Online World Today

   If you frequent the internet, there is a good chance you have browsed YouTube and heard videos start with: “Welcome back to my channel guys!” or conclude with the classic sign-off: “Don’t forget to like, subscribe and comment, see you in the next video!”  Gone are the days where having a YouTube channel is reserved for the niche- micro- creator. Whether you are Apple or a local Mom and Pop shop, you are committing a disservice to your brand or business by not utilizing YouTube as a tool. As the world’s second-largest search engine, only behind its parent company Google, YouTube has over two billion logged-in monthly users. YouTube offers an unparalleled reach, tapping into a diverse global audience.  YouTube’s search engine capabilities also boost discoverability, ensuring that businesses can be found by users actively seeking relevant products or services. The integration of advertising options, such as TrueView, Adsense and YouTube Ads, allows for targeted and c...

   Starting today, millions living in the UK will receive email invitations to sign up for an e-visa account that will replace their physical immigration documents like Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs). The move is, according to the Home Office, "a key step in creating a modernised and digital border" that will "boost security and value for the UK public" and provide greater reassurance, convenience, and flexibility. Email invites sent to millions The Home Office has started rolling out e-visas for existing holders of physical immigration documents like Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs). Millions of such residents will start receiving email invites from today, in batches, prompting them to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account that will serve as digital proof of their legal immigration status. "These invitations will be issued in phases, and although initially by invitation only, the process will open to all BR...

  Changpeng Zhao, the former head of the world’s largest cryptocurrency trading company, was sentenced to four months in jail on Tuesday in a Seattle courtroom. Zhao pleaded guilty late last year to money-laundering violations and stepped down as CEO of Binance. The company itself was fined $4.3bn. Zhao was fined $50m last year. Judge Richard Jones told Zhao that there were a number of mitigating factors in his sentencing, including that he had cooperated with law enforcement. Jones also cited numerous letters the court had received that testified to Zhao’s character, and stated that he did not believe Zhao was likely to reoffend. The Department of Justice sought a 36-month sentence for Zhao in a filing last week, arguing that he “violated US law on an unprecedented scale” and that his “sentence should reflect the gravity of his crimes”. Zhao’s defense lawyers argued that he should receive only probation. “Mr Zhao deeply regrets his offense, and he has shown exceptional acceptance ...

   In a Seattle court on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones will deliver a sentence to Binance founder and ex-CEO Changpeng Zhao. In November, Zhao pleaded guilty to criminal charges and stepped down from his role as CEO of the crypto exchange. For months, Judge Jones has been weighing the appropriate punishment for Zhao. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of crypto exchange Binance, heads to a Seattle courtroom on Tuesday to learn whether the crimes he admitted to committing will land him in prison for an extended sentence. In November, Zhao pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering at Binance. As part of his plea deal with the Department of Justice, Zhao agreed to step down as CEO. For months, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones has been weighing the appropriate punishment for Zhao, also known as CZ. Once a titan of the crypto sector, Zhao grew Binance into the world's largest centralized crypto exchange globally. The company held assets of more tha...

  More shoppers are falling for bogus online car listings and fraudulent auto sale websites, according to a new Better Business Bureau report. The BBB said it saw a 25 percent increase in reports last year involving virtual vehicle vendor scams, where criminals pose as private sellers or dealerships, use stolen pictures, fake addresses, and elaborate stories to explain below-market prices. Buyers above the age of 45 accounted for more than 75 percent of the reports filed with the BBB Scam Tracker, the organization said. “The numbers unfortunately are increasing,” said BBB spokesperson Paula Fleming. “We want to arm people with the knowledge this is happening.” The BBB found a new trend also emerged involving fake vehicle history websites. Reports of bogus vehicle history search engines spiked by nearly 30 percent in 2023, the BBB said, noting the sites are created specifically to dupe consumers out of money or personal information. A Lynn woman told the BBB she was fooled by one of...

  When I got a chance to stay and work in a country on the other side of the globe, what I did within a few days was buy a pre-owned car. It was an obvious choice, an utter necessity. The moment I took the first ride, it was an indescribable moment, feeling like a baby bird just made the very first flight. It was my first car. What struck me was the ease with which I could buy a used car and how “mature” the market was compared to our own. The whole process of finding the dealers, the showcasing of long lists of inventories, the availability of the cars for a quick spin, third-party agencies specialising in thorough testing of each mechanical and electrical part and scoring those, fixing the potential value range, the transfer of money and the eventual transfer of ownership of the vehicle. This was a couple of decades back, a time when the use of the internet wasn’t so prevalent, everything was done offline. Times have changed and our own online/offline dealers have more-or-less de...

  As part of the DeliveryX Warehousing 2024 report Amélie Gallichan Todd, supply & logistics director at B&Q, tells Katie Searles why the retailer has been utilising its existing store network for fulfilment. “Customers are looking for choice, not only in the products on offer, but also choice of when and how their purchases are delivered,” notes Gallichan-Todd. “Having a world-class fulfilment service is key to this, so that our customers can have the products they want, where and when they want them.”  Q: How has B&Q utilised its physical store network for fulfilment? Our ecommerce strategy has stores at its heart. Pre-pandemic, we offered only a click and collect service from our stores. However, the pandemic helped us to accelerate many initiatives that we already had in our plans. This included the creation of digital hubs in around 50 of our larger stores to enable store to home delivery. Store to home delivery fulfilment options are a great way of utilising ...