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Baby food fears: Why Singapore must extend sugar awareness efforts to infant and toddler foods
Reformulate or be taxed: Campaigners call for levy on ‘excessive calories’ in unhealthy foods
UK health campaigners call for sweeping “calorie tax” on processed foods
World sugar supply seen tightening
Consumers already ‘get it’: Kiwi industry rages at latest sugar tax study
Watch: Sugar taxes – the case in favour: “Enormous evidence of success”
Watch: Sugar taxes – the case against: ‘Simply slapping on a tax is misguided’
Will UK sugar tax be extended to mild drinks?
Science Shorts: Sugar-sweetened drink studies, red meat mortality research, cell-based meats and more feature in out round-up
Plant-based sales surge to $4.5 billion
Policy Picks: Sugar taxes in Malaysia and Pakistan, stricter import rules in South Korea and more feature in our round-up
Bestevia Reb E stevia leaf sweetener approved in Canada
Effective sugar taxations: Two factors crucial for success, claims New Zealand study
Coca-Cola, Nestle and Fonterra reaffirm reformation drive amid calls for more Malaysian government support
Baby foods contain ‘too much sugar and are incorrectly labelled’: WHO
Beverages blow: Researchers find sugar in drinks carries higher health risks than that in food
Sweegen expands manufacturing bases to Europe
French study suggests ‘possible’ link between sugary drinks and cancer
Just ONE drink of fruit juice or sugary tea a day can dramatically increase the risk of cancer, major study suggests
Australians have a growing appetite for sweet drinks reform
Is food too sweet? Big data research shows consumers find many products to be over-sweetened
Baby food nutrition slammed in government report
Malaysia sugar tax: Innovation and reformulation underway, but is it enough?
Low-calorie and dairy-free could be the way forward for frozen desserts
How the sugar tax has transformed the soft drinks category
UK schools implement Sugarwise certification scheme to slash high sugar consumption
Sugar-sweetened beverage tax drives down consumption, meta-analysis shows
FDA issues GRAS no objection letter for Sweegen Bestevia Reb E sweetener
Non-GMO Bestevia Reb E receives FDA No Objection Letter
First, they came for soft drinks…How the anti-sugar lobby will affect the alcohol industry – Comment
FDA clarifies ‘added sugars’ labeling rules for honey and maple syrup
Latin American countries top for sugary drink intake
High GI, high diabetes risk: New systematic review provides ‘robust evidence’ of link
Taxes galore: Pakistan to double sugar taxation as part of effort to secure IMF bailout funds
F.D.A. issues final guidance on single-ingredient sugars and syrups labeling
Closing in on a non-sugar-sweetener – One without a weird aftertaste
Battle against obesity in UAE starts with slashing sugar in food products
Consumer sweet spot: Do sweeteners present a nutritious solution to the sugar reduction “megatrend?”
Sugar vs fat reduction in cakes and biscuits: ‘it’s not one or the other’
Sugary beverages feed tumor growth in mice, study shows
Sensor monitors the shelf life of milk
Warning labels for soda might be the only way to save our children from the sugar lobby
Sugar vs fat reduction in cakes and biscuits: ‘It’s not one or the other’
Tax on sugary drinks in Philadelphia halves purchases in the city in the first year, JAMA study finds
Dangerous dairy: Bangladesh milk adulteration report delayed despite “large majority” of sample tainted
Should the US impose a soda tax? Economists say yes, for financial and health benefits
Label (mis)understanding: Nearly half of US consumers purchase products despite uncertainty over their claims
“No longer sweet young things”: Boomers drive demand for sugar replacement, says Innova Market Insights
SweeGen’s non-GMO Reb M Stevia Leaf Sweetener Approved in Singapore
Food and Drink manufacturers’ answer to Singapore’s proposed “Sugar Tax”
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Aug. 7, 2019 – SweeGen, Inc., a nature-based sweetener company announced the Singapore Food Agency has added SweeGen’s Reb M Stevia Leaf Sweetener to the list of permitted food additives.
SweeGen’s Reb M is a non-caloric stevia sweetener that provides sweetness with a clean, sugar-like taste and now enables food and beverage manufacturers to reduce sugar, without sacrificing taste.
This approval comes at a time when Singapore is considering a “sugar tax” hoping to change the behaviors of consumers and manufacturers on reducing sugar-based products. Earlier this year, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) proposed multiple measures potentially impacting the food and beverage sectors including banning the sale of higher sugar drinks and imposing a tax on sugar-based drinks.
SweeGen’s unique production starts with the stevia leaf and uses a patented bioconversion process to achieve high purity, clean-tasting Reb M. This process enabled SweeGen to obtain the Non-GMO Project verification for Reb M, which was commercialized in 2017 and has been approved in many regions around the world.
“We are excited to introduce our non-GMO Reb M stevia leaf sweetener to food and beverage manufacturers in Singapore,” said Lewis Tessarolo, senior director of business development Asia Pacific, SweeGen. “Consumer demand for zero and reduced-sugar products is on the rise globally, and our non-GMO Reb M provides a solution to manufacturers.”
Reb M, together with Reb D and e+ is part of SweeGen’s non-GMO stevia sweetener portfolio. Consumer demand for zero and reduced-sugar products is on the rise globally, and nature-based stevia sweeteners provide a great tasting alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
SweeGen, Inc., is dedicated to the development, production and distribution of non- caloric sweeteners for the food, flavor and beverage industries. SweeGen’s robust product pipeline, intellectual property portfolio, and dedicated manufacturing capacity and R&D provide the foundation for innovation and delivery of high-quality sweeteners. For more information please contact email@example.com and visit SweeGen’s website, www.sweegen.com.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener. These statements are based on current expectations, but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Sweegen, Inc.
Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in the historic filings of Sweegen, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements, and therefore should be carefully considered. Sweegen, Inc. assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.
Non-GMO BESTEVIA® Reb M stevia leaf sweetener approved in Australia, New Zealand.
Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Sweegen, Inc., a provider of non-GMO, nature-based stevia sweeteners, announced Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed and approved BESTEVIA® Reb M Stevia Leaf Sweetener for use as a food additive in Amendment No. 183 issued on January 23, 2019.
After performing a detailed safety evaluation, FSANZ amended the current specification for Rebaudioside M under the Australia and New Zealand food standard code to include Sweegen’s BESTEVIA® Reb M, produced through a unique, stevia leaf – based bioconversion process.
BESTEVIA® Reb M is a non-caloric, high-purity stevia sweetener with a clean, sugar-like taste that can replace up to 100% of sugar or artificial sweeteners in beverages, dairy products, bakeries, and nutritional foods, amongst many other applications. Sweegen also offers stevia-leaf Reb D and its newest stevia sweetener, BESTEVIA® e+ in other countries, which are all great choices for sugar reduction, with a clean sweet taste, closest to sugar.
Sweegen is looking forward to working with local flavor houses to support sugar reduction projects locally. The worldwide trend towards clean labels supports the use of nature-based, non-GMO, sustainable ingredients, like Sweegen’s BESTEVIA® Reb M.
“We are excited to now offer our non-GMO Project Verified, great-tasting stevia sweetener in Australia and New Zealand. Reb M is the first of our stevia sweeteners to be approved, with further approvals in the pipeline. Our in-house applications team can also help food and beverage companies find the perfect sweetener solution to make their consumer products more competitive while meeting consumer taste preference,” said Katharina Pueller, director, natural sweetener business of Sweegen.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements *
SweeGen’s new stevia product, BESTEVIA® e+ will be introduced at Supply Side West in Las Vegas.
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., Nov. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Sweegen, a plant-based stevia company, and producer of next generation, non-GMO Reb M and Reb D, is moving to the next level of sugar reduction. The company is introducing its new stevia product BESTEVIA® e+ at Supply Side West in Las Vegas.
Sweegen has achieved great success with the market adoption of its Non-GMO BESTEVIA® Reb M and Reb D as sweeteners as well as sweet taste modulators. Reb M and Reb D have proven as two of the best nature-based sugar reduction tools on the market so far.
The Coca Cola Company and PepsiCo have patented the use of Reb M and Reb D respectively at certain usage levels in beverage applications. The beverage industry shows great respect to this existing IP and in response has been looking for new stevia molecules beyond Reb M and Reb D that can be used specifically in beverages.
Sweegen’s applications team, led by Shari Joslin, SVP of Application Technology, developed BESTEVIA® e+ with a taste profile closer to sugar, high solubility for use in concentrates, high stability, and a price competitive to sugar. “We have tested this new product in beverages, dairy, nut butter, condiments, jams, jellies, and baked goods. The results are overwhelming and we are excited to show this new product to our customers,” says Shari Joslin. BESTEVIA® e+ is being tested in a number of applications by a professional sensory panel with very promising results.
“Our newest stevia sweetener contains Reb E 95%, Reb M (below 50ppm) and other stevia compounds, and provides the food and beverage industry an economic solution for 100% sugar reduction. At the same time BESTEVIA® e+ meets consumer taste preference,” says Katharina Pueller, director natural sweetener business.
Sweegen uses plant-based bioconversion to produce its non-GMO stevia sweeteners at a commercial volume. Most of Sweegen’s products have already been Non-GMO Project Verified, are FDA-GRAS and FEMA-GRAS. BESTEVIA® e+ is approved to be sold in the US, with other regulatory approvals pending.
Sweegen welcomes all industry partners to discuss sugar reduction solutions at Supply Side West in Las Vegas, at booth #3943 or at Flavorcon, booth #704.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements *
SweeGen names Shari Joslin SVP of Application Technology
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., July 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — SweeGen, Inc., a provider of nature-based, non-GMO stevia sweeteners, announced today that it is expanding its customer support services and has appointed Shari B. Joslin as Senior Vice President of Application Technology, effective July 1, 2018.
Shari leads the company’s product development and application activities, focusing specifically on the application of SweeGen’s portfolio of next generation, non-GMO verified stevia sweeteners like Reb M and Reb D into client’s food and beverage brands.
“SweeGen is moving rapidly to respond to consumer demand for natural, zero-calorie and non-GMO sweeteners,” said Chuck Davis, SweeGen’s President, “Shari is the right person to help our customers effectively reduce sugar and calories in their products while maintaining sugar-like taste. She is a leader with an excellent track record of delivering results aligned with consumer trends.”
Prior to joining Sweegen in 2018, Shari held various executive roles in the flavor industry focusing on domestic and global innovation with a proven track record in commercializing flavor and ingredient technologies. Shari has been a successful senior leader in product and process development, a global innovation and business development for 29 years and worked for Brown Forman, Flavorman, Firmenich, Mane, Senomyx and Chromocell.
Shari received her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky and an Executive MBA from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.
“SweeGen has developed and commercialized an exceptional pipeline of innovative stevia sweeteners. I am very excited and honored for this opportunity to join SweeGen,” states Shari Joslin, “With this new role, I am focusing on working directly with our clients to deliver great tasting, healthier food and beverage options for their consumers and expanding and strengthening their brand position. SweeGen is the solution provider with its innovative, non-GMO and non-caloric stevia sweeteners.”
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements *


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Credit Card debt hits a new high
Americans’ credit card debt is near record high levels. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, our country’s total credit card debt currently stands at $925 billion (as of the third quarter of 2022).
One year earlier, the country’s total credit card debt was $804 billion. That represents an increase of $121 billion in a single year. Georgia is ranked at #16 in the country, with an average debt load of $6,604 per person.
Such a large debt balance is bad for the country, and more importantly, bad for the individuals that hold that debt. Making payments on credit cards strains household budgets, making it difficult to buy gas and groceries. High levels of debt utilization are viewed negatively in the credit market, causing you to be charged higher rates for other loans. Plus, the high interest rates charged by credit card companies make these debts are nearly impossible to pay off.
Help is Available
Luckily there is a way out. Credit card debt is fully dischargeable in bankruptcy. Most individuals can qualify for Chapter 7, which will entirely wipe out credit card debt with no payments due. For others, participation in a Chapter 13 repayment plan will allow for an expedited payoff of debt at a reduced rate. Both options are available to consumers.
What are the downsides to Bankruptcy?
There are very few downsides. Your credit score will be lower for 1-2 years, and if you need a loan during the first year or two after filing bankruptcy you may pay a bit more. That’s about it. The upside to filing bankruptcy is far better. With a bankruptcy filing, suddenly you’re out of debt. Suddenly you have extra money available to put into your savings. Suddenly you have the option to spend money on family activities that you previously had to skip. Getting control of your financial future is a benefit that will continue to pay you rewards for years.
Now is the Time to Seek Help
Obtaining a consultation with a bankruptcy professional is the first step in curing your financial headache. By discharging your credit card and other debts, you can finally get on the road to saving money for the future – for a vacation, or new car, or for retirement. Building up your savings will truly relieve your financial stress and finally allow you to sleep comfortably at night. Don’t keep throwing hard-earned money at a problem that won’t go away.
Call us now, we’re ready to help. 770-834-0295 for a Free Consultation.

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NVIDIA has just announced the GeForce Gaming Celebration Event, which will be held on August 20, where the company will reveal "latest GeForce hardware" and "spectacular surprises".
The event takes place just a day before Gamescom takes time for the media to get their hands on the hardware.
Below is the PR sent out:
NVIDIA / Eventbrite,
Join us on our GeForce Gaming Celebration!
This event will take place Filled with fantastic new PC games running on the latest GeForce hardware, cool stage presentations, food and drink and some spectacular surprises.
The celebrations begin on Monday, August 20, at 6 pm. The venue is subject to capacity limits and entry will come first, first served, so plan to arrive early. Limit one ticket per person.
The location will be announced closer to the event. Stay in your inbox and GeForce.com for more information!
The world's largest gaming expo, Gamescom 2018, takes place in Cologne from 21 to 25 August. And GeForce will be there – at our Gamescom booth, Hall 10.1, Booth E-072; at the stands of our partners to run the latest PC games; and at our own off-site GeForce gaming celebration that starts the day before.
The event will be loaded with new, exclusive, hands-on demos of the hottest upcoming games, stage presentations from the world's biggest game developers and some spectacular surprises
To join, just go here, register and sign up for the Beginning of the celebrations on Monday, August 20, at. The doors open at 5.30pm and the fun starts at 6pm. As space is limited, you should arrive early. Can not do it personally? Do not worry, it will be broadcast live.
If you miss the epic event on Monday, the celebrations will continue on Tuesday at 10am and go through until 5pm. Again, the place is always on the principle of "who comes first, first served" awarded. So make sure you and your clan members emerge early to start with the spectacular PC-based demos of the most anticipated, anticipated game (19659014) The new GTX series, allegedly the 1100 series, has been around since rumored for some time, but it seems that they finally become official. Expect to see the unveiling of the GTX 1080 and 1070 at least at the event.
Any guesses for the "great surprise" though? I bet on a new Tegra.
Time to sell these GTX 1080Ti boys?


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Earlier this month, World View invited everyone to pose questions for an interview with President Obama on YouTube, following the State of Union address. One question that made the cut was posed by Josh Viertel, the President of Slow Food USA, who asked why it’s cheaper for Americans to feed their kids Froot Loops than real fruit, and how Obama plans to change that so that more families can afford healthy diets. Obama was less articulate than usual when answering the question, essentially pointing to the efforts of his wife, Michelle Obama, and the influence of mass retailers like Walmart.
Check out the video, below (go to minute 31 for the Froot Loop question):
Josh Viertel wasn’t impressed. In his evaluation of Obama’s answer, “Froot Loops vs. Real Fruit: For Real Change, Don’t Look to Obama,” written for The Atlantic, he rails the president for skipping over the real issues and talking about Walmart. Instead of discussing food insecurity, sustainable agriculture, and access to healthy food, Obama discussed Walmart’s plans to improve its food labeling system and highlight healthier, organic choices – something Viertel suggests is just a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Viertel doesn’t get into a debate about the merits of Walmart’s food labeling plans or Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, but we want to know what you think: Is the president doing enough to make healthy food affordable and accessible to all? Tell us what you think of his answer (and his policies) in the comments section, below:
via The Atlantic


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While Google's Android platform continues to hold the top spot in key world markets, Microsoft's Windows Phone is experiencing strong European growth, according to new research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Albeit that the research firm identifies Android as being the leading smartphone platform in the UK, Spain and Germany, it also found that Windows Phone is rapidly gaining ground in the UK and Italy. Kantar claims that the Microsoft software has gained market shares of 5.9 per cent in the UK and 13.9 per cent in Italy--up from just 2.2 per cent and 2.8 per cent a year ago.
Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar's global consumer insight director, said that the growth rate Android experienced over the past year is beginning to slow as easy wins from first-time smartphone buyers are fading.
"It has been far slower than Microsoft would have liked, but Windows Phone is now starting to gain respectable shares in a number of key European countries," Sunnebo said in a statement. "However, its performance in the Chinese and U.S. markets remains underwhelming. As the two largest smartphone markets in the world, these remain key challenges for Microsoft to overcome during 2013."
Apple's iOS performed well in the U.S. market, Kantar said, now holding 50 per cent of the market there for two consecutive periods and taking two-thirds of the rapidly expanding Japanese smartphone market.
Sunnebo also noted that, while Samsung has held on to the number one spot in the UK, claiming 35 per cent of smartphone sales, Nokia is experiencing something of a turnaround in the UK, with its smartphone sales share at 6.2 per cent and actual sales growing by over 50 per cent compared with last year.
- see this Kantar Worldpanel ComTech release
Nokia gets Q4 boost from stronger Lumia sales
Nokia's stock jumps on report of strong Lumia sales in Sweden
Nokia buoyed by Lumia 920 deal with China Mobile
Analyzing the world's 11 biggest handset makers in Q3 2012
Is the Lumia 920 a turning point in Nokia's fortunes?
Analyst: iPhone 5 helps Apple gain market share in Europe


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MANILA -- Three Filipino superheroes have joined "Rules of Survival" (ROS), an online game developed by NetEase.
Darna, Captain Barbell, and Lastikman were brought into the game as a result of a partnership between ROS and ABS-CBN's Ravelo Komiks Universe (RKU).
The two-week collaboration event was launched in the Philippines and Cambodia on Wednesday.
By completing specific missions, ROS players can claim the free RKU superheroes' costumes. They can also draw themed items and emojis for free from lottery events.
Other RKU-themed exclusives to look forward to on ROS during the collaboration period include a sports car, a wingman, and weapons, as well as a new interaction mode.
ROS is a free-to-play, multiplayer online game that was first released in 2017.
RKU, on the other hand, is an ABS-CBN brand based on the creations of comics legend Mars Ravelo.


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A trio of new BlackBerry Android devices are reportedly coming soon as the Canadian manufacturer continue the hardware fight.
BlackBerry posted poor sales with their first Android effort, the Blackberry Priv. BlackBerry posted sales of only 600,000 with the Priv in April. Despite the poor sales BlackBerry are carrying on with the new direction, they have taken. CEO John Chen did say earlier this year to expect two more BlackBerry handsets, by the end of the year.
The suited CEO usually talks in financial years and according to a source who was briefed on BlackBerry’s plans – Chen was doing it again. According to the source speaking to VentureBeat, we can expect three new BlackBerry Android devices per financial quarter, for the next three quarters.
The three devices are codenamed: Neon, Argun and Mercury. All three will differ in price and specs according to the source.
Expected first is the low to mid-range Neon, seeing as we just entered Q3 we could still see a release in August or September latest. The source revealed the following specs:
- 5.2-inch 1080p full touchscreen (no physical keyboard)
- Snapdragon 617 processor
- 3GB of RAM and 16GB internal memory
- 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera
The Argon is the most powerful of the three, expected to be released in October with the specs below:
- 5.5-inch QHD full touchscreen (no physical keyboard)
- Snapdragon 820 processor
- 4GB of RAM and 32GB internal memory
- 3,000mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0
- Fingerprint scanner
- 21-megapixel rear-facing camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera
Finally we have the Mercury and you might have guessed it by now, this is the model with the physical QWERTY keyboard. It’s expected to be released in January to March of 2017. Here are the specs:
- 4.5-inch HD display
- Snapdragon 625 processor
- 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal memory
- 3,400mAh battery
- 18-megapixel rear-facing camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera
BlackBerry seem to be taking a lot on board after releasing the rather expensive Priv. With more modestly priced Android smartphones, BlackBerry could see some success in the Android and perhaps remain in the hardware side of business.
For more news, visit What Mobile’s dedicated news page.


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Apple Watches with microLED screens could arrive in 2026.
Apple Watches with microLED screens could arrive in 2026, according to recent reports. This development has generated a lot of excitement among tech enthusiasts and Apple fans alike. MicroLED technology is considered to be the next big thing in display technology, offering several advantages over the current OLED screens used in Apple Watches.
MicroLED, short for micro light-emitting diode, is a display technology that uses tiny LEDs to create individual pixels. Unlike OLED screens, which require a separate backlight, microLED screens are self-emissive, meaning each pixel can emit its own light. This results in better contrast, higher brightness levels, and improved energy efficiency.
One of the main advantages of microLED technology is its ability to offer deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. This is achieved by turning off individual pixels completely when displaying black, resulting in an infinite contrast ratio. Additionally, microLED screens can achieve higher brightness levels compared to OLED, making them more readable in bright outdoor conditions.
Another significant advantage of microLED screens is their improved energy efficiency. Since each pixel can emit its own light, there is no need for a separate backlight, which consumes a significant amount of power in OLED displays. This means that Apple Watches with microLED screens could potentially offer longer battery life, a highly sought-after feature in wearable devices.
Furthermore, microLED screens are known for their durability and longevity. Unlike OLED screens, which are prone to burn-in issues over time, microLED displays are less susceptible to this problem. This means that Apple Watches with microLED screens could maintain their image quality and overall performance for a longer period.
However, despite all the advantages, there are still some challenges that need to be overcome before microLED screens can be mass-produced for Apple Watches. One of the main challenges is the manufacturing process. MicroLED screens require a complex and precise manufacturing process, involving the transfer of millions of tiny LEDs onto a substrate. This process is currently time-consuming and expensive, making it difficult to produce microLED screens in large quantities.
Another challenge is the size limitation. Apple Watches have small screens, and fitting millions of microLEDs onto such a small surface area is a technical challenge. However, Apple has a history of pushing the boundaries of technology and finding innovative solutions to such challenges. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are working on bringing microLED screens to their wearable devices.
If Apple successfully overcomes these challenges, the arrival of Apple Watches with microLED screens in 2026 could mark a significant milestone in the wearable technology industry. It would not only enhance the user experience by offering better image quality and longer battery life but also pave the way for the adoption of microLED technology in other devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
In conclusion, the possibility of Apple Watches with microLED screens arriving in 2026 has generated a lot of excitement. MicroLED technology offers several advantages over OLED screens, including better contrast, higher brightness levels, improved energy efficiency, and increased durability. However, there are still challenges that need to be overcome before microLED screens can be mass-produced for wearable devices. If successful, this development could revolutionize the wearable technology industry and pave the way for the adoption of microLED technology in other devices.


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First the annual trips abroad disappear, now 82% of nation would consider honeymooning in the UK too.
As romance sweeps Britain through excitement for the Royal wedding, leading discount hotels specialist LateRooms.com, reveals that 82% of Brits are too strapped for cash to enjoy their dream honeymoon, with 76% taking shorter breaks.
More than one in ten (12%) respondents revealed that they would consider a break just a week or less, with the majority (45%) opting for a 10 day break. Not just spare cash but time is preventing some from booking more time off, with over half (54%) of those asked saying that demands at work would prevent them from taking a long break.
The poll also revealed that while the favourite honeymoon destination is a Caribbean island with 36% of the votes, over half of us (54%) are planning a European break to celebrate the honeymoon period.
Lynda Matthews, LateRooms.com Offline Marketing Manager, commented: “It seems the days of a long luxury trip to the Caribbean are behind us with many Brits opting for better value breaks to celebrate their honeymoon period. Whether it’s a shorter European break or a luxury trip within the UK, it seems we are getting ever savvier about how to get the most out of that precious time away. ”


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For most organisations, analytics is not the priority roadblock when it comes to extracting value from Big Data. Bob Hankins explains why dealing with storage issues is the first job in most cases.
Spatial intelligence: Understanding the new retail reality
Richard Simmons explains why changing consumer behaviour, driven by technological change since the birth of ecommerce 20 years ago, has been repeatedly mis-understood – and why real understanding...
Tags retail, Business Intelligence, business intelligence, ecommerce, Big Data, Spatial Intelligence, Business Analytics
Six benefits of modernising storage and backup infrastructures
Letting an organisation’s storage and backup infrastructure fall behind the times is fraught with risk – from steeply rising costs and compromised performance to a lack of preparedness if disaster...
Tags storage, Disaster Recovery, Storage and Backup, backup, Business Strategy
Why the GoT is more valuable to the global economy than the IoT
A free gift, a smart 11 year-old and a lightbulb moment have Chris Gabriel asking if the Generation of Things (GoT) is of greater value to the world's economies than the Internet of Things (IoT).
SDx and The Software Defined City
Chris Gabriel looks at how a UK city is deploying SDN to create a technology-agnostic citywide network that will allow driverless car experiments, traffic and environmental sensor networks, and smart...
Tags SDx, Software Defined Networking, SDN
The Private Cloud – what it is not
A firm definition of the ‘private cloud’ is at best transient and at worst, well, cloudy. Kevin Gruneisen sets out a simpler definition - what a private cloud is not.
Tags private cloud, cloud computing, hybrid cloud, Cloud Computing
What can Jeremy Clarkson teach us about DDoS?
The BBC’s suspension and subsequent decision to sack Jeremy Clarkson, the host of its Top Gear motoring show, has created quite a stir. In the aftermath, Mel Grove wonders what the affair can teach...
The ‘Generation of Things’ Has Arrived
Chris Gabriel looks at Logicalis UK's seventh Realtime Generation survey of UK teens. With smart cities, the IoT and wearables already upon us, it’s the most revealing...
6 articles about business analytics
This week we look back at six articles we have posted over the past three years that discuss Business Analytics. In May 2012 we proposed predicting the future rather than analysing the past and last...
Tags Business Analytics
Big Data - The Power of Real-Time Business Analytics
Gerry Carroll explains how more and more of today’s enterprises are deriving real transformative value from big data and real-time business analytics – successes that seemed unattainable just a short...
Tags Business Intelligence, business intelligence, Big Data, Business Analytics


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It is been eradicated from Instagram three times for cannabis-linked information, but the THC-infused beverage Cann has been submitting TikToks this calendar year with what cofounder Luke Anderson describes as “interesting, humorous, and sharable” material that does not violate hashish-associated marketing and advertising rules.
In its place of just using standard social media influencers, the California-primarily based business has relied on a handful of its 3 dozen movie star investors. (Stars highlighted in Cann’s TikToks consist of previous Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy, actress Sara Michelle Gellar and drag queen Kornbread Jete while investors Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebel Wilson have shared Cann content material on numerous platforms.) With hardly extra than 5,000 followers, the two dozen TikToks have racked up tens of millions of sights and led to tens of countless numbers of consumer-developed films influenced by Cann’s modern pride-concept marketing campaign.
At Imperia Caviar, marketing supervisor Daniel Lee nonetheless spends additional funds on Facebook and Google. On the other hand, TikTok is now a person of the major three website traffic drivers to the Caviar brand’s internet site. Some videos—including a single that includes the caviar “bump” trend—have been observed tens of millions of times inspite of the company’s account on the system having much less than 14,000 followers
“We’re due for a digital advertising evolution for the reason that there is so considerably spray and pray,” Anderson stated. “And if you glimpse into what’s occurring, none of these are ROI optimistic.”
Further than cannabis and caviar, an array of entrepreneurs are seeing a lot more achievement on TikTok. Whilst Fb and Instagram have extended been mainstays for DTC commerce, makes and companies say soaring ad costs, declining organic and natural access and shifting formats have manufactured them ever more open to testing new platforms and diversifying their ad budgets.
In recent months, Meta has confronted what some have explained as an existential disaster as it navigates weakened knowledge-concentrating on from Apple’s iOS alterations alongside greater competitors from TikTok. It is also angered some Fb and Instagram end users by more and more prioritizing algorithmically suggested movies with Reels, a TikTok clone. Alongside with reporting its initially-at any time decline in quarterly effects, Meta faced far more scrutiny very last 7 days following Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian shared a meme asking to “Make Instagram Instagram once more.” (The meme was designed by photographer-influencer Tati Bruening, whose petition on Improve.org now has practically 300,000 signatures.)
Regardless of the pushback, Meta insists it’s currently viewing momentum with the new formats. The time individuals invested working with Reels elevated 30% throughout Fb and Instagram in the next quarter and accounted for 20% of the whole time customers used on Instagram. On the company’s next-quarter earnings phone final week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained ads within Reels are “actually generating a lot quicker development than we’d expected” and that the structure achieved a $1 billion yearly revenue operate rate more quickly than ads in just Tales did they very first launched.
“In theory, we could mitigate the limited-phrase headwind by pushing much less tough on growing Reels,” Zuckerberg mentioned. “But that would be even worse for our goods and business enterprise extended time period given that we’re self-confident that Reels will grow engagement over-all and excellent and will ultimately monetize nearer to Feed.”
Meta is even now the “blue elephant in the home,” stated Cody Faldyn, director of social media at Dentsu Media, but speedy shifts in the interest financial system have led about a third of the agency’s consumers to start even more diversifying the share of ad commit throughout platforms.
“Given the developments that we’ve observed with social commerce coming on board,” Faldyn explained. “It’s opening the door to so numerous unique possibilities for advertisers to choose edge of.”
In the struggle for budgets, some entrepreneurs are observing the advantages of both of those. The private care manufacturer Dr. Squatch spent nothing on TikTok just a 12 months back, but now main advertising and marketing officer Josh Friedman explained it’s spending among 15% and 25% of its all round finances on the system at any specified time. Even so, he stated Fb and Instagram nonetheless make up far more than 50% of the company’s advertising finances and that rather modest-scale tests with Reels have built him “really optimistic.”
Stevie Clements, chief manufacturer architect at CAVU Undertaking Companions, claimed Apple’s privateness variations within just iOS have built it more and more difficult to find new customers, main the enterprise firm’s portfolio of makes to experiment in other places. For example, the prebiotic soda Poppi and the vegan physique treatment model Osea Malibu have shifted their target from Fb to TikTok right after seeing “huge accomplishment.” But it’s also not constantly both-or. Clements explained some organizations are making use of influencers on Facebook in a “true 360 way” but then leaning extra on “authentic” content on TikTok and that the platforms’ distinctions need entrepreneurs to “win on each.”
Paying on TikTok is a lot more successful, Clements observed, detailing that organic and paid out media go additional on the system: “I believe it’s working out for a great deal of these manufacturers who are approaching their media combine in a assorted way.”
Immediately after paying out a ten years at Fb, Pinterest and most recently Snap, Gazmend Alushi — now president of measurement and analytics at the influencer company Whalar — has noticed plenty of variations in each and every platform as they duplicate and compete with each individual other. Recalling when Instagram very first launched Stories in March 2017, he said the “harsh reality” is no one cares about who produces a format first, just who does it greatest. Nevertheless, he’s not observing the normal signs that Instagram people are open up to the latest adjustments.
“At the conclude of the working day, they (Meta) are nothing at all with no a passionate purchaser foundation,” Alushi mentioned. “And individuals are passionate buyers of the Instagram app.”


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Roqad, a Palo Alto, CA-based cookieless identity resolution platform provider, received a revenue-based funding from Decathlon Capital Partners.
The amount of the deal was not disclosed.
The company intends to use the funds for growth in customer deployment capacity in both the U.S. and EMEA, while also continuing to invest in expanding its product roadmap development.
Led by CEO Carsten Frien, and CTO Bartek Bogacki, Roqad offers GDPR compliant identity resolution and data onboarding solutions. Its identity graph products are used by leading brands, performance advertisers, global media agencies, publishers, ad networks, affiliate networks, DSPs & DMPs.


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Mthuli announces tax changes on basic goods to amid price hike fears
The Zimbabwean government has revised taxes on basic goods, which were introduced in the 2024 national budget, amid rising price hike concerns.
In a statement on Monday night, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Mthuli Ncube said some basic goods will be excluded from a 15 percent Value Added Tax (VAT).
“Basic food items that include bread, milk, cooking oil, mealie meal, salt, sugar, flour, are exempt from VAT purposes, hence there should be no price increases (with them),” he said, adding that other basic commodities including meat, rice, bath and laundry soap, washing powder and toothpaste have been moved to standard rating, which means price increases should be minimal.
Retailers can buy directly from manufacturers as long as they have a valid tax clearance certificate and are VAT registered, Ncube said.
The tax adjustments came after the treasury constituted a technical committee to gather feedback on the new tax measures from business entities under the umbrella body of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI).
Last week, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the body responsible for collecting taxes and other revenue streams for the government, announced new measures that permitted only tax-compliant wholesalers to procure directly from manufacturers.


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Mall for Africa, the e-commerce and m-commerce platform, announced today the launch of its affiliate program. Those who refer traffic to the Mall for Africa website will receive an affiliate fee every time one of their readers makes a purchase.
The program enables anyone to earn extra revenue by simply adding an affiliate link to their website and earn a flat fee every time a purchase is made. Setting up an account is simple – the affiliate logs into the Mall for Africa website, retrieves a unique affiliate link specifically for their site, and shares it. The more the affiliate link is shared, the more revenue they can earn.
“We are thrilled to offer affiliates in Africa this opportunity to earn extra money,” said Chris Folayan, CEO of Mall for Africa. “By adding a distinct affiliate link to their site, they can sit back, relax, and earn money for every purchase their readers make. It’s that easy.”
The award-winning app offers billions of items from more than 250 of the best US and UK retailers—stores that would otherwise be inaccessible to its customers. By managing every aspect of the order and return cycle, the app offers its customers a simple, secure and convenient solution to online shopping directly from many of the best brands in the world.


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The company reported a 2% decline in revenue to £6.04 billion in the 12 months to 30 April, yet saw operating profit climb 6% to £455 million.
DS Smith said that performance for the first 10 months of the financial year was robust with a relatively limited £15 million impact on operating profit during the final couple of months as the pandemic lockdown took hold.
BIGGEST FTSE 100 FALLER
But the share price slumped 8.5% in morning trade on Thursday as the company said it was too early to restart dividends given the ongoing uncertainties in the global economy.
|End of 10 years of dividends*|
|Source: DS Smith *Year to 30 April|
That pegged the stock back to 291.7p, its lowest point in two and half months, to head the FTSE 100’s loser board.
DS Smith axed its 5.4p per share interim payout in April.
This caution on the dividend comes as a major blow to income starved investors who would have hoped that a boom in online shopping during lockdown would have seen shareholder payouts return.
‘All the online orders made during lockdown need to be packaged up for delivery and sure enough there has been an eye-catching surge in demand for the company’s products which are targeted at this market,’ said Russ Mould, investment director at investment platform AJ Bell.
But big corrugated box sales to industrial customers have come under significant pressure, offsetting much of the e-commerce surge, and given by the company as the reason to withhold dividends for the time being, a decision that has drawn criticism.
DIVIDEND DRAWS CRITICISM
It is hard for management to square the decision to deny income-starved investors any kind of dividend with a resilient performance in the 12 months to 30 April and the demand boost it is enjoying from the surge in web-based shopping,’ said AJ Bell’s Mould.
‘It doesn’t smack of too much confidence in the near-term outlook.’
David O’Brien, an analyst at stockbroker Goodbody, was also left unimpressed by the overall results, saying there was ‘little to get excited about’ in the figures or commentary.
‘The current valuations fail to capture the clear downside risk to forecasts, the wider industry and the group’s high leverage and sub-par returns profile,’ he said.


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BUSINESSOWNERS in Radnorshire are not shocked by First Minister Mark Drakeford’s decision to put Wales into a third lockdown this Christmas – with many preparing not to open again until the spring.
Alert Level 4 – the highest level – measures are to be introduced from Boxing Day, while some restrictions will come into force on Christmas Eve.
The Welsh Government yesterday announced that all non-essential retail, including close contact services and all leisure and fitness centres, will be forced to close from the end of the day on December 24. All hospitality premises, meanwhile, will be forced to close from 6pm on Christmas Day. And hospitality venues and licensed premises such as pubs and restaurants will be available for takeaway services only.
But tighter restrictions for household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will only apply from December 28, with the planned easing of Covid restrictions over Christmas remaining in place between December 23 and 27 – although the Welsh Government will also put new guidance for only two households to mix part as part of a ‘Christmas bubble’ during a five-day period into law.
Dale Gorman, landlord of the Royal Oak pub, in Presteigne, said the normally hugely profitable Christmas period had been “written off”.
“Obviously, we are all extremely disappointed with the latest news of a forthcoming lockdown,” said Dale.
“What would usually be our busiest time of the year has been completely written off. It is this period that helps get many small businesses through the quieter months of January and February.”
The Metropole in Llandrindod Wells, one of Powys’ biggest hotels, announced prior to December’s early restrictions it would be shutting until March. This stance was adopted by landlord at Rhayader’s Elan Hotel, Martin McDaid, too.
“We were expecting it so it hasn’t come as a shock,” Mr McDaid said of Wednesday’s announcement. “We’ve been shut since the start of December when they announced the latest restrictions on shutting at 6pm and not selling any alcohol.
“Our alcohol sales would be 60-70 per cent of our income this time of year. We’re not expecting to be open again until March.
“We’ve lost all our Christmas bookings, we had 28 functions in December and part of November for office parties last year and they’ve all gone this year.”
Like the Elan, the Golden Lion’s biggest sales at this time of year are alcohol – which is the case for the vast majority of pubs in Mid Wales.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Alison Proudman, landlady of the Knighton boozer.
“From a business point of view, as we are a wet sales only pub under the new Wales-wide alert levels, we are potentially looking at being closed until March, which is not good.”
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford is putting Wales into a third lockdown.
Mr Drakeford agreed to relax the rules in November, but following a two-week firebreak lockdown, Covid cases have mounted alarmingly in Wales and medical professionals and others have called for the plan to be reconsidered.
The lockdown currently has no end date but will be reviewed every three weeks, beginning in January, with a view to varying the measures between different regions.
Plaid Cymru has said a plan for how Wales can emerge from level four lockdown has to be made clear.
Research by the AA, meanwhile, suggests half of people in Wales will not drive home for Christmas amid warnings for people not to mix as coronavirus rates rise. People travelling over Christmas have been warned to plan ahead and check restrictions before leaving.
Funding has been made available to business affected by the new restrictions into the New Year, with more details are to be given out by the end of this week.
Back in Rhayader, Mr McDaid has some sympathy for the Welsh Government, as well as other heads of state, but he believes a more united approach to coronavirus ahead of Christmas, and earlier in the year, would have saved businesses much of the current heartache.
“There’s been a few mistakes from the government but at the same time they were never going to please everyone,” added the Irishman, who has been landlord at the Elan for just over three years, but has lived in the UK for 40.
“We’ll be compensated but I just wish there had been more of a combined and cohesive UK strategy from the start. I always thought Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England were united, but listening to the different heads of state they seem to think they’re not all part of the UK.
“They seem to have lost that and all they care about is their own political agenda against Westminster.
“What they should have done was acted unilaterally at the start and told us we’re closing everything for Christmas but then from March you can open up flat out, no restrictions or rules.”
He also does not see a correlation between rising rates of coronavirus and the hospitality sector.
“We did the eat out to help out scheme in August and at the height of that we had 400 people through the doors on a daily basis and we didn’t have one single track and trace issue,” he said.
“Pubs and hotels are a managed environment, whereas in supermarkets and schools it’s a free for all. But it’s just made the rich, richer.”
And he feels for the more isolated and confused in the local area, adding: “We have a group of old ladies, in their 70s and 80s, that come and meet every Tuesday – and even they have a glass of wine with their lunch.
“They come every Tuesday at 11am and will have their teas and coffees then around midday they order their lunch and have a glass of wine with it and then maybe some more tea and coffee after.
“We have a gentleman who comes in every day and sits in the corner and has two pints and will sit and chat with us. We also lost one gentleman after the initial lockdown was lifted because he didn’t really understand the new rules, we always saw him every day but after that he was never the same and died a short time after.
“For these people that’s their outing, their gathering.”
Like Martin, Alison, in Knighton, is frustrated a small percentage of businesses that haven’t complied with new laws seem to have spoilt it for everyone else.
“I do think if you visit a hospitality venue that is practising Covid-safe systems then you would probably be in a safer environment than if you were at an unmanaged get together, but I appreciate not all businesses are doing all they can to keep customers safe,” she said.
“On a personal note, I think most people are getting fed up with the whole Covid situation, it’s been a very trying year for all of us for varying reasons, and I do think the longer it goes on, the more likely people are not going to be prepared to follow the guidelines, unfortunately. And, ultimately, that will just extend the time until normal life returns.”
Even though recent figures show the virus is on the rise throughout Wales – 32 per cent of Llanidloes’ total positive cases were recorded in the first week of December for example – Royal Oak landlord Dale says lower affected area should be rewarded for better behaviour.
“It is disappointing as we are all being disproportionately affected when all of the high case rates are down South Wales,” he said.
“Normal logic would point towards locking down the whole of South Wales and having reduced restrictions for the north, middle and west of Wales. Many businesses like ourselves have spent thousands of pounds to create Covid-secure environments and it all feels like such a waste.”


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Mobile devices are ubiquitous in today’s society, and there’s no evidence that that is going to change. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of mid-2010, 82% of American adults own a mobile phone or a mobile computing device that works as a phone. it is crucial for librarians to understand mobile devices and provide services through them.
I’m sure your library is cash-strapped, underresourced, and understaffed. Development of tools and services that target mobile likely seems a distraction, a drain on your time and attention. It might feel like it’s the flavor of the month, blustery conference paper fodder that’s unlikely to pay off in real service to users.
What evidence would provide a good indication that the day had come for your library to focus concerted efforts on mobile services? If nearly all Americans owned cell phones? Maybe if a large percentage of those phone owners demonstrably used their device to access the internet? Perhaps if smartphone sales began to approach sales of PCs? If major information service providers were shifting their focus from the desktop to mobile devices? If the trend turned away from mobile devices mimicking the functions of desktop computers, and instead desktops began to emulate mobiles? Maybe if there was evidence that traditional desktop connectivity wasn’t reaching people who could be reached on their mobile devices?
If so, then that day is today.
The changing face of the digital divide
Libraries have long been at the forefront of advocacy for increased broadband internet access, particularly for the poor and for rural Americans. Mobile may not yet be the ideal solution for rural users, but the demographics of mobile internet usage show encouraging signs of increased access among groups that have long been underrepresented among internet users in the United States. The report “Mobile Access 2010” from the Pew Internet and American Life Project notes that Latino and African-American adults are more likely than their Caucasian peers both to own mobile devices and to use them to access the internet. While 80% of white adults own mobile phones, among African Americans and English-speaking Latinos the rate of ownership is 87%. Of all American adults with cell phones, 38% use them to access the internet, but black and English-speaking Hispanic users far outstrip the average—at 46% and 51% respectively. Pew’s survey was conducted in English, so data on those who only speak Spanish was not available.
The day for mobile services has come
The evidence is compelling. The vast majority of Americans now own cell phones. Nearly half use them to access the internet. In the fourth quarter of 2010, manufacturers shipped more smartphones than they did traditional PCs. Underrepresented groups are accessing the mobile internet in impressive numbers. Google is developing for mobile first and the desktop second. Apple is in the midst of making its desktop computers behave more like its mobile devices. If your library, like mine (and every library I can think of), has been transformed by desktop computing and internet access, now is the time to take action and be proactive in providing robust services to mobile users.


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QNAP is warning users about an additional wave of DeadBolt ransomware assaults against its community-connected storage (NAS) products – and urged clients to update their devices’ QTS or QuTS hero running units to the most up-to-date versions.
The most recent outbreak – in depth in a Friday advisory – is at minimum the fourth campaign by the DeadBolt gang from the vendor’s people this yr. According to QNAP officers, this distinct operate is encrypting information on NAS gadgets working out-of-date versions of Linux-based mostly QTS 4.x, which presumably have some kind of exploitable weakness.
The preceding assaults happened in January, March, and May perhaps.
Taiwan-primarily based QNAP advisable enterprises whose NAS technique have “presently been compromised, get the screenshot of the ransom be aware to keep the bitcoin address, then, upgrade to the most recent firmware model and the developed-in Malware Remover application will quickly quarantine the ransom notice which hijacks the login website page.”
They must get in touch with QNAP Help if they want to enter a decryption crucial presented by the attackers but are unable to find the ransom be aware after upgrading the firmware.
The cybercriminals powering DeadBolt primarily concentrate on NAS devices. QNAP systems are the most important targets, although in February the team attacked NAS units from Asustor, a subsidiary of units maker Asus, said analysts with cybersecurity organization Pattern Micro.
QNAP and its shoppers are examples of a growing curiosity by cybercriminals in NAS, Craze Micro wrote in a January report. Organizations are relying far more on the Net of Issues (IoT) for consistent connectivity, workflow continuity and obtain to details, the analysts said.
“Cybercriminals have taken observe of this dependence and now frequently update their regarded instruments and routines to include community-hooked up storage (NAS) equipment to their listing of targets, being aware of whole perfectly that buyers count on these products for storing and backing up information in both modern-day homes and enterprises,” they wrote. “Far more importantly, cybercriminals are knowledgeable that these tools maintain important facts and have only negligible protection steps.”
Of the 778 of known exploited vulnerabilities stated by the US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Company, eight are similar to NAS products and 10 contain QNAP.
The most affordable-hanging fruit
Bud Broomhead, CEO of cybersecurity seller Viakoo, instructed The Register NAS drives from QNAP and other sellers are frequently managed exterior of a company’s IT teams, making them attractive targets.
Criminals zero in on NAS drives for a vary of reasons, such as not becoming thoroughly established up for protection or managed by IT – so implementing protection patches tends to be sluggish – and currently being effectively invisible to company IT and safety teams, so they are not receiving audited or noticed when they tumble out of compliance.
“QNAP products are very desirable to cybercriminals whose approach is to check with a massive range of victims for a compact quantity of dollars, as opposed to number of victims getting asked for large quantities,” Broomhead claimed, adding that the lower quantity “questioned for as ransom is at a amount where by quite a few operators of the units will select to shell out somewhat than get their IT or safety groups involved.”
In addition, “ransomware is beginning to change towards info theft, as the cyber criminals can gain from the two becoming paid out the ransom as perfectly as sale of the data. Threats against NAS devices will improve together with the change to extending ransomware into facts theft,” he mentioned.
“Any NAS system is a huge concentrate on for ransomware due to the fact it is used to keep a sizeable amount of company-vital knowledge,” Scott Bledsoe, CEO of encryption vendor Theon Know-how, advised The Sign up. “Presented the large variety of QNAP NAS gadgets that are now deployed, the Deadbolt ransomware can be utilized to goal a wide variety of businesses for revenue by the attackers.”
Censys, an assault area management agency, said that in the January attack, 4,988 of 130,000 potential on the net QNAP NAS devices confirmed signs of remaining contaminated by DeadBolt, with the range achieving 1,146 in the March outbreak. Trend Micro analysts, in a report before this thirty day period, explained the selection of DeadBolt-contaminated products seemed significant.
DeadBolt is distinct from other NAS-focused ransomware not only the number of targeted victims, but also in some of its methods, like supplying numerous payment solutions – a single for the consumer to restore their scrambled documents, and two for QNAP. That is to say, the company could in idea shell out the ransom to unlock people’s information employing a learn important, nevertheless it seems from the code and the encryption method that these types of a crucial would not perform in any case.
“Centered on our analysis, we did not come across any evidence that it truly is doable for the choices provided to the vendor to function due to the way the data files had been encrypted,” Trend opined, introducing that the attackers use AES-128 to encrypt the data.
“Essentially, this implies that if sellers pay any of the ransom quantities provided to them, they will not be capable to get a learn critical to unlock all the information on behalf of afflicted customers.”
DeadBolt attackers need person victims shell out .03 bitcoin, or about $1,160, for a crucial to decrypt their information. Sellers get two choices, with 1 for information about the exploit utilised to infect the devices, and other for the aforementioned impractical learn crucial. The ransom for the exploit data commences at five bitcoins, or about $193,000. The grasp decryption critical costs 50 bitcoins, or a lot more than $1 million.
Another uncommon attribute is how the DeadBolt slingers acquire payment. Most ransomware family members involve intricate actions victims need to take to get their details returned. Nonetheless, DeadBolt comes with a net UI that can decrypt the details as soon as the ransom is paid out. The blockchain transaction routinely sends the decryption important to the target just after payment.
“This is a special process wherein victims do not want to call the ransomware actors,” Staff Development Micro wrote. “In point, there is no way of carrying out so.”
The intensely automatic approach employed by DeadBolt is something other ransomware gangs can find out from, they wrote.
“There is a lot of focus on ransomware families that emphasis on significant-match looking and 1-off payments, but it is really also essential to continue to keep in thoughts that ransomware family members that aim on spray-and-pray types of assaults this sort of as DeadBolt can also go away a large amount of hurt to stop consumers and distributors,” the crew reported.
To shield on their own, business have to have to maintain NAS products current and disconnected from the public internet at the very least – if it must be remotely accessible, use a secure VPN – use robust passwords and two-aspect authentication, protected connections and ports, and shut down unused and out-of-date companies. ®


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The 2013 Sustainable Quality Awards were handed out Wednesday to Santa Monica businesses that made significant achievements in the areas of sustainable economic development, social responsibility and stewardship of the natural environment.
Presented by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, nonprofit Sustainable Works and the city of Santa Monica‚Äôs Office of Sustainability and the Environment, this year‚Äôs winners ranged from waffle houses to shopping malls.
“We are thrilled to highlight so many great businesses this year,” said Laurel Rosen, president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. “These awards are a great way for us to honor those who have a commitment to social responsibility, local economy, and the environment which is such an important part of our community.”
Here‚Äôs a list of this year‚Äôs winners:
SQA Grand Prize winners
‚Ä¢ Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau
‚Ä¢ Tiato & An Catering
SQA Excellence Winners
‚Ä¢ The Ambrose
‚Ä¢ Bru‚Äôs Wiffle
‚Ä¢ Central Parking
‚Ä¢ HGA Architects and Engineers
‚Ä¢ Hostelling International – LA/Santa Monica
‚Ä¢ Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
‚Ä¢ Santa Monica Place
‚Ä¢ Three Squares Inc.


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RB has appointed Bollywood actor Vidya Balan as the campaign ambassador
RB is a global consumer health and hygiene company with operations across 60 countries. RB (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser) India has appointed Bollywood actor Vidya Balan as the campaign ambassador for its new initiative 'Changing Behaviour: Creating Sanitation Change Leaders'. It is a part of RB India's nationwide initiative Dettol Banega Swachh India. The brand has partnered with Pehel and State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and aims to make 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar open defecation free. Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by brand such as Nurofen, Strepsils ,Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Bang and Mortein.


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Entries in 'famitsu' (87)
The latest version of Sony’s Uncharted franchise is No.1 once again in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
The latest entry in Sony’s Uncharted franchise has been a smash hit in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
Bandai Namco’s latest release based on the popular One Piece manga has taken both first and second place in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
New Yo-Kai Watch title Sangokushi has claimed its third No.1 in the Japanese charts according to data from Famitsu.
The latest entry in the hugely popular Yo-Kai Watch series holds the top spot in Japan for the second week running, according to data from Famitsu.
A new title in Level 5’s Yo-Kai Watch series has once again gone straight to No.1 in Japan.
The latest entry in Square Enix’s Dragon Quest series – Monsters: Joker 3 – was this week’s best-performing game in Japan, according to data provided by Famitsu.
Pokémon Tekken fighting game crossover title Pokkén Tournament has shot straight to No.1 in Japan according to data from Famitsu.
Forget NX and smartphone games – the product that might just come to define Nintendo’s 2016 is a 3DS title.
It’s 1996 again – Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow took the No.1 spot in Japan last week according to data from Famitsu.
This week’s Japanese charts – provided by Famitsu – feature a wealth of brand new releases.
The latest game in Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series of RPGs has gone straight to the top spot in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
New Bandai Namco Naruto title Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 debuted at No.1 in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
Square Enix’s Dragon Quest Builders: Alefgard wo Fukkatsu Seyo debuted in Japan last week and dominates the top half of the region’s charts.
The remake of the first game in Sega's Yakuza franchise – Like A Dragon in Japan – debuts at No.1 in the region's Top Ten, according to data from Famitsu.
Atlus’ remaster of 2008 JRPG Odin Sphere has shot to the Japanese top spot according to data from Famitsu.
The latest entry in Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is manages to hold on to the top spot in Japan, according to data from Famitsu.
The best-selling game of 2015 in Japan is also its first No.1 of this year.
Things continue to look exceptionally bleak for the Japanese console games market, according to data from Famitsu.
The latest Star Wars game has unsurprisingly shot to the top of the Japanese retail rankings in its debut week.
The PS4 SKU of Call of Duty: Black Ops III is still No.1 in Japan.
Blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops III has shot to number one in the Japanese retail charts, fighting off a number of home-grown titles.
In a contrast to the UK’s Halo-ruled rankings, Japan’s retail charts were last week dominated by home-grown titles from the territory.
RPG 7th Dragon III Code: VFD has shot to the top of the Japanese software charts in its first week.
Wii U exclusive Super Mario Maker is riding high once again in Japan, as it fought off competition from Uncharted and FIFA to take the chart top spot.


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Posted on: Thursday 15th of December 2011
So much has happened and changed in 2011 and the control shift is well underway. We’ve captured below some of the significant milestones that have unfolded this year with links to the relevant news items taken from our Market Watch.
Consumer habits are rapidly changing driven by technology and use of social media. Consumers are becoming hyper connected and active participants in markets and they are recognising the power of acting collectively (think Occupy London). They are changing their shopping habits: according to Reevoo’s research nearly 90% of respondents would not purchase a product before reading others’ opinions. New peer to peer market places are emerging and decision support services such as billmonitor are developing.
The launch of Facebook Gestures this Summer has big implications for Volunteered Personal Information and, as some commentators have said, there will be an explosion of information sharing. Facebook has continued to alter the personal data landscape, with debates about Facebook’s privacy policies educating individuals about the need to understand and control information sharing.
Entrepreneurial activity is fostering demand for services that enable consumers to control and manage their own information. In the Autumn Personal.com announced their open beta and the personal data project Singly launched. Mydex successfully completed a pilot of the world’s first live personal data store service working with a range of parties including the Cabinet Office, Directgov, YouGov, three London Councils, the Information Commissioner’s Office, BT and Experian in the Spring. In March the world’s first citizen data transfer took place with Brent Council.
We’ve seen some developments and new approaches to managing personal identity online throughout the year, including services such as MyID (a digital identity certification platform that people can use to certify their digital identity), Connect.me (a new social web service that enables users to build a personal trust network using peer-to-peer vouching), Reputation.com (which allows users to manage their online reputation and recently raised funding), and MiiCard (providing users with a digital passport).
There has been a number of significant Government initiatives over the year. Open data measures were announced in the Government’s Autumn Statement. A new Open Data Institute will ‘help business exploit the opportunities created by release of public data.’
In April the Department for Business Innovation and Skills set out its consumer empowerment strategy in a paper ‘Better Choices: Better Deals’. The strategy includes initiatives to support collective purchasing, collaborative consumption and protection of consumer feedback to assure the integrity of online reviews. The midata programme – an initiative to encourage companies to release the data they hold about customers back to customers in a portable electronic format – is also an integral part of the strategy. In November the Government, business and consumer groups announced their commitment to the midata vision, and at the PM Energy Summit in October Government, consumer groups, the six largest energy suppliers and Ofgem agreed to give consumers access to their personal energy usage data in electronic format as part of the midata programme.
The Governments ID assurance programme which aims to establish a decentralised market of competing private sector identity providers was recently allocated £10 million. Each provider will deliver an identity assurance service, so that public sector and other providers can be confident of the identity of the person they are dealing with.
There have also been policy developments abroad. In September the US Government issued a memorandum to agencies to require, encourage or permit the “timely release of complex information and data in standardized, machine readable formats in ways that enable consumers to make informed decisions.”
As consumers are increasingly changing their habits and demanding a voice some organisations are realising the mutual value that can be achieved by collaboration – see an announcement by Converse, for example.
Other organisations are recognising the value of sharing personal data, which the World Economic Forum in a report issued early this year called the ‘new asset class’, and the opportunity this provides to change the rules of engagement. Callcredit piloted their new service called Noddle to release credit scores back to individuals free on an ongoing basis. Individuals can use these credit scores to pre-screen products and services they apply for. Noddle launches today with an objective of achieving a market leading position, encouraging ‘‘40 million Britons to be more aware of their credit rating and to put that information to good use – whether it’s improving their credit position or hunting down money saving deals.”
We’re looking forward to 2012 to see what new events emerge as the control shift continues to take shape in this era of consumer empowerment.


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Manny Costa, chief executive of Costa Fruit and Produce, joined the family produce distribution business after graduating from Boston University in 1974 at the urging of his father. He took over as chief executive and president in 1981 and oversaw the growth of the company from $2 million in sales to more than $120 million with 3,000 clients today. Globe reporter Taryn Luna spoke with Costa about growth and challenges in the industry.
On the Hot seat
In produce industry, demand for local is growing
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In an interview earlier this week with
The New York Times
Twitter’s CEO Dick Costolo announced
that Twitter "would offer a self-serve tool for local businesses to buy
and is working on ways to deliver those ads based on location” starting next year. Currently, only large companies are advertising on Twitter, reportedly spending as much as $100,000 for Promoted Tweets.
The new advertising platform announced by Costolo seems to be Twitter’s version of Google AdWords , the search giant’s pay-per-click advertising platform. While many small business owners use AdWords, it is far from the ideal small business advertising solution. Since Twitter’s platform is still in development, let's take a minute to make a few suggestions to help the platform outshine current self-serve online advertising options.
6 Ways Twitter Can Pioneer Online Self-Serve Advertising1. Harness Trending - One key element of content on the social web is popularity, despite the fact that this popularity might only last for hours or even minutes. Twitter has worked to capture this with its Trending Topics section. An important feature for small business owners would be to make it easy for them to integrate their advertising with local and sometimes national trends. It would be great if small business owners could make “Trending Campaigns” that were not only launched when a specific keyword trended on Twitter, but also did so automatically so the small business owner didn’t have to continuously monitor Twitter for related trends.
2. Make Location Granular - For many small business owners, marketing isn't targeted to an entire city. In fact, some focus on areas that might only be within a few blocks of their business. For Twitter’s location-based advertising to work, it needs to provide extremely granular options.
3. Do Mobile Right - It is no surprise that online traffic is increasing from mobile devices. Twitter already has its own iPhone and iPad apps, which means it will just be a matter of how Twitter leverages these mobile platforms that will help determine the success of its new advertising product. Simply inserting in-line text ads won’t cut it for advertisers. Instead, Twitter needs to think about how to integrate ads with other aspects of the mobile application like search and possibly message composition.
4. Make It Simple - Small business owners are busy. Therefore, they need an online advertising platform that is simple and fast. Most solutions on the market today have neither of these characteristics. If Twitter can nail down both of them, it will go a long way in supporting the success of its new platform.
5. Answer Questions Before They Are Asked - The social web is all about relevancy. Twitter’s new advertising platform should be no different. An idea for facilitating this would be to serve ads during the time a user is crafting a new tweet. If you look at many users’ Twitter streams, you can see that many tweets out there are in the form of questions. By serving promoted tweets that answer questions before a user even tweets, Twitter can create value and relevancy for both users and advertisers.
6. Giveaway Analytics - One thing that Twitter is terrible at right now is providing users with analytics about users that actually see and click on tweets. Currently, Twitter users are leveraging third-party services like bit.ly to attempt to get basic analytic information. If Twitter were to provide advertisers with analytic information, it is likely many business owners would advertise solely to have access to that information.
What does Twitter need to do with its self-serve advertising platform to get you to become an advertiser?
Photo Credit: Rosaura Ochoa
Download the free webinar for tips and tricks to drive inbound marketing using Twitter.


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Mobile Customers Facing Connectivity Problems After iOS 10 Update
Some T-Mobile users aren't that fortunate it seems as they are facing connectivity issues after updating their devices to the latest and greatest software update from Apple. So, if you haven't already downloaded the update and you have a recent iPhone on T-Mobile, maybe hang on for a little longer.
Later on Tuesday, Apple said, it had fixed the problem.
Soon after iOS 10 was released a few days ago, some people were facing issues after installing the update and Apple was quick to send out a fix. But some users have discovered problems within specific apps, for instance the newly updated Messages app. The problem was quickly resolved and we apologize to those customers. It's working now, though, but I had to totally restore it, she said. But it was also a bit of a problem for t-Mobile, which also just lanced its new T-Mobile One Unlimited Plan.
Going by the complaints, the problem has apparently cropped up for T-Mobile customers after the rollout of the latest 25.1 carrier update on iPhones running the newest iOS version, iOS 10. Apple's iOS 9.3 update in March had to be reworked for older devices after some users were locked out of their iPhones. Reports of "bricking" - a term used to describe devices rendered unusable due to software glitches - surface on the web, much to the chagrin of those who are planning to install the update. The new version of iOS was unveiled at Apple's worldwide developer conference in June. "A$3 s we have expanded our distribution through carriers and resellers to hundreds of thousands of locations around the world, we are now at a point where we know before taking the first customer pre-order that we will sell out of iPhone 7", the company said in a statement to CNBC Now last week.
The move ensures that millions of dollars in associated fees will go to other financial institutions instead of Wells Fargo . The unauthorized accounts were opened in order to meet quotas imposed on the bank's employees for generating new business.
In a private deal valued at $5.5 billion, Bass Pro Shops has acquired competitor Cabela's , the companies announced today. Bass Pro has seven retail centers in the state - San Antonio, Round Rock, Pearland, Kay, Grapevine, Garland and Harlingen.
The Surface All-In-One PC is hotly anticipated, but the price could be a factor, which would determine the success of the PC. However, allegedly, the accessory will be sold separately, which means additional cost for its would-be owners.
No attempts were made to grab or harm the girls and after they rejected the offer, the clowns left the area in a black van. Stephen King is speaking out about the recent " clown panic " - and he knows what he's talking about.
Taking a page out of KP's book, Madonna posted a completely nude selfie on Instagram , echoing Perry's sentiments about voting. To end the sketch, Katy sticks her head out of the vehicle window and says, "Scratch that, gotta wear clothes.
The victory was also the ultimate undoing of Les Miles, who was relieved as his duties as LSU's coach on Sunday. Those concerns again factored into Sunday's decision to terminate Miles' contract, Alexander says.
Rivero was apparently ill-at-ease about the boat ride, and he shared his concerns with another friend, Will Bernal. Its baseball program was a source of national pride but has been devastated by departures for the Major Leagues.
It wasn't long before Skittles was trending, and people were angry for Trump's glib and reckless metaphor. The man who originally posted the photo of Skittles candy in a bowl that wound up in Donald Trump Jr .
Hurricane Matthew will be approaching eastern Cuba, where a hurricane alert has been set in place for six eastern provinces. It is forecast to head slowly north-northwest toward Bermuda before abruptly turning south on Friday, then west on Friday.
But there's also a lengthy digression into the topic of this week's Clinton BS File - who the "real" father of Chelsea Clinton is. During the event, Clinton said that many young people are "children of the Great Recession".
Well, so what if she couldn't become "America's Next Top Model ", she has been able impress Bollywood by her beauty and charm. She says that she doesn't have a favourite model or a least favourite model and for her modelling is just "a job".
Nexus is dead, long live Pixel
But it's putting more emphasis on hardware as it competes for consumers' attention with other leading tech firms. Google has been the antithesis of this philosophy, for Google cloud is the strategy and devices are tactics.
Montreal passes controversial pit bull ban
The SPCA alleges the sections that specifically target pit bulls are discriminatory and contrary to Quebec's animal-welfare laws. The problem lies in the owner, opponents say, not the breed, and if one breed is banned , bad owners will simply switch breeds.
Foxtel Play is replacing Presto: what you need to know
He said the two companies will still be working together to produce new and exciting content, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Foxtel has bought out Seven West Media's stake in Presto, and unsurprisingly Foxtel wants to shift subscribers to Foxtel Play .


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Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a clothing warehouse in South Yorkshire.
The fire has broken out at a building used by online retailer Asos on Park Spring Road in Grimethorpe. Up to 35 firefighters are dealing with it.
More top news
Late weather forecast: Tuesday 24 April
Leeds United have announced a post season tour in Myanmar despite government warnings against travelling to certain areas of the country.
More than 77,000 people across Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire were given emergency supplies from food banks last year.


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The South Korean shipping firm is looking forward to emerging to the black in the next quarter through active freight increase efforts such as early application of peak season surcharge and cost reduction.
Net loss for the first quarter of 2012 widened to KRW338.4bn ($295.07m) from KRW14036bn in the same period a year ago. Revenue inched down to KRW2.26trn from KRW2.28trn.
“The container business unit has rolled out plans to ensure positive turnaround by launching new routes, adapting early peak season surcharge in addition to other freight rate increase efforts, and lowering operating costs through deployment of low cost mega vessels, and container transport volume as well as freight rates are on the increase since March,” Hanjin Shipping said.
“As for the bulk business, factors such as seasonal rebound in the Chinese iron ore industry, greater demand for coal to power the approaching summer's electricity supply and southern hemisphere's harvest season are expected to bolster the cargo volume compared to first quarter.”


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STIMUNO, as the first phytopharmaca immunomodulator in Indonesia that has been clinically tested, maintains the end-to-end halal production process to provide comfort and safety for all Indonesian families.
STIMUNO has also been declared safe by the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) through letter number B-PW.02.04.4.43.12.22.991.
STIMUNO’s positive progress, which has been going on for more than 20 years, has earned many appreciations and awards, including the Top Brand For Kids Award in the category of Children’s Immune System Vitamins.
The award, which was won for the 13th time, was given by Majalah Marketing and Frontier as an appreciation to companies that have succeeded in building brands for the children and youth market.
This award was received by the Brand Senior Manager of CHD Mr. Marcel Marius accompanied by the Head of Marketing of CHD Mrs. Irene Dwi Sari, and handed over directly by the Main Director of Majalah Marketing Mr. Steven Santosa on Tuesday, 9 May 2023.
The case of Ethylene Glycol / Diethylene Glycol (EG/DEG) contaminated drug syrup can influence a mother’s decision to buy medicinal syrup for children under five. Head of Consumer Marketing Heath Dexa, Mrs. Irene Dwi Sari educates mothers not to worry about using STIMUNO’s phytopharmaca syrup.
“As long as mothers carefully read the labels and make their children consume according to the instructions for use, there’s no need to worry about using STIMUNO syrup. Moreover, STIMUNO syrup has been declared safe by BPOM. However, you still have to use it according to the instructions for use and look at the safety label,” said Mrs. Irene.
STIMUNO is an immunomodulator made from meniran herb, which works directly on the immune system to improve immune function in the body. The body’s immunity functions as a defense against infection, especially during a pandemic like now.
STIMUNO ensures the safety and efficacy of its products through clinical trials in Indonesia and makes STIMUNO the only immunomodulator with a phytopharmaca certificate from the Indonesian FDA


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Pew Internet, a think tank that regularly publishes research reports about technology, has released a new study today showing the steady growth in using VoIP and phone services online. According to the organization’s report, a quarter of American adult internet users (24 percent) have placed phone calls online. That amounts to 19 percent of all American adults. On any given day 5 percent of internet users are going online to place phone calls, says Pew.
And Pew says that usage has grown significantly from a few years ago. For example, Pew found in February 2007 that 8 percent of internet users (6 percent of all adults) had placed calls online and 2% of internet users were making calls on any given day. At various points during the 2000s, Pew held similar surveys and found that at most about a tenth of internet users had ever used the internet to place calls and the daily figure never rose above 1 percent of internet users.
Pew also broke out its findings by demographic as well. Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 years of age had the highest percentage of users who made calls online amongst age groups, with 27 percent of the age group reporting that they’ve made calls online. In terms of household income, 37 percent of users whose household income is above $70,000 have made a phone call online, compared to 13 percent for users whose household income is less than $30,000.
Considering Google’s presence in the market, and Microsoft’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, we know the big players see strong potential in the market. But it’s certainly interesting to see data on just how common internet calling and VoIP services have become.


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Dirt Kitchen Snacks
We believe the best things in life come from the dirt. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to craft plant-based snacks that taste as good as they are good for you.
Dried Vegetable and Nut Trail Mix
Mondelez’s incubator and investment arm SnackFutures has recently undergone a staffing change, with former PepsiCo investment executive Tapan Shah joining the group last month to head up investing for the snack-focused conglomerate.
At the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference this week, leading CPG companies discussed their 2019 results — and plans and strategies for the future. For many, those plans include meeting consumer demand for wellness-oriented products with more offerings, especially in snacking and alternative protein.
2019 saw brands take a step beyond better-for-you, seeking to infuse healthy products with additional (functional) benefits. The year also featured acquisitions, investments and product launches as brands both large and small try to better align themselves with an increasingly engaged consumer base.
From starting unique, disruptive brands to navigating the process of securing investment, day one of NOSH Live Winter 2019, held today in Santa Monica, California, provided fresh perspectives from industry leaders on finding a successful route to market in a rapidly changing food industry.
The Checkout: Albertsons Moves Plated to Private Label, Honest Tea Co-Founder to Focus on Beyond Meat
Albertsons moves Plated to private label, Honest Tea co-founder to focus on Beyond Meat, Mondelez studies snacking and more in this week’s Checkout.
No retailers or e-commerce options have been specified for this brand


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As betting products become more sophisticated and provide bettors with a more varied betting option, therefore in order to retain its position as a stalwart betting product, the development of iLottery is increasingly important.
iLottery is not limited to providing solely a lotto betting platform, it’s a state-of-the-art tech, modular software system that can deliver entire ‘business in a box’ solutions to any lottery market worldwide.
In the lotto betting space, unlike the competition who tend to resell an in-house engine that remains limited to their particular niche, LOT.TO has approached the market from the ground up to design a solution that can deliver the right result for any operator.
Rob Lawson, Head of Customer Success at LOT.TO outlined the importance of lottery in the current growing gaming climate: “The lottery sector accounts for 30% of the global gaming industry, which is expected to turn over $635bn by 2020. Yet, in terms of adopting technology and embracing the opportunities offered by the internet, lottery remains way behind the curve, especially when compared to other gaming channels, such as betting and casino.
“Because most lotteries are controlled by state or national governments, many of which see the internet as hard to control and police, the sector has been very slow in moving forward with online sales and promotion. This is most obvious in the USA, where the institutionalised distrust of online gambling means that some of the world’s richest lotteries, including Mega Millions and Powerball, cannot be played online.”
That being said, although progress has been far from fast paced, there has been progress nonetheless, specifically with regards to how lottery has evolved as an online product: “The UK’s Camelot has offered online sales since 2003 and sites offering access to overseas lotteries have expanded rapidly in the eight years since 2010, moving from a little-known niche to a multi-billion pound business sector, although even this is only scratching the surface in terms of global sales potential.”
Furthermore, the in order to fully expand its online footprint, the importance of embracing the iLottery industry can’t be understated: “iLottery opens up a whole new dynamic for players who were previously limited to their own national lottery games. This isn’t just down to bigger jackpots – although that is most certainly the key driver when games like Powerball are hitting $1.5 billion – It’s also about better odds (ie. Irish Lotto) and more cash prizes (ie. German Lotto). Put simply, it’s about choice and you will find that many people who play overseas lottery online will continue to play their homegrown games as well.
“The basic premise of a lottery game is perfectly suited to online play. Online operators can offer a mixture of weekly, daily and instant play games, based on both official state lotteries and internal draws, made using a Random Number Generator (RNG). Because these games tend to be based on the insured model, they can also be more flexible, offering features such as jackpot-only, multi-lottery combo games or even prizes that are tailored to suit a certain market.”
The lottery industry adapts to each market that it looks to attract, an evolution that is heavily aided by the expansion of the iLottery. Lawson points to the Nigerian market as an example: “Western Lotto offers games that are specifically tailored to suit local tastes and spending power. It’s possible to play a single line on Powerball for just 25p, with prizes of up to £30,000, or you can play the Max games, which offer full-fat cash payouts. These are based on a single line syndicate, with prizes divided between shares that cost around 50p. Both models provide an accessible and realistic entry point for Nigerian players.
“The other key benefit of iLottery is that it lends itself perfectly to online play, something we will be displaying, when we exhibit at ICE Totally Gaming in London (Stand: N9-206). Currently, more than 55% of UK players now use a handheld device for their gaming transactions, a figure that increases to 85% or more in emerging markets, such as Africa, where most people use an Android phone as their single source of internet access. This means that iLottery sites need to be fully adaptable to all platforms, with none of the playing experience being lost on a smaller screen. Apps are great, but they rely on someone downloading them, and may not function well on a slow connection.”
Lawson concluded by emphasising that: “The iLottery revolution is only just beginning and we expect 2018 to be the year when it truly takes off. The African, Asian and Latam markets are opening up to the huge prizes and preferential odds offered by lotteries, while in the USA we are seeing movement as Pennsylvania prepares to offer online sales on its state lottery. Growth for the global iLottery is forecast at 16% for the year, but we think it could go even higher as more and more markets open up.”


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UPS upped its drone game yesterday. In partnership with drone maker CyPhy Works, the world’s largest shipping company completed a test delivery of medical supplies via unmanned aircraft from the town of Beverly, Mass., to Children’s Island, located about three miles off the Atlantic coast and unreachable by car.
The flight was intended to simulate the viability of using drones to make time-critical deliveries. For the mock scenario, the drone carried an inhaler to a child on the island attending summer camp, even though there was no real medical emergency.
UPS invested in CyPhy Works last fall, helping the drone startup launch the commercial version of its Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications drone, which was originally designed for surveillance and intelligence gathering for the U.S. military. UPS, however, envisions using the same aircraft for unmanned commercial deliveries. The 10-pound drone is capable of zipping across the sky with a six-pound payload in tow while traveling at speeds that reach up to 40 miles per hour (35 knots) against the wind.
Yesterday’s test flight wasn’t UPS’s first foray into unmanned aerial systems. The company already uses drones in its warehouses to survey high storage racks for stock and available space. UPS also invested in the robotics startup Zipline earlier this summer, announcing plans to deliver blood and vaccines to transfusion centers in Rwanda in drone test flights, which the company says may prove considerably faster than ground transport to remote rural medical centers. UPS’s Rwanda drone delivery testing is expected to begin this October.
Since the FAA’s new rules for small commercial drone flight require all aircraft to be flown within line of sight of the operator, a boat followed the test mission to Children’s Island to monitor the flight, reported USA Today.
UPS is working closely with the FAA. The company’s director of airline safety, Captain Houston Mills, was appointed to the regulatory agency’s drone advisory committee this summer, along with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and advisers from Google X, Facebook, Lockheed Martin, Amazon Prime Air and others.
Amazon has also been fine tuning its drone plans this year, but not in the United States, opting instead to operate test flights in Canada and the U.K. without the restrictions that come with piloting in U.S. airspace. The new FAA rules prohibit flying at night and operating drones that weigh over 55 pounds. This summer, DHL also shared its plans to expand into drone delivery, having completed three months of testing its own drone, dubbed the Parcelcopter, in Germany this May.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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Cyber Security Firm Chooses Windsor-Essex for New Headquarters
A software firm out of Burlington has decided Windsor-Essex is the best place for its new headquarters.
Vehiquilla Inc. provides automotive cyber security for companies and services that operate fleets of vehicles throughout the world.
"We were able to sell them on Windsor-Essex and why they should be here as a company looking to grow and access new markets," says Matt Johnson, Executive Director of Windsor's Institute for Border Logistics and Security.
He says the tech firm's choice shows established industries could bring in spin-off business that can service other sectors.
"We currently are and still are the automotive manufacturing hub of Canada and now we're seeing the leveraging of the history and expertise of that automotive manufacturing into tech and becoming an auto-mobility hub," he added.
Johnson says our proximity to Detroit was a big selling point that could drum up business for Vehiquilla and local firms.
"Leveraging our foreign trade zone designation, but also the multiple logistics firms here," he says. "This will be a great opportunity for them to work with local companies as potential customers."
According to Johnson, the company will hire 10-15 people in the first phase of its transition to Windsor and will tap into the University of Windsor and St. Clair College for talent.
Company officials are still in the process of deciding on a building to house the operation.
— With files from AM800's Kristylee Varley