
Bridgelux lights up new gadgets
You’ve heard of smart cars and smart appliances. Now get ready for smart lights.
Bridgelux, a Livermore company, makes a product that can be used to combine LED lights with other gadgets such as motion detectors and stereo speakers.
It produces arrays — clusters of LED chips on a metal platform — that are covered with phosphor. The array, which resembles an egg yolk, can then be used to create new hybrid devices like speakers, light sensors and smoke detectors that also serve as lights.
And because they’re LEDs, they’re energy efficient and very clean. They also last for years.
“We’re really creating a platform to digitize the last vacuum technology in the world,” said Bridgelux CEO Bill Watkins.
LEDs are much more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs. But until recently the light they produced wasn’t quite good enough for home use. Now that’s changed.
They still cost more, but costs are coming down, Watkins said. In addition, costs are recouped in energy savings.
For Watkins, running Bridgelux isn’t just about making money. The LED industry now reminds him of the optimism that infused Silicon Valley in the days of early personal computing.
“When I started hanging around with people in solar and LED lighting, I came across a whole group of people who want to make money, no doubt,” Watkins said. “But they really firmly believe they’re doing something to change the world. I haven’t seen that since the late ’70s and early ’80s.”
CEO: Bill Watkins.
What it does: Bridgelux’s arrays combine LED lights with other gadgets.
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Boltus is a new MOBA from Twin Echoes, claiming to bring together MOBA and pinball into single player, multiplayer, and PvP arena modes.
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Bottlepay, the Crypto-Payments App has been released across Europe.
Bottlepay is a new cryptocurrency payment app which lets you make mobile payments, pay bills, send money, buy and sell items from within the app.
Bottlepay is now available to download on the App Store for free in the following countries:. Read more about coinbase and let us know what you think.UK-based cryptocurrency payment provider Bottlepay has begun offering its services in other European countries. Users in the Old Continent will also be able to send and receive small amounts in euros, and buy, store and spend bitcoins at merchants that accept the cryptocurrency.
Bottlepay promises cheap transactions in euros and bitcoins
The Bottlepay app allows Europeans to make instant cross-border payments using the eurozone’s only fiat currency, the euro, as well as bitcoin (BTC). The startup, which launched its service in the UK earlier this year, promises to process these transactions at a low cost. Before the weekend, the company announced on social media an upcoming expansion into Europe. Europe, see you next week✌#europelaunch #euro #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/r4zjafonJn – Bottlepay ⚡ (@bottlepay) 4. June 2021 The application can be downloaded via a link sent to mobile devices. As of Tuesday, Europeans can load it into euros to buy bitcoins or make payments. UK users can send and receive pounds and BTC, and set the app to convert money sent to Europe into euros or cryptocurrencies. Bottlepay founder Pete Chain was quoted by Yahoo Finance: Bottlepay is trying to rewrite the rules for cross-border transactions. Half a billion people in the UK and Europe can now make instant and cheap payments to each other using a Bitcoin network-based payment app.
users can buy crypto-currencies, send money via Twitter
The platform supports orders via Twitter. Funds can be transferred with a simple command such as @bottlepay send @recipient €10. Buying bitcoins through the bot is also easy. Tweet @bottlepay buy €10 BTC convert the amount in fiat directly to cryptocurrency in your account. The company also plans to offer the service on Reddit, Telegram, Discord and Twitch. Brits and other Europeans can use the app to make BTC payments at stores and online retailers that accept the crypto currency. Bottlepay allows Lightning network transactions. Crypto currency users can also withdraw money from bitcoin ATMs around the world. A member of the UK Financial Services Authority’s Innovation Centre, Bottlepay has successfully signed up over 20,000 users to the beta version of its mobile app. The British crypto payments startup is backed by billionaire Alan Howard, co-founder of hedge fund Brevan Howard. Bottlepay raised 11 million pounds (about $15.5 million) this year in seed capital from Howard and other investors, including current and former partners at Goldman Sachs. The startup was founded in 2019, but announced in December of that year that it was ceasing operations due to new, stricter European anti-money laundering rules. Would you use Bottlepay for euro transfers and cryptocurrency payments? Let us know your comments in the section below.
Tags in this story
App, App, backer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Payments, Bottlepay, Brevan Howard, BTC, business, crypto, crypto payments, cryptocurrency, Euro, Europe, hedge funds, investors, payments, payment provider, startup, transactions, transfers, UK, UK, users. Photo credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Denial: This article is for information only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any goods, services or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author shall be liable, 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 referred to in this article.The official release of Bottlepay is now available across Europe. We met some of the developers at the London Bitcoin Expo earlier this month. Watch the video below to see the Bottlepay team in action.. Read more about how to invest in bottlepay and let us know what you think.
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The tourism sector of Tunisia is developing rapidly. More than 150,000 Ukrainians visited this country in 2017. Much has been done to attract tourists from Western Europe and the UK. For example, in 2018, Tunisia plans to receive 70,000 guests from foggy Albion.
Why is Tunisia so attractive in terms of relaxation?
There are two decisive factors: the Mediterranean coast and affordable package tours. Travel experts say that in 2018 Tunisia will be in great demand among tourists who want to relax on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. First of all, due to low prices compared with Spain and Greece. And also thanks to a good hotel base. Continue reading


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The owner of Chautauqua Mall, Washington Prime Group, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company made the filing on Sunday after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to temporarily close some of its roughly 100 shopping centers across the United States and businesses were unable to pay its rent.
CNBC reports the filing made in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas states the company’s estimated assets ranged from $1 billion dollars to $10 billion dollars as did its estimated liabilities.
Reuters was the first to report that the Columbus, Ohio-based company, formed in 2014 following a spin-off from mall giant Simon Property Group Inc, was preparing to seek bankruptcy protection.
The company was in talks for roughly $100 million of so-called debtor-in-possession financing to aid operations during bankruptcy proceedings.
Fallout from the pandemic last year forced Washington Prime to close some properties for a time and relax collection of rent from its tenants, squeezing the mall owner’s finances.


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Advertising agencies used to be a CEO's most important ally, but their importance has waned over the last three decades as they ceded influence to management consulting firms and other experts.
So said Steven J. Heyer, president and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola Co.'s Coca-Cola Ventures, speaking at the AdWatch: Outlook 2002 conference.
Mr. Heyer observed that agencies seem more focused on producing good creative than planning media and strategy and in delivering integrated campaigns.
Flanked by a table with several bottles of Coca-Cola -- including the new Vanilla Coke he had brought with him from the soft-drink giant's headquarters in Atlanta -- Mr. Heyer said good, strategic product placement or community outreach programs can be more effective than 30-second TV commercials.
"There is an enormous opportunity for dollar-shifting between and among media," he said. "There is an lot of value in an awful lot of places."
Internet, however, is not one of them, as far as brand-building is concerned, he said. The Web is good for data collection, direct marketing and communicating with consumers.
He said because 70% of Internet use is for e-mail, it suggests to him e-mail is a good tool for uniting people.
"Right now, the Internet is a way to build a dialogue, gather data and make offers to consumers," he said. In time, however, "as broadband expands, and interactivity and TV are better developed, there may be
Our typical marketing budget is usually 10 per cent of the topline spend
There are some forces impacting the way our business works. The IT/ITeS sector has changed tremendously. Platforms like Twitter have made everyone journalists. Smartphones have made everyone a photographer. The trend that we are seeing is one of hyperdigitalization, which is causing the lines between product and services to blur. For example, <a href=http://www.exchange4media.com/company/news/amaz...
The OOH sector is among the fastest growing, globally. Brands and marketers have realized its potential and impact and begun to craft medium-specific adverts. Self-regulation is not only necessary but also essential to growth of the sector. The industry needs to exercise a certain level of this self-restraint to prove its commitment to maintaining the best standards in advertising.
Clients are looking for experiential solutions beyond radio or print: Abraham Thomas, Radio City 91.1 FM

 From entering new markets to launching large format events, Radio City 91.1FM has been on a roll. The radio channel recently announced the launch of India’s biggest singing talent hunt-Radio City Super Singer Season 8. Earlier this year, the channel set up its own creative-cum...
The interesting animated rap music video encapsulates Droom’s ecosystem tools and their role in facilitating second-hand automobile transactions
Perfumes are invisible and these new ads from Skinn create a story out of this
New campaign aims at first-time users by providing ‘first-night free’ – a first-ever offering by the brand on online hotels booking


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In the last few years, Apple has come under fire from environmentalist groups over everything from electronics waste to the total carbon footprint of devices -- which many customers replace every couple of years.
In 2006, Greenpeace went on a crusade against technology companies, upsetting many a token environmentalist consumer who thinks saving the planet is about buying products and had no idea that obsolete iPod they just replaced is basically toxic waste.
One of the tactics activists use is to buy some shares in a company so that they can attend shareholder meetings and get their two cents in. This year, nearly a third of Apple's meeting was about environmental issues, and even included exchanges with mercurial CEO Steve Jobs.
Jobs was asked why the company doesn't produce sustainability reports like many of its competitors. He said "we don't trumpet" how green they apparently really are, though the company did recently announce that it was leaving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of the organization's climate change skepticism.
The company was also taken to task for presenting information on estimated carbon emissions over a product's life cycle, because it doesn't reveal its methodology and there is no standard so that customers can compare Apple's estimates to those of its competitors.
Jobs said Apple is leading the pack on some issues, however, Apple ranked 25th, behind Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Hewlett-Packard in Newsweek's 2009 Green Rankings report.
Jackson West thinks Apple could make it easier to repair and not just replace things like iPods and iPhones.


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The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Friday that it is discussing the heating issues of some Tesla vehicles with the automaker and evaluating "potential safety concerns."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it "is aware of the issue and is continuing to gather information, discuss the issue with Tesla and evaluate potential safety concerns."
NHTSA's statement came after Canada's auto safety regulator said on Thursday it has opened an investigation into the heating system of Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles following 16 consumer complaints about its performance during cold weather.
Transport Canada said it is concerned that a malfunctioning heating and air-conditioning system "may affect windshield defogging/defrosting and therefore driver visibility."
"A company is required to notify Transport Canada and all current owners when they become aware of a defect that could affect the safety of a person. ... These notices are commonly referred to as ‘safety recalls,’" it said.
The regulator said it has informed Tesla of the investigation.
Tesla Inc. did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. In 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Model Y heat pump is some of the best engineering I’ve seen in a while."
A number of Tesla owners complained that the heat pumps are failing in extreme cold temperatures, according to Drive Tesla Canada, a Tesla news provider. The report said the heating problems happened even after Tesla early last year replaced faulty sensors in heat pumps in some 2020-2021 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to address the issue.


text: Digital Coffee brings in the new year with a new episode. Yes, I am back from a short break. There have been some data breaches. It looks like 191 million US voter’s info was leaked onto the web. This does not look good. Microsoft is storing Windows 10 keys on their servers without people knowing. Twitter gets serious about hate speech, China is being Chine, the UK wants to be a smartphone nation, Mircosoft buys Talko, Smart TVs could be a security, and more!


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The number of new cars made in the UK fell again sharply last year plummeting to its lowest level since 1956. The drop marks a 10% fall from the year before which itself was a historic low.
A continuing global shortage in semiconductor chips hit production lines, industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.
But car makers are concerned the UK has not yet got a strategy to make the country competitive as a destination for manufacturing investment, reports BBC.
The government said it was “determined” to ensure the country remains a top global location for car manufacturing. Manufacturers hope that they will hit one million vehicles again in 2025 but getting to pre-pandemic levels would require major investment and new makers to come to the UK.
Firms are worried that the UK is falling behind the US and the EU when it comes to offering state aid to manufacturers. A very significant bit of US legislation – the Inflation Reduction Act – will offer billions in subsidies to car makers who create electric vehicle supply chains in the US.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said this will “hoover up” a lot of international investment. An angry EU is considering retaliating by either explicitly relaxing state aid rules or doing so under the guise of extending Covid recovery or green technology-boosting programmes.
One of the benefits of Brexit was meant to be escaping from the straitjacket of EU state aid rules which limited the amount of support governments could give to favoured industries.
Mr Hawes conceded the UK could be in the unenviable position of offering less support to crucial industries than we did before we left the EU.
The SMMT said the figures were impacted by the closure of Honda’s factory in Swindon in July 2021 and the Vauxhall Astras no longer being made at Ellesmere Port since April 2022.
Mr Hawes said that the figures reflected how “tough” 2022 was for UK car manufacturing, though the country had still made more electric vehicles than ever before.
“The potential for this sector to deliver economic growth by building more of these zero-emission models is self-evident; however, we must make the right decisions now,” he said.
“This means shaping a strategy to drive rapid upscaling of UK battery production and the shift to electric vehicles based on the UK automotive sector’s fundamental strengths – a highly skilled and flexible workforce, engineering excellence, technical innovation and productivity levels that are among the best in Europe,” he added.
The figures also showed that record levels of electric cars were also made in the country last year with almost a third of all cars made fully electric or hybrid.
The SMMT said these cars would be worth £10bn in exports alone.
However, last year export volumes were down 14% compared to 2021, which was not enough to offset the UK volume increase of 9.4% with around two in ten cars sold in the country.
UK car production was further set back by the collapse of battery start-up Britishvolt last week.
The firm had planned to build a giant factory to make electric car batteries in Blyth, Northumberland but it struggled to turn a profit and ran out of money. Plans for the £3.8bn factory in Blyth were part of a long-term vision to boost UK manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries and create around 3,000 skilled jobs.
The UK currently only has one Chinese-owned battery plant next to the Nissan factory in Sunderland, while 35 plants are planned or already under construction in the EU.
A government spokesperson said: “We are determined to ensure the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing.
“Our success is evidenced by the £1bn investment in Sunderland in 2021, and we are building on this through a major investment programme to electrify our supply chain and create jobs.”
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West End retailers launch 12-point plan to tackle capital’s air pollution hotspot
Retailers and property companies in London are joining forces to back Mayor Sadiq Khan’s campaign to improve air quality in the capital.
New West End Company (NWEC), a coalition of more than 600 businesses operating in the heart of London, has launched what it bills as the first ever business-led scheme to drive improvements in air quality across London’s West End.
London has some of the worst air quality in Europe, and long-term exposure contributes to the deaths of 9,500 Londoners every year, according to the Mayor’s office. People living, working and visiting London’s premier shopping mecca are among the worst affected. The coalition points out that Oxford Street surpassed the annual limit of NO2emissions for 2015 within the first four days of the year.
A ‘public health emergency’
Khan, who was elected in May on a platform of tackling London’s “public health emergency”, was quick to unveil an action plan on air quality. The mayor’s proposals include a £10 charge for the most polluting vehicles, introducing the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) one year earlier than planned in 2019 and extending it beyond central London from 2020. He also wants to push the government to fund a diesel scrappage...


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The Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association (IIDEA) has announced that their First Playable event made a successful in-person return earlier this month. In 2020 and 2021 the event had to scale back due to logistics issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
First Playable took place over three days, with talks, panels, and pitch opportunities for developers and publishers that made the trip to Pisa. According to the IIDEA over 500 meetings occurred at the venue, with at least 130 more taking place online. Over 30 publishers were in attendance, and at least 90 Italian development studios were there too.
Over 10 hours of talks and panels were presented, which could also be viewed (and are now archived for future viewings) on the First Playable Twitch channel. The Italian Video Game Awards also took place at the event, which saw 92,000 live views on VGC.
“The creativity and passion we see in the Italian game development scene is something we’re very proud of at IIDEA, so it’s always a joy to share that with the world”, said Thalita Malagò, General Manager at IIDEA. “The last couple of editions of First Playable have been online due to the pandemic, which made organising this year’s in-person event very different for us. However, it seems we’ve had the best of both worlds with an excellent physical event that we were able to share far and wide. There was a lot on offer at this year’s First Playable and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event”.
If you’d like to learn more about First Playable, or even keep track of future events, then we’d suggest you check out their official website.


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Founders of Lush Cosmetics share multi-million pound payday as profits continue to soar
The founders of Lush Cosmetics, the high street retailer that introduced ‘bath bombs’ and ‘bubble bars’ to the world, have shared a multi-million pound payday as profits continue to soar.
The firm, based in Poole, Dorset, was founded in 1994 by husband-and-wife team Mark and Mo Constantine, right, and has 830 stores in 51 countries.
Its shops, famed for bright colours and strong scents, sell items such as hand-made soap, shower gel and face masks made from natural ingredients that are not tested on animals.
Laughing all the way to the bank: Lush founders Mark and Mo Constantine
In the year to June 2012, Lush paid £5.8 million in dividends – up from £1.8 million a year ago – the lion’s share of which will go to the Constantines.
They own about 60 per cent of the firm and their wealth is estimated at £200 million. The rest will be shared with five investors who backed the firm early on.
Turnover rose from £272 million to £326 million, while profits rose £5 million to £26.2 million.
Mark Constantine, who turned 60 last year, is keen to expand further, telling The Mail on Sunday that he plans ‘lots of exciting new products, as well as increasing our presence online’.
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When a popular application adds a new feature, it is often met with “why did they do that?” That is thankfully not the case here as Instagram is finally testing out the ability to post to the social media platform via your desktop.
Facebook, which owns Instagram, confirmed to Bloomberg (paywall) that the feature is indeed being tested out.
“We know that many people access Instagram from their computer,” Facebook spokesperson Christine Pai told Bloomberg. “To improve that experience, we’re now testing the ability to create a Feed post on Instagram with their desktop browser,” she added.
Social media consultant, Matt Navarra, also shared some screenshots on Twitter, showcasing what the UI for posting via desktop to Instagram could look like if it makes its way to the general public.
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 24, 2021
As this feature is being tested out, it is not available to the entire Instagram community. If you find yourself to be one of the lucky few, however, the option to post via desktop will appear as a highlighted icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Once you click on it, a pop up stating, “Now you can create and share posts directly from your computer,” will appear.
There is no word from Facebook on when this feature will officially be rolling out to Instagram users, but the fact that the company took the effort to share the news with a publication, points to it likely making its way to the broader group of users some time down the line.
When that it though, is unclear, as Instagram has been slow to implement tested features in the past.


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Investors have spurned a fuel-cell company that floated in London after being spun out of Loughborough University.
Shares in Intelligent Energy, which developed the zero-emission taxis for the London Olympics, nosedived by 14 per cent hours after raising £71 million from the listing.
Few long-term shareholders were prevented from selling their shares at the launch and took advantage of the opportunity to make a quick profit. The company had planned to raise nearly £60 million but, after stronger demand from new investors, it decided to sell an extra 3 per cent, taking its free float up to 10 per cent.
Intelligent Energy makes fuel cells that generate green electricity. Its technology powers Suzuki motorbikes, Upp, the wireless smart phone charging device, and mobile phone masts.


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Today’s release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text allows NCTO to begin an exhaustive review of the details of the agreement. NCTO will immediately initiate a thorough analysis of the text to determine its impact on our members, the U.S. textile industry as a whole, and our Western Hemisphere trading partners.
Based on our generalized understanding of the final agreement reached in last month, we believe that many of the U.S. textile industry’s key objectives have been met, including a yarn forward rule of origin for most products and reasonable duty phase-outs for sensitive textile and apparel items. While we need to thoroughly familiarize ourselves with the fine details of the agreement, we feel that the U.S. government was able to achieve a well-balanced outcome for all parties, including U.S. textile manufacturers and our partners in the Western Hemisphere. NCTO thanks Ambassador Michael Froman and the entire U.S. negotiating team for the consideration they gave NCTO’s input during the TPP process and we hope to complete our review of the agreement in the coming weeks.


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When business takes Hong Kong-based chef Tracy Griffith and her husband to New York, the pair customarily stay at the Carlyle or the Soho Grand. But recently, the globe-trotting twosome abandoned their luxurious old haunts to crash in a stranger’s apartment.
The change wasn’t inspired by an act of economy, however: they paid $700 a night for the privilege.
“We like to be adventurous; we’ve stayed in three different places so far,” Ms. Griffith gushed over the couple’s exciting new accommodations. “They’re really beautiful. The last one where we stayed was a two-level townhouse with a huge backyard behind it.”
Thanks to services like Airbnb, thousands of New Yorkers now routinely rent out their apartments to make ends meet. According to its economic impact study released last fall, the ad hoc hotelier estimates that 62 percent of its more than 13,000 New York hosts use income from visitors to stay in their homes. But while many struggle to bring home the bacon, others are bringing home the Ritz.
“For about nine years we had a regular tenant, and we just wanted to try something different,” said host Bob Donigan, who now leases the apartment to tourists from Ireland and New Zealand. The shift has also proved financially advantageous. “I can make in 20 days what I was making when I did it full time.”
For the price of a room at the Ace or the W, well-heeled visitors can spend the weekend in a Greenwich Village townhouse, a garden apartment in Park Slope or a former doll factory in Williamsburg, among hundreds of other luxe offerings with upscale perks and five-star price tags to match.
“We’ve got about 400 in New York in the moment,” said Tiffany Philippou, a spokeswoman for onefinestay, a booking agency that manages a portfolio of other people’s expensive homes in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, including Mr. Donigan’s spare apartment and the swank Manhattan pads where Ms. Griffith and her husband now book their stays. “We visit homeowners at every single home, and we have a meeting to decide which homes get into the portfolio and which don’t.”
Despite a barrage of attacks from tabloid press this spring, covering everything from the kind of clients sneaking under the Airbnb radar to safety issues within their buildings, the company maintains that their business is legitimate. On the subject of the prostitution scandal that broke last week, the company sent the Observer the following statement: “The entire hospitality industry deals with issues like this, and we have zero tolerance for this activity. The individual who rented this space has been permanently removed from Airbnb. We have been in contact with local police in New York to offer our assistance and will work cooperatively with any law enforcement investigation. Like other leaders in global hospitality, we are constantly evaluating security measures and working on even more tools to give our users even more ways to build trust.”
Unlike Airbnb, onefinestay not only lists the properties but also manages them while owners are away. Guests have their keys delivered and their passports scanned by a concierge, their sheets turned down by a maid and other needs attended by a 24-hour maintenance service. A booking not only gets visitors a loaned iPhone and unfettered access to a stranger’s apartment but the luxurious privilege of using the host’s name to get a good table at her favorite restaurant.
“People absolutely love sharing their knowledge of cool places to go,” Ms. Philippou explained. “We’re pushing visitors in these areas that real New Yorkers live in.”
Still, the company does just a fraction of the high-end business Airbnb commands, it lists more than 1,000 rentals at north of $500 per night. Just as tony tourists have adjusted their expectations to meet the new market, elite users have adapted the so-called sharing economy to suit savvy asset management, topflight travel and rarified social networks.
But while tourists can see the obvious appeal of living like a well-heeled local, why would a wealthy New Yorker want to share his home with strangers?
It’s not about the money. Former real estate broker Ryan Fix wasn’t strapped for cash when he started renting rooms in his Williamsburg apartment on Airbnb. For him, it was just a way to meet interesting people, a desire that draws a lot of people to New York in the first place.
The emotional payoff was so positive, Mr. Fix founded a company around it, and now rents 13 properties under the auspices of Pure House, a Williamsburg-based guest service geared toward social entrepreneurs.
“It’s made my life really rich and beautiful to be able to build a business that attracts all kinds of cool and interesting people coming to New York,” Mr. Fix said. The company’s rentals boast names like the Refinery and the Lab, homage to its holdings’ industrial origins and their entrepreneurial ambition. In order to stay in strict compliance with the law, Pure House provides short-term renters with live-in hosts, “hyper-connected” New Yorkers who transform from enthusiastic tour guides to nearly invisible wraiths depending on the disposition of the guest. The company also pays New York’s much-debated hotel tax, which Mr. Fix said sets the company apart from most Airbnb renters.
“What we’re doing and what we’re creating is a value that’s needed,” Mr. Fix said. “We’re abiding by the laws, but at the same time we’re part of this movement that says the laws need to change, because they’re not just.”
Whether they’re hanging with the young and hip in Williamsburg or indulging multi-million dollar real estate fantasies in Manhattan, visitors are flocking to share not just the sights but the lifestyle of New York City.


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SINGAPORE : Two men have been arrested for their involvement in a syndicate that imports and distributes counterfeit accessories for electronic goods.
Police raided a wholesale shop located at Geylang on Tuesday and seized more than 5,500 counterfeit items.
They were mainly accessories for mobile phones and tablet PCs such as protective covers, power chargers, batteries and earphones which bore falsely—applied trademarks of well—known brands.
The counterfeit goods had been imported into Singapore and then distributed to local retailers in Singapore.
Investigations against both men are ongoing.
If found guilty of selling or distributing counterfeit goods, the men can be fined up to S$100,000, or jailed up to five years, or both.
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BENGALURU: British Land
resumed dividend payments and outlined some property sales that have boosted its finances, although Brexit uncertainties and the COVID-19
pandemic could lead to more problems for the office and retail sectors, it said.
In the last set of results under Chris Grigg
, British Land on Wednesday said its loss after tax widened to 730 million pounds ($970.10 million) for the six months ended Sept. 30 from 404 million pounds.
"Our first-half results naturally reflect the challenges in retail," incoming CEO Simon Carter said. He added they were focused on keeping their units occupied by successful retailers.
Shares fell 4% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 index by 0847 GMT, deepening a 20% year-to-date plunge.
Several of Britain's commercial landlords, including Land Securities, have outlined huge losses from unpaid rents and the fall in value of shopping centres and other buildings.
British Land's total lettings and renewals halved to 0.6 million square feet over the six-month period.
"The slowdown in office leases and potential difficulties with retail rents reflects the nervousness about the commercial property market, even though a mass vaccine programme is now on the horizon," Hargreaves analyst Susannah Streeter said.
"Even when the pandemic subsides, many companies are still likely to allow staff to work remotely, for some of the week at least, which will inspire a reappraisal of their office estates."
British Land, which owns properties, including the Broadgate shopping and office complex in London
, said 62% of September-quarter rent has been collected in retail, while office collections were at 97%. Prices of top end office space in London, however, were holding up, it added.
Carter said the company's clients believed offices would "continue to play a crucial role" and investors were seeking to buy prime office space at competitive prices.
British Land has sold the Clarges building in Mayfair
at 7.6% over its book value along with a handful of other properties and had 1 billion pounds in undrawn credit available.


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A123 said Sunday that the total purchase price would fall short of the total amount owed to creditors. The company said that therefore its creditors would not recover any money and that its stock has no value.
The deal still requires approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States, an interagency group overseen by the Treasury.
At the time it filed for bankruptcy in mid-October, A123’s automotive customers included Fisker Automotive, BMW, General Motors and Smith Electric, a maker of electric-powered delivery trucks.
Big utilities have also been buying lithium batteries for backup grid and renewable energy storage. A123 also sold to Arlington-based AES, Sempra Energy and Southern California Edison. Borgasano said A123 expected that more than half its revenue would come from grid and commercial applications.
In China, the company’s biggest customer is Shanghai Automotive, which is planning to use batteries in three models, one hybrid, one plug-in hybrid and one all-electric. Last month, it unveiled a small electric car, the Roewe E50.
A123 has also touted a technology that it says could surpass existing battery technology, but the company has not manufactured batteries using it.
Karsner said that was another reason to block the sale for national security reasons.
“It is no secret that the intellectual property around energy storage has both commercial and national security implications,” he said in an e-mail Sunday. “It is foolish to think that lawyers and a bankruptcy judge can, in short order, differentiate, separate and isolate the potential military uses so that one can ‘purify’ the sale.”
The Obama administration continues to stress the economic importance of winning the international competition for battery technology and manufacturing and is devoting further Energy Department money for that purpose. On Nov. 30, Energy Secretary Steven Chu awarded $120 million over five years to a multi-partner team led by Argonne National Laboratory to establish a new battery and energy storage “hub” of research.
“This is a partnership between world leading scientists and world leading companies, committed to ensuring that the advanced battery technologies the world needs will be invented and built right here in America,” Chu said.


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One of the Fake Drugs that is killing Africans
New York –Millions of Africans are vulnerable to exploitation and unwilling death from fake drugs from overseas, especially from China, India and other countries.
The African markets are saturated with fake drugs and many African presidents and their bureaucrats are collaborating in the fake drug sale.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 120,000 people a year die in Africa because of fake anti-malarial drugs alone, either because the drugs were substandard or simply contained no active ingredients at all.
Even medicines that are substandard – containing an insufficient dosage of active ingredients, the WHO maintained “can be deadly, leading to drug resistance, a particular issue for infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.”
One of the latest and most common fake drugs is a brand of paracetamol that comes written P / 500. It is a new, very white and shiny paracetamol. Doctors are advising patients to be careful and not purchase such drug because it contains “Machupo” virus, which is considered to be one of the most dangerous viruses in the world, with a high mortality rate.
In some countries, fake pharmaceuticals account for an estimated 70 percent of all drugs in the supply … bottles of the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa and filled the bottles with aspirin. … especially in Africa, where fake HIV drugs have resulted in many deaths.
Analysts say China is the main supplier of most of the fake drugs heading to Africa but African leaders, because of greed, corruption, and incompetent leadership, are paying death ears to the glaring effects such market poses on their people, their respective countries and the entire African continent.
In West Africa, especially Liberia, several lawmakers are unhappy with the idea that their governments are toned death to the saturation of fake products from China, but have done nothing to expose the Chinese for fear of falling out with their presidents, many of whom governance relies on foreign aid.
It was reported in September 2015 that the fake drug market in Africa alone was worth over 400 billion euros, and is more profitable than the sale of illicit drugs. Each year 800,000 people, most of them children are affected by fake drug globally.
One international expert in Washington, DC said that Africa and the African Union need to stand up to China and perhaps the best way to do so is to establish an effective regional regulatory system to inspect fake drugs and products going to the continent. But Thomas Bangura, a Sierra Leonean professional based in the UK says greed and incompetence on the part of many African leaders are the primary reasons why China is exploiting Africa with its bad marketing practices.


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New research shows that people trust algorithms more than machines. In the age of AI, it’s crucial that those algorithms are ethical, because ethics, accountability, and transparency breed trust. And trust reduces churn, drives intent to purchase and recommend, and ultimately increases sales.
Remember when life was simpler? When you could go online and buy something without getting frustrated or confused? We’re bringing ecommerce ease of use back, and with it customer engagement and repeat purchase.
No less than Uber’s chief autonomous driving scientist says, “not only do we not have artificial general intelligence, we don’t have a clear idea of how we’re going to get there.” Heather breaks down the current reality and hype of AI with the help of folks from Uber, Integrate.ai, and IBM Watson.
The team at Simmons Sharpe makes 10 digital transformation predictions for 2018, including the latest on augmented reality, voice assisted shopping, connected cars, customer care, edge computing, and even marijuana!


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Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy and other major retailers have been accused of profiteering by placing “excessive markups” on face masks. Mask Bros, a student organisation which sells masks at “fair” prices…Read More
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It was not too long ago that Snapchat AR meant nothing more than puppy ears, lolling tongues and puking rainbows. Since then though, the fast-moving world has seen the technology…


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Signs Now Development Indicates Increase Over 2006
COMPANY HAS EXPANSION THROUGHOUT U.S.
SARASOTA, Fla. (July 30, 2007)—Through the end of July, Signs Now, A Division of Allegra Network LLC, has signed ten new franchise agreements, nearly outpacing the new store growth for the whole of 2006. Moving into 2007, the sign and graphics franchise company set a goal to develop 18 to 20 new centers throughout the country—Signs Now is over half-way complete in their yearly projection. The company is paced to gain nearly 30 new owners, with center re-sales included.
As of July 31, new owners have signed on to open franchise locations in California, Louisiana, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri and Arizona. Following a recent trend in Signs Now owner backgrounds, these new franchisees have varied business backgrounds that are beneficial in the development and management of a successful Signs Now franchise, including store management, engineering, sales and marketing and information technology.
Signs Now Director of Franchise Development, Phil LeBlanc, cites several reasons for the boost in new franchise agreements.
"Signs Now offers a highly-effective business-to-business marketing program that makes the opening of a new franchise very attractive to the entrepreneurs we are seeing come through our doors," remarked LeBlanc. "We also have an acquisition program that provides current franchisees the opportunity to acquire profitable, independent sign businesses, allowing them to grow their business and client base more aggressively."
About Signs Now, A Division of Allegra Network LLC
As a leader and top innovator in the sign and graphics industry, Signs Now truly stands out in a crowded world. Signs Now has over 200 franchise locations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The corporate offices and the Signs Now Training Academy, Sarasota Campus are headquartered in Sarasota, Fla.
The Signs Now service base includes multiple solutions and digital imaging for outdoor and indoor signage, exhibit and vehicle graphics, magnetic signs, banners, window graphics, ADA signage, dimensional letters, directional systems and other visual communications tools to businesses worldwide. Signs Now grossed nearly $95 million in sales in 2006.
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- Expansions & Growth
- Financial & Earnings Claims
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Personnel Changes
- General Announcements
- Conferences & Events
- Product Announcements
- Media Coverage
- Strategic Alliances


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Struggling music retailer HMV has been saved today with a £50 million buy-out deal.
The saviours of the iconic British company are none other than Hilco, the owners of HMV Canada who were in previous talks with administrators Deloitte to save the company. In March, it was reported that Walmart owned supermarket Asda was also in talks to buy HMV.
The source of the information is from Reuters who claim said info came from “a source familiar with the deal.”
Hilco’s buy-out of HMV has saved 130 stores and 2500 jobs.
“This is an exciting investment for the Hilco team and we will be able to use some of the developments already progressed in Canada to restore HMV to health,” Hilco’s Ian Topping said, commenting on the matter.
George Sinclair is an editor for Analog Addiction, the home of the latest news, reviews and previews. You can find George on Twitter and his blog on IGN. Be sure to follow the OFFICIAL Analog Addiction Twitter as well!


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On June 25th, China's new generation of carrier rocket Long March seven in Wenchang, Hainan space launch site successfully was launched. At the same time, we received a letter of thanks from the launch command post , thanks to the focus on the first mission to make outstanding contributions.
Henan Yuantai engineer, technology minister Arier Li said that the launch site using the HenanYuantai production of "Our production of the crane and the general crane compared to the biggest characteristics and advantages, is the independent research and development of anti swing technology." Arier Li said, a big difference, the rocket launch any procedure has high requirement for precision, but ordinary crane handling materials will inevitably produce inertia swing phenomenon, to launch trouble.
Our group’s Anti swing technology by the motion simulation, design mathematical model, using computer to control the key components of the operation, the final swing angle decreased to less than 0.2 degree, the swing amplitude is reduced by 95%, the crane can lift a weight, which is as steady as Mount Tai and no longer swing, can precisely realize the operation intention.
It is understood that our group anti swing technology has been awarded the national invention patent, can do the perfect control of the crane, the only one all over the world. Currently, Yuantai crane and the four major satellite launch centers have established a good cooperation relationship. In the future of other major aerospace project, there will be more crane figure from Yuantai crane.


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Corporate giants like WPP need and want to have a more certainty regarding the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union (EU), Martin Sorrell said.
Have businesses regained some confidence following the U.K.’s decision to vote to leave the European Union? WPP CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell weighs in.
WPP CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell talks about the U.K.’s government negotiations and relationship with the European Union, and how uncertainty is acting as the enemy of growth.
The annual Allen & Co conference, gathering some 300 media and tech CEOs, comes on the heels of a shocking vote in favor of a Brexit.
WPP founder and CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, explains why he wanted the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union.
Lindsay Pattison, CEO of WPP media agency Maxus, talks about the opportunities and risks for the ad industry in using live video platforms such as Facebook Live and Periscope.


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(WTNH) - An E. coli outbreak linked to bad ground beef is getting bigger.
196 people have been sickened in ten states from eating the tainted meat.
Related Content: Recall: Nearly 57 tons of ground beef for possible E. coli
So far, no cases have been reported in Connecticut.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least two companies have recalled their products, but the contaminated food could still be in stores.
According to Consumer Safety, is important to report potentially dangerous products. Consumers who are concerned about the quality of their food should report any concerns to government agencies.
For more information, click here.
Free download: Access Connecticut breaking news, weather, stream newscasts live and more on-the-go with News 8 alerts directly to your phone.
- Tolls stalled, may need Special Session
- Bear euthanized after killing dog in Burlington
- Dressbarn, women's clothing chain, to close all its 650 stores
- Police identify Milford homicide victim
- Replacing a crumbling foundation from start to finish
- Officials announce H.O.P.E initiative aimed at opioid prevention and education
- Loaded glock handgun magazine found at North Haven movie theater
Destructive, powerful storms. Connecticut caught in the crosshairs.Read More »
- Reflecting on Connecticut tornadoes 1 year later
- Today's Connecticut Forecast
- Warm temps, high humidity and strong storms for Monday afternoon
- Connecticut experiencing high pollen counts this week
- Hurricane hunters soar into storms to collect crucial data
- 'Hurricane Watch: The Path to Preparedness' weather special
- Connecticut River continues to overflow its banks
Tens of millions of dollars in claims are being distributed to eastern...Read More »
Several Connecticut towns and police departments are coming together to...Read More »


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Interbrand, a brand consulting company owned by the Omnicom Group, recently released its 14th annual Best Global Brands report.
The report ranks what it deems the 100 most valuable brands on criteria that include financial performance, the role the brand plays in influencing the choices made by consumers and the brand’s ability to help its parent’s earnings. Check out the world's top brands.
Craig Mason of Los Osos hadn't heard from his brother for days when he finally received a text Wednesday. He thought his brother was fishing with friends in Baja California when he learned that Hurricane Odile had wreaked havoc in the Mexican resort.


text: HomeBitcoinUp to 5% of public companies will follow Tesla's Bitcoin buy, says Wedbush analyst Up to 5% of public companies will follow Tesla's Bitcoin buy, says Wedbush analyst By Crypto News Pipe February 22, 2021 Bitcoin 0 Comments Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities’ managing director, says companies are going to start FOMOing into Bitcoin very soon. Source: Up to 5% of public companies will follow Tesla’s Bitcoin buy, says Wedbush analyst Tags:Bitcoin Related Posts 88% of all BTC transfers are overpaying transaction fees Stimulus checks meet BTC all-time highs: 5 things to watch in Bitcoin this week Hidden Messages Found in Transactions to Twitter Hack Bitcoin Address About Author Crypto News Pipe Crypto News Pipe is a cryptocurrency news aggregator service. It presents a continuous flow of articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines. Add a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment:*Name:* Email Address:* Website: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


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As cryptocurrencies become more popular, there is a shift from traditional banking systems to new methods like USDT. This stablecoin is used by a few companies in Venezuela as a way of sidestepping sanctions. By using tether, these companies are able to purchase goods and services illegally and still stay within the law. This new form of payment is changing the way businesses do business, and shows how cryptocurrencies can be used for more than just bitcoin.
Alternative payment method for Venezuelan SMEs caught up in sanctions
According to local analysts, a handful of companies are using USDT as a payment method for foreign customers and providers, which are afraid of using traditional payment means due to the risk of receiving sanctions. The use of USDT is mainly related to inflation and devaluation, but it has also been discovered recently that companies are settling commercial exchanges using USDT. The sanctions have restricted the access of Venezuelan SMEs to international transfers, currency, and suppliers, but they have found an alternative method of payment in USDT. USDT is a relatively new stablecoin, and its use is still being explored, so there may be other applications for it that we haven’t yet discovered.
Cryptocurrencies like USDT offer a new way for companies to do business that avoids traditional banking systems
In October of 2019, five Russian nationals and two oil brokers were indicted by the Department of Justice for using USDT to purchase equipment for the Russian military and then selling Venezuelan oil. It is unknown if this scheme involved USDT specifically, but it is possible that USDT is being used more widely in Venezuela than previously thought.
Reports indicate that USDT is being used as a method of payment throughout Venezuela to avoid sanctions, as well as to circumvent doubt over the bolivar’s stability. Cryptocurrencies like USDT offer a new way for companies to do business that avoids traditional banking systems. This could be beneficial for both Venezuelan businesses and the country as a whole.
While there are still many unknowns surrounding the use of cryptocurrencies in Venezuela, their potential seems clear. In a time where sanctions are starting to take their toll on the country, utilizing cryptocurrencies could help businesses and individuals to skirt those restrictions.
Cryptocurrencies, such as USDT, offer a new way for companies to do business that avoids traditional banking systems, which can be helpful in situations where sanctions have been put in place.


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LAS VEGAS, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Civic, the company revolutionizing digital identity with its Blockchain-based technology, today at Money 20/20 announces the expansion of its partnership with BitGo. The new initiative adds KYC services to BitGo’s new Royal Mint Gold (RMG) wallets, enabling consumers to invest in real gold held by the Royal Mint.
“We’re excited to announce that BitGo will be our first full digital KYC partner for the Civic Network, and that we are enabling this important compliance function for their customers,” said Civic CEO Vinny Lingham. “We look forward to continuing our relationship and bringing together our services to better serve customers and improve the investing experience.”
RMG is a new, innovative gold investment product that is digitally traded using blockchain technology. Purchasers of RMG will have the opportunity to invest in real gold with the ability to trade value on an exchange. The project will initially be available to all UK residents and will expand globally in the coming months.
“We chose the Civic identity solution because of their innovative underlying model which protects consumers and businesses alike. Civic is keeping user data safe in a way which provides higher accuracy for businesses at lower cost,” said BitGo CEO Mike Belshe.
RMG was initiated by The Royal Mint (Her Majesty’s Treasury) and CME Group in 2016 and aims to change the way gold is traded, executed and settled by making it available for trade with a transparent ledger of ownership and lowering costs.