Agoracom Blog

Hollister Biosciences $HOLL.ca Closes Transformational Acquisition of Rapidly Growing Venom Extracts Adding Over $16.4 Million In 2019 Revenue and $2.5 Million in EBITDA $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca $FAF.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:18 AM on Monday, March 30th, 2020

This highly accretive acquisition strengthens Hollister’s brand portfolio and broadens its distribution footprint across multiple states positioning Hollister to transform into an industry leader in 2020 and beyond

  • Venom Extracts reports having generated over CDN$16.4 million in revenue and over CDN$2.5 million in EBITDA from its product line of cannabis concentrates and cartridges. 

VANCOUVER, March 30, 2020  – Hollister Biosciences Inc. (CSE: HOLL, FRANKFURT: HOB, OTC: HSTRF) (the “Company” or “Hollister“), a diversified cannabis branding company with products in 220 dispensaries throughout California, is pleased to announce that further to the signing of the definitive agreement, as amended (the “SEA“), the Company has now closed its transformational acquisition of Venom Extracts (“Venom Extracts“), a leading Arizona cannabis extract brand and one of the state’s largest producers of award-winning medical cannabis distillate and related products (the “Transaction“).

HIGHLY ACCRETIVE $20,000,000 ACQUISITION, ADDING OVER CDN$16.4 MILLION OF 2019 REVENUE

For the year ended December 31, 2019, management of Venom Extracts reports having generated over CDN$16.4 million in revenue and over CDN$2.5 million in EBITDA from its product line of cannabis concentrates and cartridges.  Venom Extract’s management also reports a strong start to 2020 and is anticipating record Q1 revenue.

The all-stock purchase price of approximately CDN$20,000,000 represents a transaction multiple of 1.2x 2019 revenue, with approximately 70% of the consideration paid upfront and the approximately 30% balance to be paid upon milestone achievements related to revenue targets for Venom Extracts, or in any event, on December 31, 2021.  After conducting normal course due diligence, the Transaction closed effective March 24, 2020 (the “Closing Date“).

KEY TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION:

Pursuant to the terms of the SEA, the Company has acquired Venom Extracts for consideration of CDN$20,000,145.20 which is to be satisfied by the issuance of 70,390,672 Hollister common shares (the “Payment Shares“) on the Closing Date pro rata to the shareholders of Venom Extracts and an additional 29,610,054 common shares (the “Earn-Out Shares“) to certain former shareholders of Venom Extracts on the earlier of (i) Venom Extracts reaching certain revenue milestones (detailed below), or (ii) December 31, 2021.

  • The Payment Shares and the Earn-Out Shares will be issued at a deemed value of CDN$0.20 per share;
  • The Payment Shares are subject to certain voluntary hold periods with 90% of the Payment Shares being subject to hold periods as follows: 15% until May 25, 2020; and an additional 15% every six months until November 25, 2022;
  • The Earn-Out Shares will be issued on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021, or (ii) when and if the following milestones have been met:
    • 19,740,036 Earn-Out Shares will be issued when revenue of Venom Extracts reaches CDN$30,000,000 (calculated in accordance with IFRS from January 1, 2020); and
    • An additional 9,870,018 Earn-Out Shares will be issued when revenue of Venom Extracts reaches CDN$40,000,000 (calculated in accordance with IFRS from January 1, 2020).

“We are extremely pleased to complete this transformational and highly accretive acquisition”, shared Carl Saling, Founder and CEO of Hollister Biosciences Inc. “Our acquisition of Venom Extracts bolts on substantial revenue and EBITDA to Hollister, while providing Venom Extracts the ability to expand its offering of premium branded product into the California marketplace. Likewise, our acquisition also allows Hollister to introduce its products into the Arizona and Nevada marketplaces through Venom Extracts’ existing distribution channels.”

“This is an exciting acquisition and we are very pleased to announce closing”, shared Jacob Cohen, Founder of Venom Extracts.  “This transaction represents the next step in ensuring the future growth of both Hollister and Venom Extracts.  We are looking forward to increasing our geographic presence by expanding into the California marketplace through Hollister’s existing platform, and exploring expansion of our existing product portfolio collectively.”

In association with the acquisition, Hollister will not be assuming any long-term debt, a new control position will be created and there is no change in management, or the board of directors of Hollister being contemplated at this time.

In connection with the Transaction, the Company issued 6,000,000 common shares (the “Finder Shares“) to an arm’s length third party finder at a deemed price of $0.20 per Finder Share.  The Finder Shares are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the Closing Date which expires July 25, 2020.

This press release is available on the Company’s CEO Verified Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Transaction have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“), or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Rule 506(b) of Regulation D and/or Section 4(a)(2) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. In addition, the securities issued under an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act will be “restricted securities” as defined under Rule 144(a)(3) of the U.S. Securities Act and will contain the appropriate restrictive legend as required under the U.S. Securities Act.

About Hollister Biosciences Inc.

Hollister Biosciences Inc. is a diversified cannabis company with multiple, high-quality products now carried in 220 of Indus Holdings (CSE: INDS), Hollister’s exclusive distribution partner’s 600 dispensaries. This level of penetration is expected to grow as the Company accelerates its seed to shelf, high margin business and product development model.

Capitalizing on this success, Hollister’s vision is to become the sought-after premium brand portfolio of innovative, high quality cannabis across multiple states and hemp products nationwide.

Our wholly owned California subsidiary, Hollister Cannabis Co, is the 1st state and locally licensed Cannabis Company in the City of Hollister, California, the birthplace of the “American Biker” from which we embrace the outlaw roots of Hollister to drive our Company fearlessly down the road of success.

Products from Hollister Cannabis Co. include HashBone, the brand’s premier artisanal hash-infused pre-roll ranked as California’s #1 hash infused pre-roll, along with solvent-free bubble hash, pre-packaged flower, pre-rolls, tinctures, vape products, and full-spectrum high CBD pet tinctures.

Website:  www.hollistercannabisco.com 

About Venom Extracts

Venom Extracts is one of Arizona’s premier extract brands and one of the state’s largest producers of award-winning medical cannabis distillate and related products.  With an experienced management team and unparalleled reputation for quality, Venom Extracts prides itself as a differentiated extraction company by producing legal Marijuana products at a price point that allows retailers to generate higher profits.  Focused on proprietary efficiencies, the Company is able to produce more product per square foot than its competition, maintaining lower costs and risks than a typical extraction company. The company’s expansion strategy is centered on entering new markets/states that are approved for medical cannabis use and/or approved or have a reasonable expectation to be approved for recreational use in the near future.  

Website:  www.venomextracts.com

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “project”, “should”, “believe” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company’s disclosure documents which can be found under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com.

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VIDEO: Peter Pascali $100,000 Donation Inspires Corporate Responsibility During #COVID19 Crisis $PYR $RTN $NOC $UTX $HPQ.ca $DDD.ca $SSYS $PRLB

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:38 PM on Sunday, March 29th, 2020

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Posted in Featured, PyroGenesis Canada Inc. | Comments Off on VIDEO: Peter Pascali $100,000 Donation Inspires Corporate Responsibility During #COVID19 Crisis $PYR $RTN $NOC $UTX $HPQ.ca $DDD.ca $SSYS $PRLB

CLIENT FEATURE: New Age Metals $NAM.ca River Valley #PGM Project Hosts 2.9Moz #Palladium Equivalent (M&I); #Sprott Owns 18.56% – $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:48 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020
  • Palladium Is The Hottest Metal On The Planet
  • River Valley Hosts 2.9Moz Palladium Equivalent (Measured & Indicated)
  • Advancing to Pre-Feasibility Study
  • The Largest Undeveloped PGM Project In North America!
  • Eric Sprott Owns 18.56% Of THIS Palladium Company

River Valley PGM Project near Sudbury, ON

  • Palladium is the main payable metal accounting for 65% of revenue stream based on 2019 PEA.
  • 1:0.4 (Pd:Pt).
  • Excellent infrastructure and within 100 kilometers of the Sudbury Metallurgical Complex.
  • NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimation (Q1 2019)
  • PEA done Q3 2019.
  • 2020 plan to follow up on PEA recommendations.

Preliminary Economic Assessment demonstrates positive economics for a large-scale open pit mining operation.

PEA Highlights (CDN$):

  • Life of mine (LOM) of 14 years, with 6 million tonnes annually of potential process plant feed at an average grade of 0.88 g/t Palladium Equivalent (PdEq) and process recovery rate of 80%, resulting in an annual average payable PdEq production of 119,000 ounces.
  • Pre-Production capital requirements: $495 M.
  • Undiscounted cash flow before income and mining taxes of $586M.
  • Undiscounted cash flow after income and mining taxes of $384M.
  • Average unit operating cost of $19.50/tonne over the life-of-mine.
  • Potential for up to 325 jobs at the peak of production.
  • Using March 11, 2020 spot Palladium price (US$2,275/oz) River Valley Project After-tax IRR is 30% and After-tax NPV (5%) is $C858M.

New Age Metals Inc. is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.

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Mota Ventures $MOTA.ca Successful Immune Line Launch Signs Up Over 5,500 New Customers in 12 Days $APH.ca $GBLX $PFE $ACG.ca $ACB.ca $WEED.ca $HIP.ca $WMD.ca $CGRW

Posted by AGORACOM at 5:06 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020
  • Since March 14, 2020, Mota has acquired over 5,500 new customers
  • The product has yielded an average initial order value of $189.00 USD.

Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ:GR)(OTCPINK:PEMTF) (the “Company” or “Mota“) is pleased to announce that since the launch of its Immune Support product line on March 14, 2020, the Company has acquired over 5,500 new customers seeking natural solutions to help support their family’s immune systems. The popularity of the primary product has yielded an average initial order value for immune support customers of $189.00 USD. Earlier this week the Company introduced an Immune CBD oil and Elderberry Gummies. The new Immune CBD product contains CBD, B3, B12, vitamin C and zinc and is made from 100% pure essential oils containing cinnamon leaf, lemon, clove bud, lime, eucalyptus, globulus, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint and oregano.

The Company has acquired over 50,000 new customer inquiries for Immune Support/CBD products since March 14, 2020. The Immune Support line is gaining interest from customers that historically were hesitant to purchase CBD, but are now interested in the Immune products and the potential anti-inflammatory benefits of CBD. In addition, traditional brick-and-mortar stores have been affected due to social distancing requirements, driving consumers to purchase online from the safety of their homes.

“The Immune Support product launch has been the most successful product launch in the history of our First Class brand. E-Commerce is a fast-moving sector, especially during these very unique times we are facing today. Our ability as a company to quickly develop and launch new products to meet market demand is a testament to our expertise. I am very excited by the reception we have received to date for our Immune Line of products. I project demand for the line will continue through Q2 and be a significant driver to our growth for 2020,” stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company.

Additionally, the Company has entered into a 12 month programmatic digital advertising campaign with Native Ads, Inc. for a total cost of C$80,000; consisting of C$72,000 for digital advertising, paid distribution, and media buying over the campaign period and, C$8,000 for content creation, consulting, managed services and management fees over the course of the campaign period. Native Ads is a full-service advertising agency, that owns and operates a proprietary ad exchange with over 80 integrated SSPs (supply side platforms) resulting in access to 3-7 billion daily North American ad impressions. Neither Native Ads nor any of its directors and officers own any securities of the Company.

About Mota Ventures Corp.

Mota is seeking to become a vertically integrated global CBD brand. Its plan is to cultivate and extract CBD into high-quality value-added products from its Latin American operations and distribute it both domestically and internationally. Its existing operations in Colombia consist of a 2.5-hectare site that has optimal year-round growing conditions and access to all necessary infrastructure. Mota is looking to establish sales channels and a distribution network internationally through the acquisition of the Sativida and First Class CBD brands. Low cost production, coupled with international, direct to customer sales channels will provide the foundation for the success of Mota.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MOTA VENTURES CORP.

Ryan Hoggan
Chief Executive Officer

For further information, readers are encouraged to contact the President of the Company, Joel Shacker, at +604.423.4733 or by email at [email protected] or www.motaventuresco.com

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The thematic case for #Nickel – SPONSOR Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:55 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020

SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE)  Kenbridge Property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper. Tartisan also has interests in Peru, including a 20 percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information

Tc logo in black

The thematic case for nickel

  • Nickel has exciting long-term prospects as its use in electric vehicle batteries is expected to drive its demand growth in the future
  • This structural trend has, however, not immunised it against the recent headwinds facing industrial metals

By Mobeen Tahir, Associate Director, Research, WisdomTree.

Nickel has exciting long-term prospects as its use in electric vehicle batteries is expected to drive its demand growth in the future. This structural trend has, however, not immunised it against the recent headwinds facing industrial metals. Industrial metals are cyclical commodities and their performance is fuelled by global economic growth. The sector has therefore been under pressure from trade wars and, more recently, coronavirus. In this blog, we want to shift the focus back to nickel’s strategic case. We remain cognizant that the current storm is not over yet but expect a smoother sail once the existing headwinds subside.

Analysing nickel’s recent history

Nickel has strongly outperformed the industrial metals basket (composed of copper, zinc, aluminium and nickel) in the last 3 years (Figure 1). The sector has faced challenges since the advent of trade wars in 2018 both directly due to tariffs and indirectly via a resulting slowdown in global economic activity. Nickel too has had its share of price volatility during this time. The metal rallied sharply in July 2019 on the expectation that Indonesia, which produces a quarter of global nickel supply, will bring forward its nickel ore export ban by 2 years to January 2020. Indonesia announced this decision soon thereafter. Concerns of supply shortages drove the price in a market which was already in a deficit. Nickel’s fortunes reversed in the last quarter of 2019 as stainless-steel demand, which currently accounts for nearly two-thirds of the metal’s use, dwindled. The dynamics of the nickel market are however changing which is why we have an optimistic view of the future.

Source: WisdomTree, Bloomberg. Monthly data from 01/01/2017 to 03/01/2020. Industrial metals basket refers to the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Subindex.

Battery solutions to take a larger share of nickel

According to metal experts Wood Makenzie, battery solutions are expected to account for more than 30% of the total demand for nickel by 2040, up from around 4% today (Figure 2). This is because electric vehicles are forecasted to be around 50% of all passenger car sales by 2040, up from around 8% today. Batteries need to become more efficient to enable this growth and nickel is expected to play a pivotal role. According to the Nickel Institute, nickel-containing Lithium-ion batteries are powering the electric vehicle revolution as nickel in batteries helps deliver higher energy density and greater storage capacity at a lower cost. This will allow electric cars to have both a longer range, i.e. the ability to drive longer distances without requiring a recharge, and lower cost promoting wider adoption.

Now, the impact on price from demand growth can, in theory, be offset by an equal increase in supply. We, however, believe that supply growth will be much slower as, according to Wood Mackenzie, the average time for a new nickel mining project to start producing the metal is around 9 years. Miners will seek higher prices to be incentivised to undertake such projects.

Source: WisdomTree, Wood Mackenzie. Forecasts (F) from 2019.

It is uncertain how quickly the current headwinds facing industrial metals will dissipate. Having said that, the market dynamics of nickel are changing and the long-term outlook appears promising for the metal supported by a thematic shift towards electric vehicles which is being powered by nickel-containing batteries. With the nickel market already in a supply deficit, we expect growing demand to support its price in the long-term.

Source: https://www.etfstrategy.com/wisdomtree-the-thematic-case-for-nickel-etf-49595/

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#Covid19 fake news hacks its way onto government blockchain website – SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited $DM.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:45 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020

SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited (TSX-V: DM) A revenue generating small cap A.I. company that NATO and Canadian Defence are using to fight fake news & social media threats. The company announced three $1M contacts in Q3-2019. Click here for more info.

Covid-19 fake news hacks its way onto government blockchain website

By: Mariana López

  • On March 14, the government in Argentina disclosed that its system had effectively been hacked.
  • Perpetrator(s) uploaded false information regarding guidelines for public officials on handling the coronavirus (Covid-19) onto the country’s official bulletin website, which just so happens to use blockchain technology. 

As a result, officials took the site temporarily offline.

Correspondingly, another issuance will be necessary to disclaim the false statements posted on its 34,239 editions.

Have the blockchain gods forsaken the government of Buenos Aires? Not exactly. Blockchain isn’t bullet-proof.

Hacked! Why Argentina’s case is a big deal

Perhaps you’re wondering, “what’s the big deal? It’s just a bulletin.”

No, it’s not just a bulletin. 

Many countries have their own official bulletin or gazette wherein laws, notifications, or other big-deal, high-level government information is formally announced.

In Argentina, it’s known as the Boletín Oficial. Mexico’s is christiend the Diario Oficial de la Federación. In the US it’s called the Federal Register.

And the fact that something of such substantial importance in government communications was hacked is both alarming and interesting.

First off, blockchain-based systems are often hailed as more fool-proof to this type of manipulation. 

And that’s because each block within the chain is supposed to have its own unique cryptographic fingerprint and use what’s known as a “consensus protocol.” Through this protocol, the nodes on the network share and record transactional history. 

Thanks to these mechanisms, in theory, not just any outsider can show up and manipulate the data.

But with some creativity and determination, hackers can bust through blockchain’s apparently impenetrable defenses.

Secondly, everyone is well aware of how fake news can make its way onto social media. As a result, we’re consistently advised to only rely on official sources, like government websites, for more information on the pandemic. 

The hacking of a government outlet like Buenos Aires’ means that no source is 100 percent safe and fool-proof to being used as a platform to broadcast false statements.

That’s why we should make an effort to consult additional sources for more information. Especially for a topic as sensitive as healthcare.

And remember, if the government is hackable, so are you. So take the necessary precautions to protect your own data and systems.

Source: https://www.contxto.com/en/argentina/argentina-government-hacked-spread-fake-news/

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What Indian #Edtech Leaders Are Saying About #COVID19 Pandemic – SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:13 PM on Friday, March 27th, 2020
SPONSOR:  BetterU Education Corp. aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.

What Indian Edtech Leaders Are Saying About COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Employees of most IT companies have been directed to work from home
  • Furthermore, many of these organizations have taken various initiatives to extend their support to employees who have been struck by this pandemic

Sameer Balaganur

India has been going through a difficult time. COVID-19 has proven to be a bigger problem than what anyone could have anticipated. The pandemic has been spreading at an alarming rate and has impacted everything – from people’s daily lives, to operations in various industries.

Employees of most IT companies have been directed to work from home. Furthermore, many of these organizations have taken various initiatives to extend their support to employees who have been struck by this pandemic.

Here are some of these initiatives led by business leaders as they get together to combat this disease collectively:

Vijay Shekar Sharma, Founder of Paytm

Vijay Shekar Sharma has pledged Rs 50 million for any medical innovation related to COVID-19. His company has also launched an ‘India Fights Corona’ campaign in partnership with consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever’s Lifebuoy and Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Foundation. Paytm also plans to distribute one million soaps to those affected.

Paytm users can contribute to the ‘Donation’ section in the app, or on the website. Innovators, research teams and doctors can also reach the company for support at [email protected]. Sridhar Vembu, Founder of Zoho

Sridhar Vembu recently announced a Small Business Emergency Subscription Assistance Program. The plan is to waive three months’ fee for software that small businesses have already been using. This move will benefit 20,000 of its existing customers who have 25 or fewer employees. These small businesses will get a Zoho Wallet credit, which will be equivalent to three months of their bill, and the business owners can choose to use the wallet credits as they deem fit.

In addition to these efforts, Zoho is providing free access to its Zoho Remotely suite of web and mobile apps to offer remote working options for all businesses until July 1, 2020. This includes a set of 11 apps which provide services like document management and video conferencing, among others.

“You will see the impact on guidance and revenue growth (by Indian IT companies) for next year. Next year, growth is going to be very challenging for the Indian IT services industry.”

Ex-CFO, Infosys Ltd V Balakrishnan in an interview.

Byju Raveendran, Founder of Byju’s

The popular edtech firm’s flagship app – Byju’s – will have free access for users, and the offer stands until the end of April. It will offer math and science lessons suitable for children from grades 2-4, along with Disney Byju’s Early Learn app that offers math and English lessons for students from grades 1-3. This app could help thousands of students who have been stuck at home without the guidance of teachers.

Manoj Bubna, Gautam Gurtoo & Biren Shah (Nitrogen founders)

Nitrogen is a Mumbai-based SaaS company that announced free use of its digital platform for three months for hospitals, grocery outlets and pharmacies. The founders believe that the three industries – healthcare, consumer products and pharma – could face a lot of traffic during the 21-day lockdown. It can help websites handle peak traffic and strengthen their security. “The IT sector may see some indirect impact in the medium to long term as some of the clients have exposure to manufacturing in China.”

Pravin Rao, NASSCOM vice-chairman, as well as COO of Infosys in an interview. 

Mukesh Ambani, MD of Reliance Industries 

Although not necessarily considered a tech leader, Ambani has announced a multi-pronged plan that involves prevention, mitigation and ongoing support related activities to stem the spread of COVID-19. His foundation has set up India’s first dedicated COVID-19 centre with 100 beds and a fully equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra. As far as tech is concerned, the company’s telecom arm has increased its data limits for its existing broadband users and waived charges for new ones.  

With Jio Haptik Technologies, the company’s digital unit has also built a chatbot for free. This chatbot is built for Government functionaries and is called MyGov Corona Helpdesk. The bot is created to answer questions around the pandemic and provide accurate information to curb false news. 

Outlook 

As India battles COVID-19, there has been an extended lockdown for the entire country. This pandemic has disrupted all industries. Moreover, many analysts say that these companies might not be able to recover from the impact for many months to come.

The pandemic has put the IT sector’s ability to deliver services on-site to test, and that is why the majority of them have been moving towards working remotely. Many believe that this will cause a recession that could be worse than 2008 one if the pandemic is not brought under control fast.

Source: https://analyticsindiamag.com/what-indian-tech-leaders-are-saying-about-covid-19-pandemic/

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#AI and #deepfake: #COVID19 poses new challenges for detecting deceptive tech – SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited $DM.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:53 PM on Thursday, March 26th, 2020

SPONSOR: Datametrex AI Limited (TSX-V: DM) A revenue generating small cap A.I. company that NATO and Canadian Defence are using to fight fake news & social media threats. The company announced three $1M contacts in Q3-2019. Click here for more info.

AI and deepfake: COVID-19 poses new challenges for detecting deceptive tech

  • With the rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, incidents of widespread fraud around the world are showing us how easy it is to manipulate people in times of crisis
  • Shows the dangerous potential technology has to expand the boundaries of art until, at least, a control mechanism can be established

by Şule Güner

An elderly man wearing a face mask who collapsed and died lays on a street near a hospital as another man rides a bicycle past him in Wuhan, China, Jan. 30, 2020. (AFP Photo)  

With the rise of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, incidents of widespread fraud around the world are showing us how easy it is to manipulate people in times of crisis and shows in full the dangerous potential technology has to expand the boundaries of art until, at least, a control mechanism can be established

“Have we come to a point whereby our recent technological developments have greater enabled the spread of false information?” This question has been a hot ethical topic over the last decade but unfortunately, examples are plenty enough to guarantee most would answer a resounding “yes.” At the moment, it seems we live in an age where the risk of digital manipulation is, in fact, a daily one.

News covering the coronavirus, which has since December spread from China to cover almost the entire world, is perhaps the most pertinent example. Over the period between December and January, when China was caught in the midst of an intense struggle against the outbreak, several pieces of footage circulated around the country’s social media platforms, seemingly showing people having collapsed in the middle of the street. The videos left the Chinese public quite perplexed as to their authenticity, yet no sooner had the videos been shared than they had gone viral all over the world.

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, the world’s top political and economic elites were similarly deceived by a rather old-fashioned trick. Anthony Lasarevitsch (L) and Gilbert Chikli deceived their victims by impersonating French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. (AFP Photo)

Deception via masks

Four years ago, French and Israeli citizens Gilbert Chikli and Anthony Lasarevitsch called a list of highly influential people, which included King Philippe of Belgium, Gabon President Ali Bongo, the CEO of Lafarge, various members of the clergy and charity bosses and tricked them by posing as French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. The pair even managing to squeeze money out of a number of those on their hit list at meetings arranged via Skype.

The fraudsters sported a silicone mask of Le Drian and hung a picture of the former French President François Hollande up on the wall behind them, demanding money for an extraordinary and urgent situation. The duo managed to pull the trick off a number of times, making a total of 55 million euros ($59.53 million) between 2016 and 2017. After fleeing to Ukraine in 2017 before being sent back to France, they received prison terms and fines at a hearing in France in early March. However, this situation has proved that even something as cliche as a fake mask can be enough to pull the wool over some. President Nixon poses at his White House desk in this March 23, 1970 file photo. (AP Photo)

This being the case, just think what could be achieved with what is known as “deepfake technology,” which enables fraudsters to deceive hundreds or even tens of thousands of people at one time. Unfortunately, people will continue to suffer as a result of these highly potent deception tactics, at least until we manage to create new tech that can distinguish between what is real and what is fake, or related measures are taken.

While creators of deepfake videos make more and more incredibly realistic videos every day, the latest example of this was the manipulation of former U.S. President Richard Nixon’s historic moon landing speech. With AI-manipulated deepfake tech, the president, who served between 1969-1974, was made to say the moon landing mission had failed. The authenticity, life-likeness of the video, which was created by the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, who joined up with machine learning experts from Ukraine and Israel, deeply shocked everyone who witnessed it while also raising concerns that this technology, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could manipulate millions.

News on the Turkish front

COVID-19 diagnostic kit gives results in 90 minutes The pathogen kit needs only 90 minutes to see if the patient has contracted the coronavirus. (AA Photo)

In partnership with the Public Health General Directorate’s (HSGM) Virology Laboratory, Bioeksen, a Turkish company within the Istanbul Technical University (Ä°TÃœ) ARI Teknokent, has announced that it has developed a pathogen kit that can detect the coronavirus in just 90 minutes. The kit has already entered mass production and is expected to strengthen the hand of health personnel in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic that continues to sweep the world.

Canan Zöhre Ketre Kolukırık, the founder of Bioeksen, said when the coronavirus outbreak first broke out, HSGM labs and Bioeksen took swift action, coordinating efforts under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) and developing a kit to allow for the quick detection of the coronavirus in just under two weeks. Bioeksen subsequently launched production of the kit, she added.

Stating that the group had contributed substantial amounts to the field of innovative biotechnology, Kolukırık said: “Our innovative solutions, which reduce the dayslong analysis of pathogen diagnosis to mere hours, have enabled us to progress rapidly in our sector. Bioeksen has not only remained the manufacturer of consumable products but has also become a groundbreaker for Turkey as the developer and launcher of the first 100% domestic robotic molecular analyzer.”

Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/life/ai-and-deepfake-covid-19-poses-new-challenges-for-detecting-deceptive-tech/news

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Gratomic $GRAT.ca Receives Notice to Grant Mining License $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca #TODAQ

Posted by AGORACOM at 2:13 PM on Thursday, March 26th, 2020
  • Ministry of Mines is prepared to grant Mining License 215 (ML215) for its Aukam Graphite Property in Namibia.
  • Gratomic can now produce a concentrate of up to 98% Cg
  • Management has subsequently decided to build a 20 000 tonne per annum processing plant.

Gratomic Inc. is pleased to announce, supplementary to its February 21, 2020 Press Release, that it has received a Notice from the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Namibia that the Minister is prepared to grant Mining License 215 (ML215) for its Aukam Graphite Property in Namibia. The License area falls within the proximity of the Aukam Processing Plant and the Graphite bearing shear zone for a total of 5002 hectares (5002 ha). Securing the mining license is a critical step towards moving the Aukam Mine into commercial production.

The Company has completed 8 months of pilot testing on historically mined product and conducted an internal study on the efficiency of the pilot processing facility on this material. Through rigorous testing and adjustments to the plant, Gratomic can now produce a concentrate of up to 98% Cg. Management has subsequently decided to build a 20 000 tonne per annum processing plant. To date, 90% of construction is complete. Upon completion of the remaining 10%, the Company will initially start processing material from historical workings left at the surface when the mine last operated in 1974.

The Company has recently appointed Dr. Ian Flint to complete a preliminary economic assessment on the Aukam Processing plant. The study, its recommendations, and their subsequent implementation, will ensure the scale up of the existing pilot plant to a commercial scale processing facility that will provide the desired concentrate grades and production rates.

With respect to site exploration, in the coming months diamond drilling will resume at Aukam Graphite. The drilling will be conducted utilizing Company owned drilling equipment, focusing on areas proximal to graphite mineralization, depicted by previous diamond drilling, underground excavation and surface outcrop sampling. The drill targeting will be systematic with the expectation of producing an NI 43-101 resource estimate.

Arno Brand, President and CEO of the Company stated that “the Company will be able to satisfy all of the conditions in the Notice and proceed to commercialization of its Aukam Graphite Mine. This marks a significant milestone for the Company.”

Risk Factors

No mineral resources, let alone mineral reserves demonstrating economic viability and technical feasibility, have been delineated on the Aukam Property. The Company is not in a position to demonstrate or disclose any capital and/or operating costs that may be associated with the processing plant.

The Company advises that it has not based its production decision on even the existence of mineral resources let alone on a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit.

Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that production will begin as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved.

Failure to commence production would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s cash flow and future profitability.

Steve Gray, P. Geo. has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release and is the Company’s “Qualified Person” as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Gratomic Inc.

Gratomic is an advanced materials company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products most notably high value graphene-based components for a range of mass market products. We have a Joint Venture collaboration with Perpetuus Carbon Technology, a leading European manufacturer of graphenes, to use Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on an industrial scale. The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GRAT.

For more information: visit the website at www.gratomic.ca or contact:

Arno Brand at [email protected] or 416 561-4095

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UK’s First Electric Avenue Charges Electric Cars from Streetlamps SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:52 PM on Thursday, March 26th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

Sutherland Avenue in the City of Westminster now has 24 streetlamp charging posts to top up electric vehicles overnight

Research conducted by Siemens found that over a third of British motorists are planning to buy into an electric future by purchasing a hybrid or full electric vehicle as their next car, with 40 percent saying that they would have jumped in sooner if the charging infrastructure was better.

In London, drivers believe that only 100 to 200 charging points are available in total, and many think that it’s just not possible to juice up an EV at home or at work. Berlin-based Ubitricity has been converting streetlamps to charging points in the UK’s capital since 2015, and together with project partner Siemens now have some 1,300 installations dotted throughout the city.  

A cable featuring a smart meter is plugged into the electric vehicle and streetlamp for overnight charging Siemens

The technology is installed in existing streetlamp columns, and uses already-available infrastructure, so there’s no digging up roads to lay new cables. Electric vehicle users plug a SmartCable into the streetlamp column and the other end is connected to the vehicle, allowing battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to charge overnight outside residences that don’t have driveways or garages. An in-cable meter box registers how many kilowatt-hours are used and the customer is billed accordingly.

The City of Westminster has a total of 296 streetlamp charging points in service, but Sutherland Avenue is reported to be the first residential avenue in the UK to have full conversion of its steetlamps. And the two adjoining roads are due to be converted in the coming weeks too. The city council is looking to have a thousand charging points in the inner London borough within the next year.

“In a city that suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the country, we need to be supporting the change to green technology as much as we can,” said Councilor Andrew Smith. “Electric Avenue, W9 gives us a glimpse into the future of streets in Westminster, where we hope to provide the infrastructure needed for our residents to make the switch to cleaner, greener transport.”

Source:https://newatlas.com/siemens-ubitricity-electric-avenue/

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