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KhmerToGo.com can’t solve the capital’s traffic problem, but it can keep residents and restaurant owners from getting stuck in it.
The new online supermarket is set to go fully operational next week, offering what it claims will be the country’s most comprehensive selection of wholesale and retail grocery items for online ordering and delivery.
“We have the whole [market] covered and no one else is doing that,” said James Dumar of 3nokor, the local website design company that developed the e-commerce platform.
Having soft-launched in October, KhmerToGo.com offers an extensive selection of food and beverage items – everything from kitchen staples to bulk foods and gourmet specialties.
Hundreds of items are already on the site and Dumar said the catalogue could swell to 4,000 items by the end of the month.
While the online supermarket is open to retail customers, Dumar said it is mainly aimed at wholesale buyers, such as restaurants and hotels, which buy in bulk.
“Restaurants don’t want to go Thai Huot and just buy individual steaks; they want to buy whole tenderloin and cut their steaks themselves,” he explained.
“We have tenderloin in six different grades, even Wagyu beef – it costs about $140 a kilo – and there is nobody else who is offering that,” he continued.
“But if they want to drop down and get the Indian buffalo beef for $7 a kilo, we have that as well.”
Beyond selection, the online catalogue allows customers to identify product availability in real time, avoiding unnecessary run-around.
This is particularly valued by restaurant staff, who must often visit several supermarkets or wholesalers when searching for a particular product, which may be out of stock, Dumar said.
KhmerToGo.com gives “people a complete and up-to-date catalogue, and if an item does go out of stock, they’ll get a timely notice of that, which allows them time to plan”, he added.
Products on the website are supplied by local and international suppliers, and shipped from a central warehouse in the capital’s Tuol Kork district.
Orders are shipped on a cash-on-delivery basis, though Dumar said the company intends to contract with a third-party payment provider in future.
There are also plans to offer delivery to customers in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Battambang – though he declined to provide details.
The response to the online grocery platform has been positive so far, said Dumar, adding that four restaurants had already begun ordering from the site.
Traditional food wholesalers played down the presence of the upstart online rival.
Koem Sophan, one of the managers at Danmeats Selection Ltd, a Phnom Penh-based wholesaler of meats, said his 200 restaurant customers are well served by the existing call-in ordering system.
“It’s very easy,” he said. “My customers just write an email [to order] or call by phone, and we prepare [goods] for them. And when they get [the order] they send back the money.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KOURCHETTANA KUN


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Fisher-Price and federal product safety regulators are warning parents not to let babies fall asleep in certain rockers after at least 13 reported deaths over a 12-year span.
Parents should not leave infants unsupervised, unrestrained or asleep in the Infant-to-Toddler Rocker or Newborn-to-Toddler Rocker, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday, citing new regulations that require infant sleep products to have a sleep surface angle of 10 degrees or less.
The rockers in question come with reclining seats, which are designed to swing back and forth to relax the child.
However, the reclining position can put a baby at suffocation risk and goes against guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which specifies that infants should sleep on their backs in an empty crib or bassinet.
Extra materials, such as pillows or toys, also increase the risk of suffocation.
“No inclined product, made by Fisher-Price or any other company, is safe for infant sleep. Only a firm, flat surface is safe,” CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said in a statement.
The Safe Sleep for Babies Act passed by Congress last month could ban such products starting June 23, he noted.
Trumka referenced an April 2019 recall involving another Fisher-Price product, the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, that the agency tied to more than 30 infant deaths.
It, too, has an incline seat, and some models came with headrests and toys.
At the time of that recall, Fisher-Price had manufactured 4.7 million units of the sleeper, which were sold from $40 to $149 each.
For parents struggling to keep their infants asleep, it was a popular alternative to high-end bassinets.
Janna Day, Injury Prevention Project Coordinator with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, said that an inclined sleep surface is warranted only when there is an identified medical need consultation with the child’s health care provider.
It does not mean that caregivers should not use such products; they are considered to be safe when used under adult supervision and the child is properly harnessed in.
“They are more of an area for the baby to sit, maybe play with their toys,” Day said, but it is not suitable for sleeping.
The agency issued a safety alert, not a recall, because the incidents are still under investigation, said Pamela Springs, director of communications at the CPSC.
Once it’s completed, the agency will determine whether a recall is warranted.
Separately, the CPSC also issued a warning about a 2019 infant death associated with infant product manufacturer Kids II’s inclined rocker.
Trumka said the agency first learned about the infant deaths two months ago but needed to negotiate with Fisher-Price about the response before notifying the public.
He condemned the “needless” delay and called the requirement a “gag rule.”
“Congress must immediately repeal the Gag Rule,” he said in the statement. “If CPSC cannot issue timely warnings, dangers will remain hidden in people’s homes.”
In some cases, talks between safety regulators and companies break down, forcing the agency to take action.
For example, in July 2021, CPSC sued Amazon over hundreds of thousands of hazardous products sold on the company’s platform, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors and flammable children’s sleeping garments.
The agency was unable to reach an agreement with the company for a voluntary recall after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Members of the public can report any incidents involving baby rockers at www.saferproducts.gov.
Consumers can reach Fisher-Price at 800-432-5437 to report related incidents and view safety videos at the company’s Safe Start webpage.

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Following a long tradition of developing their own proprietary platforms to deliver services to customers—banks are now increasingly open to joining forces with FinTechs and taking advantage of their emerging digital technologies.
The dialogue has shifted from “us vs. them” to “partnerships with a purpose”. Collaborating with FinTechs that have products tailored to customers’ every need, is helping banks reap the full benefits of innovation and remain relevant in a rapidly changing marketplace. According to the reports, nearly 65% of banks and credit unions have entered into FinTech collaborations. With FinTechs gaining massive popularity in recent years, these FinTech-Bank collaborations are only going to get stronger.
In the last few years, we have seen thriving bank-FinTech collaborations in India. SBM Bank India, a subsidiary of the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) Group, has been at the forefront of these promising collaborations. Let’s take a closer look at SBM’s rising number of FinTech partnerships.
SBM’s FinTech-first growth model
SBM Bank India has registered robust growth within the first three years of its operations. By working towards the goal to be world-class in every aspect of their business, SBM Bank has approached partnerships with FinTechs as a cost-effective strategy to acquire more customers.
With partnerships at the heart of the bank’s growth strategy, SBM along with Federal Bank, Equitas Small Finance Bank, and RBL Bank is among the leading banks that have tied up with the most number of FinTechs in the country.
SBM Bank received a banking license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through the wholly-owned subsidiary route in December 2018. SBM has only eight branches all over the country in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. That said, the bank claims to have reached customers in nearly 500 cities in the country owing to its multichannel digital product suite. Rather than opening more branches, SBM has a clear-cut strategy of relying on bank-FinTech partnerships to increase market share and expand its network in India
How FinTech alliances work for SBM
Though corporate banking was SBM’s core offering, the bank has taken the FinTech ecosystem by storm by partnering with 40+ FinTechs in the country. The main goal behind these partnerships is to reach a customer base, closer to that of some of the largest banks in the country.
Here’s a look at some of the key FinTech alliances of SBM bank.
While most Indian banks have been choosy when it comes to partnerships, SBM has tied up with FinTechs across verticals such as payments, investment, and credit. With the belief that digital is the new normal, SBM’s co-branded cards with leading FinTech startups are making card-related transactions hassle-free and enabling the growing base of tech-savvy customers to experience the ease of top-notch expense management solutions.
Given how digitisation is having far-reaching implications for the corporate, household, and public sectors in the country—SBM has adopted an asset-light distribution strategy. As a result, these tie-ups with some of the fast-growing FinTechs in the country have been an affordable and quick way for SBM to onboard more customers and expand its reach.
As building all the tech stacks in-house takes time, these value-creating collaborations have helped SBM reach a premium segment of FinTech customers. While SBM serves as a backbone for many FinTech startups in the country, the FinTechs on their part, have acted as a key enabler to package SBM’s propositions with a new-age factor.
The deal balanced between Boeing and Airbus was done with a central goal of expanding Air India’s footprint in the fast-growing Indian aviation market that has recently witnessed the rise and fall of many airlines.
Regulatory developments impacting the FinTech sector
The collaborations between FinTechs and banks have been instrumental in furthering RBI’s vision of revolutionising last-mile lending and improving financial inclusion. That said, with the rise of cyber risks and a goal to safeguard the interest of customers, the FinTech sector is now subject to increased regulatory efforts that have been introduced to bring in a formal framework for consumer data protection, infrastructure resilience, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
As a part of the regulatory push, RBI recently passed a direction to SBM India to stop all transactions under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) until further orders. This regulatory initiative will have an immediate impact on the FinTechs partnering with SBM.
With India being one of the fast-growing FinTech hubs in the world, regulatory authorities are looking to maintain the balance and create a level playing field for innovators so that compliance does not hamper the growth of the FinTech industry.
For FinTech companies, the regulations have been light when compared to the incumbent entities in the financial services sector. Considering the regulatory arbitrage which is now being plugged in slowly, the onus is on the FinTech companies to closely monitor and navigate through the regulatory and compliance requirements.
Think Working Capital… Think CredAble!


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Tesco is to close two of its distribution centres in the UK, bringing all warehouse operations carried out by DHL Supply Chain and Wincanton in-house, as part of a long-term plan to “simplify” its distribution operations. Closing its Welham Green DC in Hertfordshire, moving grocery distribution operations to Reading, alongside the closure of its Chesterfield DC (with general merchandising moving to one DC in Middlesbrough) reduces the number of Tesco DCs from 25 to 23. It also stated that it […]
Wincanton has won a five year storage and distribution contract with children’s toy and furniture manufacturer Worlds Apart. Annually, the contract will see the firm deliver 20,000 orders to around 1,350 locations, including homes and retailers. Wincanton will also oversee the storage of the firms goods, storing approximately 3,300 pallets in its warehouses, a throughput of 18,000 a year. “As we strive forward with our ambitious growth plans and continue to launch new and exciting products onto the market, it […]
DHL Express is set to relocate its headquarters to new premises in Poyle, near Colnbrook in Berkshire, in a move which will allow the company to increase its parcel handling capacity from 6,000 items per hour to 28,000.


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(Australian Associated Press)
A Reserve Bank official is confident that the worst is over for commodity prices and Australia will continue to benefit from a strong Chinese economy.
Prices for iron ore, Australia’s biggest export, have fallen by about two thirds in past two years after reaching highs of about $US180 a tonne at the peak of the mining boom.
But RBA assistant governor for economics Christopher Kent said commodity prices are still quite high.
“One of the reasons why commodity prices now are much higher than they had been is because demand has expanded over many many years,” he told a UBS conference on Tuesday.
“So you’d need a really big retraction in demand to bring us back to those levels.”
Dr Kent said a further substantial fall in commodity prices is possible, but another large drop in demand is unlikely.
But if commodity prices were to fall further the Australian dollar would also drop, which would help the local economy adjust.
Dr Kent said an additional benefit for Australia is the other opportunities it has to export to China, particularly in services.
“Growth in the services sector has been resilient, and should continue to be assisted by a shift in demand toward services as incomes rise,” he said.
“Growth in household consumption has also been stable in recent quarters aided by the growth of new jobs.”
UBS economist Donna Kwok said as China’s middle class grows, so will the demand for services and goods that Australia is in a good place to provide.
“We’re starting to see a lot of appetite for Australian beef, dairy products, high end consumer products,” she said.
“As incomes tend to increase they will be more and more selective about the types of financial advisory services and healthcare services, and business logistics services.”
Ms Kwok said entertainment is also another area of potential expansion, particularly online.


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The pet rabbit is one of the first new devices the company has released in recent months.
And now it is able to play back songs, check weather and check on other things.
The new iPhone 7 is the first device to support Siri and Apple’s voice-activated assistant, but the company hasn’t yet made the Siri-powered TouchBar a regular feature.
Instead, the company’s new device, which is also called the TouchBar, will include a microphone that can be used to communicate with Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant.
“With Siri, we’re not just talking about the voice, but we’re talking about what’s happening in your home,” said Steve Guggenheim, senior vice president of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Program.
“It’s about listening to your phone.
It’s about what you’re doing in your bedroom.
It may be a virtual assistant, it may be something like a speaker, or it may have an audio-to-speech feature.”
A couple of months ago, the startup revealed its first product, a speaker that works with Siri.
But its speaker was only available to select Apple customers and was only capable of producing audio output at 30 decibels.
Today, the product can deliver 30 decibel audio to Apple users in addition to the standard 24 decibell audio output.
Guggenheimer said the new TouchBar will also offer support for Siri and other Apple products, like the upcoming Apple Watch.
He said the company is “looking at a lot of possibilities” to support other products and services, but said there were not yet any plans to integrate TouchBar into any Apple products.
“This is not a feature that’s going to be a regular thing for us,” he said.
“This is something that we are exploring in the future, but this is not going to become a regular part of the product.
That said, this is something we’re going to continue to look at and work on as we move forward.”
A new iPhone?
Apple announced the new iPhone in September, but didn’t show off any new hardware until today.
The company unveiled its latest flagship phone, the iPhone 7, at its developer conference in September.
But the iPhone has been on the market for a little longer, with some Apple users saying the phone was too slow to take advantage of new features like TouchBar.
“I think it’s great for developers to be able to push more things on the iPhone,” said Alex Nickson, a product manager for software development at a marketing firm that focuses on iPhone and iPad development.
“But I think that it’s not going be enough.
If you want to push Siri, you can’t just do Siri on the phone, because it has to be on the watch, or on the home screen.”
Apple has also been working on a new way for developers and manufacturers to deliver apps to the iPhone.
The app stores will have their own separate version of the iOS app, with developers choosing which apps to include on each platform.
And there will be no App Store integration on the new device.
Instead Apple will have the ability to integrate with a number of third-party apps.
Goggenheim said Apple is also working on apps that will work across the new devices and across iOS and macOS.
“The idea is that you will be able not only with this device, but you will also be able with an app store app, you will get that same functionality, and then you can use those same apps with other devices,” he told reporters.


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Vietnam achieved the highest export turnover in nearly two years
In the first month of 2024, Vietnam recorded export turnover of nearly USD 33.6 billion, an increase of 42% over the same period last year, and the highest level since April 2022.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, import and export of goods in the first month of 2024 increased sharply, reaching more than USD 64 billion, an increase of nearly 38% over the same period last year. Exports alone increased by 42%, about USD 33.6 billion. This is also the highest increase since April 2022 (USD 33.26 billion).
Exports increased strongly thanks to the motivation from two main groups: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and processing industry with increases of nearly 97% and 38% respectively. Phone exports and components of all kinds in the first month of this year are estimated to reach nearly USD 6 billion. This is an increase of more than 56% compared to the previous month as Samsung just launched the new product line Samsung Galaxy S24 in mid-January.
Agricultural products continue to be a bright spot in the country's export picture thanks to price advantage. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade shows that the average coffee price reached USD 2,955 per ton, an increase of more than 35%; rice at USD 693 per ton, 33.5% more expensive than the same period.
The US is still Vietnam's largest import market, with USD 9.6 billion, an increase of nearly 56% over the same period. Traditional export markets such as China, EU, or ASEAN increased by 58%, 18% and 38% respectively.
Vietnam's imports of more than USD 30.6 billion, of which nearly 95% is the group of production materials for the Lunar New Year 2024. China is still the largest export market to Vietnam, with nearly USD 11 billion, an increase of 50% over the same period last year.
Thus, the trade balance continues to have a surplus like last year, USD 2.9 billion. The domestic economic sector has a trade deficit of more than USD 2 billion, while the group with foreign investment capital (including crude oil) has a trade surplus of over USD 5 billion.
Vietnam mainly has a trade surplus with the US and China, with USD 8.2 billion and USD 4.8 billion. In contrast, trade deficit from Korea Republic and ASEAN decreased by 25% and 11% over the same period.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecasts that this year's exports would still face many challenges due to increasingly fierce strategic competition between major countries and escalating Red Sea tensions, causing transport costs to increase dramatically. In addition to stimulating domestic consumption, the ministry said it and other agencies will promote production right from the beginning of the year, especially removing difficulties for businesses to recover and create new production capacity.
- The two-month trade surplus is the highest in 10 years
- Vietnam achieved the highest export turnover in nearly two years
- Vietnam's trade surplus of nearly USD 380 million in the first half of January 2024
- Export turnover of goods in January 2024 increased by 6.7% compared to the previous month
- Trade surplus in 2023 of USD 28 billion, more than 2 times higher than in 2022
- The trade balance of goods has a surplus of nearly USD 25 billion after 10 months
- Seafood exports to the US increased for the second consecutive month
- HSBC: Vietnam's GDP growth is forecast at 5% this year and 6.3% in 2024
- Imports and exports are approaching USD 500 billion
- VDSC forecasts fourth quarter GDP growth to reach 7%


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Black Week is underway for Aura Kingdom, and that means a week’s worth of deals for players. Every day, between now and November 30, a new set of deals will be made available. Between now and then, players can pick up discounted Eidolons, new costumes, mounts, and more at a discount.
As noted, the sale items will change daily. So, while today’s focuses on Muramasas, tomorrow’s will be something else. Updates will take place every day at 8:00 PST (14:00 CEST). So check in daily to see what’s available.


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Red Hook Studios have released an update on their blog confirming that their The Crimson Court DLC for Darkest Dungeon has sold excess of 175k units. They also took the time to confirm the release date for the PS4 & Playstation Vita versions of the content.
In a recent blog, Red Hook Studios, the creators of Darkest Dungeon, confirmed rough sales figures for their game’s first expansion as well as confirming the release date for the DLC on Sony’s consoles.
The Crimson Court is a campaign which runs parallel to the main game, with events and features unlocking as the traditional game is bested. The DLC adds five news bosses including a wandering one, ten new buildings for players’ hamlet, new trinket sets for each heroes, a new hero class, and more.
Darkest Dungeon, for those unfamiliar, is a dungeon delving roguelike which features side-on turn-based combat. It’s best known for it’s dark, grim setting, it’s flawed heroes, and it’s affliction system which can see party members succumb to stress, paranoia and more if not managed correctly.
The Crimson Court is the first expansion for the game, with the PC version launching back on the 19th of June, 17 months after the release of the core game.
Regarding the Playstation versions of the title, their blog entry (from Tyler Sigman, Co-Founder & Game Design Director) said the following: “One of the most common questions we have right now from the community is, ‘When will the DLC hit PSN?’ After reviewing the work that’s left to be done for bug tickets and support issues, and factoring in the time to get through certification and store prep, we are targeting August 22nd. This is a bit later than we originally intended, but it will result in the most stable and smooth release, which is ultimately the most important factor. August 22nd isn’t that far away and we are excited to bring the DLC to our PS4 and PS VITA players.”
The same blog entry also confirmed that the game had already exceeded over 175,000 units sold. You can read more information on that, and on several planned fixes which have been announced, here.
You can find the launch trailer for the PC version of the expansion below.
Darkest Dungeon: The Crimson Court is already available for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux (Steam). It will launch on the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita on the 22nd of August.


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Apple, amidst its ongoing patent battle with Samsung, its fight with FBI and encryption campaigns might have a silver lining coming soon as it has been reported that its recently released iPhone SE is a hit amongst Chinese buyers, even if it is not officially out in stores yet.
Yes, that’s right! The Cupertino company’s phone, in stores by March 31, has proven to be popular among Chinese consumers. Pre-orders for the said phone, according to early estimates, has already reached 3.4 million in China, proving it is better received than its predecessor iPhone 5c, reports Cult of Mac.
Official pre-order numbers for iPhone SE have not been released by Apple and are expected to be announced later in the week. However, CNBC has done its own investigation and has come up with the total of pre-orders from three retailing sites. Digital Trends adds that the color variants that are popular are rose gold and gold.
The findings are good for Apple, especially for allegedly struggling these past few months for its plans to make it big in emerging markets. However happy the news was, analysts, on the other hand, think that it will not be successful in China. An unofficial distributor from Henan Province, China has said that the new iPhone “has no revolutionary update.”
Additionally, unofficial vendors are used to selling a newly released iPhone for $300 USD over the regular price. But this time, that is not the case. According to him, the demand won’t probably be as strong as that of the iPhone 6 and 6S. He also said that the phone is already being offered for $20 USD, less than the official $505 USD price in China. There’s also a vendor who is offering it $100 USD lower than the official cost.
Meanwhile, Techno Buffalo reports that iPhone SE is also expected to be a big hit in other emerging markets like Brazil, Russia and India. It could also be popular in the US where some users prefer the smaller 4-inch design.
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Toys 'R' Us to Hire 45,000 Employees for Holiday Rush
This holiday season, we're set to see the biggest seasonal hiring rush since 1999, with retailers and shipping companies adding a projected 800,000 jobs. Kohl's alone is planning 67,000 seasonal hires, and now Toys "R" Us has announced that it will add 45,000 employees to work the holiday months--the same number it hired last year.
"Ensuring we are fully staffed with knowledgeable employees is integral as we look to fulfill our customers' needs whenever, wherever and however they choose to shop," a spokeswoman told CNBC.
Like Kohl's, toy retailer will be hiring at both store locations and distribution centers, a move that suggests the increasing prevalence of online shopping over brick-and-mortar stores. Seasonal employees can expect to work between 16 and 20 hours a week, with the possibility of continuing year-round after the holidays (Toys "R" Us retained 20 percent of seasonal hires last year). In-store positions include sales associates, stock crew, and department mangers.
By the time the hiring is complete, the company will have more than doubled its workforce.
Other retailers, including J.C. Penney and Target, have said that they will maintain 2013's hiring figures this year. Walmart will make a 10 percent jump, with a planned 60,000 hires. Shipping companies, like UPS and FedEx, are also making large-scale hires to handle the holiday surge.
"Ensuring we are fully staffed with knowledgeable employees is integral as we look to assist customers in crossing off items on their children's wish lists," Toys "R" Us's Mark Eberly, Vice President of Human Resources, said in a statement.
You can apply for a job at Toys "R" Us right here at AOL Jobs, or visit their holiday hiring website for more information.


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If you want to support local breweries, it is about to become much easier to distinguish genuine Australian-owned craft beer from foreign-owned brands masquerading as independent brewers.
The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) has launched a new certification seal – granting authentic beers confirmed as independent and locally-owned the tick of approval.
These will be displayed on beer packaging, bottles and tap points as well as on signs at pubs and other venues that support certified local craft beer.
The IBA told The New Daily that a number of brewers have already signed up, including Burleigh Brewing, Stone and Wood, Stomping Ground, Bright Brewery, Bridge Road Brewers, Wheaty Brewing, Cheeky Monkey and Hobart Brewing.
You can expect to see the ‘Indie Beer’ seals appear on beers at your local bottle shop within the “next few months”.
Similar seals of independence have already launched overseas, with the US Brewers Association introducing its own certification last month.
“The trend towards locally brewed, hand-crafted beer made by small independent breweries is not a fad, it is a fundamental shift on a global scale that is bigger than just beer and more so about the stories behind the product,” IBA’s Will Tatchell said.
Fight for authenticity amid rise of corporate craft beer
Japanese-owned Kirin (Lion) and Belgium-owned AB InBev (Carlton and United) control almost 60 per cent of the Australian beer market.
While overall beer consumption in Australia is at a 65-year low, Australians’ appetite for craft beer is growing at 10 per cent every year, generating $500 million in annual revenue.
So these large corporations are increasingly branching out to cash in on the craft beer segment, buying out previously independent brewers.
Some examples include White Rabbit and Little Creatures.
Retail expert Dr Gary Mortimer, of Queensland University of Technology, said this has made it confusing for consumers to know if they’re getting what they’re paying for when they opt for a craft beer – traditionally sold at a premium price.
“There has been a clear shift in the market towards craft beer and there is a general perception that craft beer is made by a micro brewer,” he said,
“But this is not necessarily the case.”
Does it matter who owns your favourite beer?
A survey of more than 17,000 Australians in August 2017 found that 82 per cent of beer drinkers believed an independent brewers seal would have a great impact on the craft beer they chose to buy.
“Some people might not care who owns the beer they like drinking but there are consumers who want to be more informed so they can make ethical choices to support small business, the local economy and local jobs,” Dr Mortimer said.
“I think this new seal will further segment the market into mass craft beer and true micro craft beer.
“This will allow consumers to clearly identify beers made by truly independent micro-breweries as opposed to global corporate giants, supermarkets or soft drink manufacturers like Coca-Cola.”
André Sammartino, associate professor in international business at the University of Melbourne, said there is evidence consumers are concerned about the “market power or overt profit motives” of the multinational players in the beer industry.
“Big beer can makes claims to the nebulous ‘craft’ label, but they will struggle to claim independence,” he said.
“If [the introduction of the seal] were to somehow boost sales of any independent brewery, that may – down the track – lower the prices of that beer, if the brewery is able to ramp up production efficiencies and lower their costs.
“But, that’s not an immediate or guaranteed effect. It should benefit the local independent breweries in terms of highlighting a ‘point of difference’ from the Fat Yaks, Pirate Lifes and Goose Islands.”
Here is a full list of independent, locally-owned craft breweries in each state.


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With a new approach and faster service, Uber is trying to lure more New York City customers to ridesharing.
Instead of making pick-ups at exact locations, Uber had begun offering flat, $5 rides for certain Manhattan commuters willing to walk to designated pick-up spots along UberPool drivers’ routes — a similar service to that of a public bus.
The new policy, enacted for rush-hour trips within the confines of Manhattan below 110th Street, sped commutes by ending the time-consuming block circling drivers needed to make in order to pick up and drop off customers, according to Uber.
“Because riders are picked up on corners already in the direction they’re headed toward, the beginning of an uberPOOL trip is more efficient,” said the San Fransicso-based Uber in a new blog post publishing Monday, “meaning riders can get to their destinations in nearly the same amount of time as if they were riding alone and sometimes even faster.”
More than 100,000 trips have been made under the new Pool policy so far, according to Uber.
During a week in July, the company said it found that Manhattan UberPool trips made during peak hours took an average of 24.14 minutes. That’s three minutes slower than UberX trips, but about $14 cheaper, according to the company.
Uber is leveraging the money saved sharing marginally slower rides to try and pull more people onto the service to get to and from work — and jabbing the MTA in the process.
“Since introducing this new $5 flat rate and experience, we’ve noticed that UberPool is changing the way Manhattan commuters get to and from work,” Uber’s blog post continues. “For example, riders are increasingly depending on UberPool to get them to Midtown East, replacing a commute that typically involves the over-packed 6 train.”
Corecction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Manhattan UberPool trip times decreased by 63 percent. Trip times have decreased along 63 percent of routes.


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Trainers rode killer whales in a show at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said an anonymous donor wants to buy at least one of the SeaWorld parks. Union-Tribune photos
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants to buy SeaWorld. One guess what the group wants to do with the popular theme park.
The animal rights advocates said they have a donor willing to put up the bucks to buy at least one of the three SeaWorld parks – in Orlando, San Antonio or, of course, San Diego – put the animals in marine sanctuaries and perhaps return some to the wild one day.
The group wouldn't close the joint. Instead, it would replace the killer whales, dolphins, stingrays and other animals with virtual reality exhibits.
PETA is known for staging publicity stunts, including one in Ocean Beach last year where half-naked people put fish hooks in their mouths to protest game fishing, but it swears this is no hoax. Still, the group won't identify the donor.
“He chooses to remain anonymous,” said Lisa Wathne, a PETA spokeswoman.
PETA has never been a fan of SeaWorld, saying the marine animals suffer from living in small tanks instead of their natural habitat.
The group saw an opportunity when news broke that SeaWorld's current owner, beer giant Anheuser-Busch, is poised to be swallowed whole by the larger beer giant InBev, a Belgium firm.
Experts believe InBev will divest itself of Anheuser-Busch's 10 theme parks and concentrate on beer once the sale is final. The parks could be worth as much as $4 billion. The company sold SeaWorld Ohio for $110 million in 2001.
While a company would normally prefer to sell the entire theme-park package to a single buyer, InBev may be willing to sell the parks piecemeal, said Jack Russo, an analyst with the investment firm Edward Jones.
“It's a tough time to be unloading these kind of assets,” he said.
PETA said the donor has deep enough pockets to buy at least one of the SeaWorlds. The group sent a letter Friday to InBev's CEO spelling out the deal.
PETA hasn't heard back, Wathne said. No one could be reached at InBev for comment.
SeaWorld said all questions about a sale need to go through InBev, but spokesman Dave Koontz called PETA's effort “a publicity stunt.”
At least one marine mammal expert, Lee Kellar of the Alaska SeaLife Center, said releasing marine mammals back into the wild is “a very difficult transition” for the animals.
Even a marine sanctuary wouldn't be much of a benefit, he said, because the animals would still need the care of humans. “It would cause a lot of pain and suffering for the animals,” Kellar said.
Michael Stetz: (619) 293-1720; firstname.lastname@example.org


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People can subscribe to Disney+ via numerous devices and platforms, including Apple TV and iOS, Android and Sony PlayStation 4. Amazon’s Fire TV isn’t on the list yet, but Disney said it plans to add more distributors before the initial launch.
The move by Disney is an effort to tackle rivals with original content such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon. Disney+ is planning to offer streaming content from brands like Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar. “Re-imagined” content from popular titles, such as “Home Alone,” will also be featured.
The U.S. cost for the service is $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. Disney+ will also be available in Canada and the Netherlands on the same day, with Australia and New Zealand getting the service a week later, the article said.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced earlier this month that U.S. users could subscribe to Disney+, ESPN+ and an ad-supported Hulu subscription for $15 per month. The bundle will launch alongside Disney+ on Nov. 12.
The streaming market is an increasingly competitive space, as Disney+ strives to compete with other services such as Netflix, AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Apple TV. Offering a combination of original content and viewer favorites is just one of the ways services are attempting to create competitive differentiation. The latest Subscription Commerce Conversion Index goes a step further, exploring how consumers use streaming services and what keeps them from canceling subscriptions.
Streaming is by far the most popular type of subscription, with 70 percent of consumers subscribed to at least one streaming service. Online gaming services were the second-most common at 30.6 percent, followed by digital media services at 27.7 percent. Only 16.7 percent did not subscribe to any service.


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Instagram, the photo sharing platform made popular by its millions of users posting candid clicks taken by their camera phones and other devices, recently introduced some new and powerful features that gives user a ton of control over their work and makes you feel more like a pro. The new Instagram features allow users to make adjustments with image contrast, brightness, saturation and warmth, amongst others.
The new features provide photography fans a simple, yet extensive set of tools to adjust their images. It’s more than just placing a filter on them now. Peter Deng, director of product at Instagram, states; “The updates are actually about bringing both the photography geek and casual clickers together on a single platform. Tools that were previously inaccessible can now be acquired for free by everyone that uses the provision.”
The photo-sharing social service has recently announced the launch of 10 exclusive editing tools for both iOS and Android users. Changes such as contrast, brightness, and saturation have been explored in the update. In fact, Instagram filter features have also been tweaked, adding intensity for filter with a side bar. The “Lux” tool that was first launched by Instagram in March that serves as a light filler for darker photos. This side bar is now found on a number of editing features that provides more power and control over how dramatic the edits appear.
Instagram’s latest list of features is well beyond the scope of an ordinary filter. The app now provides your smartphone photos with a certain level of professional-like post-production features. The new features are described on Instagram’s blog which explains how to use the tools, which are unlocked when you tap on the wrench icon that appears at the filter section. It is an effort to offer creative hold of how your photos look and feel.
The Instagram blog mentions that very often the image that you see in the photograph isn’t the same as you envisioned. The development team at Instagram feels that this new feature set can be used to uplift your smartphone photography to new heights. Enabling users to share the moment the way they remember it. Instagram for iOS version 6.0 is available at the Apple’s App Store and Android version 6.0 available on Google Play.


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Factor-Kline, fellow exhibition attendee, is presenting a panel on raw materials with multipurpose characteristics. This type of product, designed to improve the performance of formulations, has increased from 40% to 45% in the global market over the past few years.
São Paulo, August 2016 – In Brazil, the premium TPC market (Toiletry, Perfumery and Cosmetics) is driven by fragrances, which accounted for 36% of the value of this niche industry in 2015, according to data from Euromonitor International, a leading global market research company and participant presenter of Marketing Trends, free lectures in which visitors will have access to market research and about what will trend, according to experts.
The talks take place at in-cosmetics Latin America October 5-6 in São Paulo. Brazil accounts for 32% of the revenues of this premium segment in Latin America, despite current economic difficulties, followed by Mexico (23%), Argentina (15%), Chile ( 8%) and Colombia (6%) .
According to the research firm, sales of TPC premium products in Latin America is expected to grow at an average of 5% per year by 2020, a slowdown compared to previous years when the segment registered an average of 8% real growth per annum from 2010 to 2015. Against this backdrop in which purchasing power falls, the public begins to look for quality products, but with lower prices, those products known as masstige.
“The consumer of beauty products in Latin America is facing a difficult challenge With more education, infrastructure, with the internet providing greater autonomy and access through different channels, they are looking for quality products,” says Fernando Cruz, senior analyst at Euromonitor International in Santiago. However, according to the expert, with limited purchasing power and slowdown in their economies, this consumer must search for alternatives to get the better quality products at lower prices .
As part of the educational content in-cosmetics offers visitors, during the event Euromonitor is presenting the theme the consumer of beauty products in Latin America: how to find opportunities in the masstige segment on October 5, 11am to 11:45. This presentation sketches a panorama of the beauty market in Latin America and how companies are applying innovations in the premium segment to more affordable products, with examples of improvement in ingredients, packaging and sensory characteristics in skin care, fragrances and makeup categories.
Another important trend in the personal care industry is the use of special ingredients, says another market intelligence company that brings its knowledge to the exhibition, Factor-Kline. Elaine Gerchon, the company’s project manager, says these product formulations, designed to improve performance, have grown from 40% to 45% in the global market over the past few years.
This increasing popularity of multipurpose cosmetics has led to the increased consumption of special ingredients, which have multiple functions associated with a single ingredient. As an example, I cite the consumption derived from polypropylene glycol (PEG), which acts as a rheology modifier and has emulsifying properties,” explains Gerchon. The Factor-Kline study analyzed the main regional markets – Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan, Southeast Asia and the United States – into eight categories: surfactants, emollients, rheology modifiers, conditioning polymers, UV absorbers, fixative polymers, preservatives and emulsifiers.
For the company, global expectations are for the personal care products ingredients market to grow at an annual rate of 2.8% between 2015 and 2020, exceeding US$10 billion by 2020. The UV absorbers category should lead the growth trend, followed by the category of preservatives and rheology modifiers.
Also on October 5, from 12:00h to 12:45, Factor-Kline’s Elaine Gerchon is presenting challenges and opportunities in the raw materials market for Personal Care products in Brazil.
The complete schedule of free Marketing Trends presentations is listed at www.in-cosmeticslatinamerica.com/en/education/education/
In 2015, in-cosmetics Latin America brought together 184 exhibitors from over 40 countries and 2,760 unique visitors. Now, with the repositioning of the brand and a wider range of exhibitors and visitors from all over this part of the world, the expectations of the organizers are even higher. “We’ll be playing host to about 3,500 professionals who will get to know over a thousand products of 200 exhibiting brands,” said Daniel Zanetti, event director.
in-cosmetics Latin America 2016
Date: 5-6 October
Venue: Expo Center Norte – Pavilhão Azul
Address: Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333 – Vila Guilherme
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s largest events’ organizer, with a unique network of offices and international sales promoters. By 2015, more than 7 million participants visited products in its constantly growing portfolio. Reed Exhibitions has 500 events in 30 countries, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings, serving 43 different sectors of industry, from aerospace and aviation to the beauty, cosmetics, sports and leisure industries.
Further press info:
Teresa Silva – (11) 3030-9463
Carolina Mendes (11) 3030-9436
Myrian Vallone – (11) 3030-9404


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Avoca hummus recalled over listeria fears
Batches of hummus and colcannon have been recalled by the food retailer Avoca due to the presence of listeria.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Avoca recalled the products because of the presence of listeria monocytogenes - a bacteria that can cause listeriosis infections.
Listeriosis can resemble flu or meningitis and is a serious disease, particularly for the elderly and those with a weakened immune system. It is also a risk to pregnant women as it can cause miscarriage.
The affected products are Avoca Hummus (264g) that has a use-by date of February 7, and Avoca Colcannon (550g) with a use-by date of February 4.
In a statement, Avoca said the recall of a single batch of two products was initiated as a "precautionary measure" after "routine testing indicated the product did not meet the usual high standard". It said: "The products were on sale in Avoca stores only, and have been withdrawn from sale.
"Customer notices are on display in store with the product recall details."
A "thorough investigation" is under way, it added.


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AmericaJR’s Gloria and Jerome Rzucidlo recently visited the brand new Meijer Rivertown Market near Downtown Detroit. Rivertown Market is your brand new neighborhood grocery store focused on bringing fresh, affordable, and local products to Detroit. You’ll be happy to find a heavy emphasis on fresh produce, local and artisan groceries, as well as Meijer and national brand products on our shelves. The store is located at 1475 E. Jefferson Ave. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The store opened its doors for the first time on Oct. 6, 2021.
Visit the new Meijer Rivertown Market at 1475 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit. For more info, go to https://www.rivertownmarket.com/


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The Agrievolution Alliance global coalition of agricultural equipment manufacturing organizations welcomes China Agricultural Machinery Distribution Association (CAMDA) as its newest member. The alliance fosters collaborative action on industry issues, data exchange and public policy outreach.
The Agrievolution Alliance growth broadens its scope in key world regions, and it strengthens the alliance mission to advance agricultural interests worldwide and promote better understanding of how vital agriculture machinery is to sustain a growing world population.
The China Agricultural Machinery Distribution Association (CAMDA), located in Beijing, includes approximately 300 equipment manufacturing companies in its membership.
Since its formation two years ago, the Agrievolution Alliance has grown to 13 associations representing agriculture equipment manufacturers in Brazil, China, European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Turkey, United States and United Kingdom.
“We anticipate continued membership growth as more organizations realize the value of a global industry voice,” stated Anita Sennett, director, agriculture product management for the North American-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). AEM serves as alliance secretariat.
“Our key message to the public and our government officials is the essential role of agricultural machinery to improved quality of life and economic gains: advances in mechanization provide the increased productivity and efficiencies that farmers around the world need to feed and clothe a growing world population,” Sennett stated.
Agrievolution Alliance activities include:
- Conducting global market-data surveys for members’ business planning and for public policy officials, business leaders and the general public to become more aware of the industry’s economic value
- Organizing Agrievolution Summits as world forums for top government officials, agricultural equipment manufacturers and other industry leaders to share knowledge and build relationships as they examine critical issues of global agriculture
- Supporting industry efforts such as the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) that advance industry standardization efforts that promote efficiency and productivity
For more information about the alliance, visit the website www.agrievolution.com.


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Xbox Live estimated annual earnings: $1.2 billion
DLC and movies now bring in more revenue than Gold subscriptions
Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service appears to be earning the company in excess of $1.2 billion.
While Forbes published similar statements last month, financial network Bloomberg has coaxed Dennis Durkin, Xbox’s chief operating officer, into reiterating that revenue from downloadable add-ons, movies and other content now exceed that of Xbox Live's paid subscriptions.
Based on earlier revelations that 56 per cent of the 25 million Live users paid $50 for Gold level access in 2009, Microsoft is likely to be earning in the region of $625 million from subscriptions alone.
If other Live revenue - also including avatar customisation and classic game re-releases - does indeed exceed that, total earnings from the service will be greater than $1.25 billion.
Microsoft will not report its 2010 fiscal results until later this month, but Goldman Sachs analyst Sarah Friar suggested to Bloomberg that the technology firm's operating income for the year ending June 30 will be $1.04 billion, six times greater than the previous year.
She also estimated that total Xbox Live sales for 2008 would have been around $800 million, and that the amount of Live revenue recouped after production costs is around 65 per cent.
With Xbox hardware notoriously taking several years to turn a profit, Live's burgeoning success may well be key to Microsoft's continued investment in gaming.


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Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles should be getting support for keyboards and mice soon, according to a tweet from Mike Ybarra, corporate vice president of Xbox and Microsoft, and corroborated by an Xbox blog post.
The blog post explained that Xbox Insiders will have access to the functionality in the coming weeks, with Warframe being one of the first titles supported.
Mouse and keyboard very close to coming to Xbox console. Lots of developer options to ensure fairness and a great experience. Choice is in the hands of the developer to do multiplayer pools (controller only, kb/mouse only, any, etc.). Soon! #XboxSeptember 25, 2018
An exact date wasn’t confirmed in either case, but you can expect more info will be coming November 10.
In the past, when such ideas have been floated by Microsoft, plenty of players have expressed concern over the advantages players with a keyboard and mouse will have over players using controllers. While this is still cause for concern, Ybarra suggests that handling fairness in multiplayer games will be up to the developers and Microsoft won’t enforce any broad rules on the matter.
Developers have already been dealing with this sort of thing on PC, as some games allow auto-aim when a controller input is detected but disable it for keyboard and mouse. Developers may go even further for Xbox games, with options to do matchmaking based on input methods. Some matches may be only for players using controllers, others for keyboard and mouse players, and some for mixed groups.
On top of that, Microsoft is leaving it entirely up to developers whether keyboards and mice are supported at all. Some games may be left out altogether.
While some players will surely remain staunchly opposed to keyboard and mouse support on the Xbox, others coming from a PC gaming background will likely be happy to have the precise control of a mouse in their games. This will also probably be a boon for peripheral makers, as the best gaming keyboards and best gaming mice will have a whole new customer base.
Japan has landed two hopping robots onto asteroid Ryugu as part of the Hayabusa2 mission. It's Japan's second mission to an asteroid, where it plans to return some samples of Ryugu to Earth by the early 2020s. So that scientists can study the samples with more sophisticated instruments and hopefuly uncover some of the biggest...
In the wake of a new partnership between Apple and Salesforce, Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff seems to have had a change of heart about Apple's CEO Tim Cook. On stage at during Benioff's keynote at Salesforce's enormous Dreamforce tech conference taking place this week in San Francisco, Benioff said: "Thank you to Apple...


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A woman has shared her genius trick for keeping bread fresh past its sell-by date.
The best before label on food items can be a disheartening thing to read - and cause you to throw out food unnecessarily.
But one woman has created a genius way of extending the lifespan of a kitchen cupboard essential: bread.
During the lockdown, you'll be forgiven for not wanting to venture to the supermarkets too often.
With social distancing measures enforced and queues outside each store, the supermarkets are far from a stress-free experience right now.
So, how do you make sure your essentials are lasting longer?
Writing on a popular Facebook group, the M.E.N. reports she said: "I watched a YouTube video and it said if you put a stick of celery in the bag it keeps the bread fresher for longer so tried."
The woman then added: "Just finished the last slices off and the bread was fine and it was dated the 19th of April – so 10 days out of date."
After leaving social media users wowed, somebody explained how the method works in the comment section of the post, saying: "The bread absorbs the moisture from the celery to stop the bread drying out and going mouldy."


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Many of you video gamers must be excited for the Forza Motorsport 7 that is set to arrive on October 3. And just a few days before its official release, the video game company previewed a new car pack that will be available in the game, and is inspired by The Fate of the Furious.
For an additional $9.99, gamers will be able to enjoy this pack that is included in both the Deluxe and Ultimate Editions of the video game. It’s not at all a surprise that this car pack will include vehicles that were featured in The Fate of the Furious movie, or the hugely successful Fast and Furious franchise.
The pack will include a total of ten cars, including the 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, 1968 Dodge Charger, 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, 1971 Plymouth GTX, 2016 Subaru WRX STI, 2018 Dodge Demon, 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline Special, 2015 Mercedes AMG GT S, 2013 Subaru BRZ, and the 2014 Local Motors Rally Fighter. It seems like this will definitely be a fun DLC pack for fans of the movie. You might want to check out screen shots of the said cars here.
As mentioned earlier, the DLC pack will be available as a Day One car pack for Forza 7 Ultimate and Deluxe editions. But thanks to the early access period of the Ultimate edition, owners can already get this on September 29, while Deluxe buyers will have to wait until the actual release date.
The only thing that gamers will not be able to do is to create their avatars inspired by The Fate of the Furious movie. So they will have to settle with the cars for now. The Forza Motorsport 7 will be available in several platforms including PC, Xbox One and Xbox One X glory. Of course, the game will be released November 7th on the Xbox One X.
For those of you who would like to get a taste of the Forza Motorsport 7, you can get a sample of the game with the availability of a demo that will offer three different cars in three different circuits.
We have seen several trailers of this game and the number of vehicles it will be showcasing - from racing to drifting cars, Formula E and Aussie Supercars, to endurance racing and a lot more racing experiences in hundreds of road cars covering several generations.
One of the most exciting cars that gamers can drive in the video game is the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, along with approximately 700 vehicles to choose from - now that is a lot of cars for you to check out. Who in their right mind would not be excited for this game to come out? But be quick about it as we have a feeling that this will sell out very quickly.


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Location Analytics Leader Brings Shopping Centre Operators and Retailers a New Monetisation Opportunity
Lisbon, 08 June 2016 – Movvo, the monetisation platform built on Movvement Intelligence™, has just raised a Series A investment of €5.5 Million. This investment round was co-led by Caixa Capital and Sonae IM, with co-investment from existing angel investor Dueto.
Movvo’s ground breaking technology uses multiple sensors to understand, predict, and influence shopper behaviour, with accuracy levels and productised insight surpassing that of all other providers. Movvo’s Movvement Intelligence platform enables new opportunities for businesses to monetise their physical space and provide a true omnichannel experience to their visitors for the first time. Spaces such as shopping malls, city centres and entertainment venues are all taking advantage of this new generation of technology, and Movvo sits at the forefront of an exciting new industry. Movvo has data privacy embedded at its core and is awarded the TRUSTe’s Privacy Seal, certifying all data collected remains anonymous and cannot be compromised.
The company intends to use the funds to extend the capabilities of its SaaS platform through investment in research and development, including broadening platform capabilities with new in-store and in-mall location, predictive, and engagement technologies, as well as accelerating growth in its existing markets: Europe, North America, and Asia.
Movvo’s ambitious global expansion plans are led by Cyrus Gilbert-Rolfe, who was hired in late 2015 as the company’s CEO and brings over 25 years of experience in organisations such as Netscape, Microsoft, Silverstream and EMC. Cyrus will build on that experience and momentum to ensure Movvo is well placed to take advantage of the growing demand for real-time, mobile movement data across a host of industries.
Cyrus Gilbert-Rolfe, Movvo CEO, said “We have an exceptionally talented team in place, and the product is ready. The continuing support from Caixa Capital, Sonae IM, and Dueto is giving us the platform for a careful but rapid global expansion. We now have clients in Australia, China, the US, Panama, and all across Europe. With this Series A now secured, we will continue to grow both the product and the footprint, at pace”.
Stephan Morais, Executive Board Member of Caixa Capital, said “We are excited about Movvo, one of the leading Portuguese startups. We were the first investor to step in after a pre-acceleration program, backing Roberto, Suzy and Diana, the founders, since early 2011. Since then, it was possible to develop and test a technology from scratch, and create an outstanding product. We are confident that this talented team will position Movvo as a dominant game changer in the location analytics space.”
Eduardo Piedade, Executive Board Member of Sonae, said “Our investment in location analytics pioneer Movvo is part of our strategy of building world class tech-based companies. In the last couple of years, we have been contributing with our business expertise and industry networking to develop a killer product and gain important customers at Movvo. We are convinced that the team has all necessary ingredients to take Movvo to the next level and become a leading player in the global arena”.


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The Comdex Show's New Showman He Keeps Going And Going:
On Feb. 14, Japan's Masayoshi Son picked up another trophy. The 37-year-old billionaire entrepreneur, president of high-tech publisher Softbank, agreed to buy the annual Comdex computer show and 16 smaller ones for $800 million from Interface Group. Last fall, Son paid $202 million for the trade-show unit of Ziff-Davis Publishing after a failed $1.6 billion bid for the whole company. Son made his fortune selling Japanese-language PC magazines and software packages to his information-hungry country. But he's eager to play a bigger role in the U.S. computer market.


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The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to digitize the payment process for salaries and payments of government employees through Raast instant payments system.
As reported by Mashable Pakistan, the central bank has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Controller General of Accounts Pakistan (CGAP). In the first phase of the digitalization process, the salaries and pensions of a group of Federal Government employees will be transferred via Raast.
As per the press release, “The payroll and pension-roll data will be shared from the CGAP’s system to SBP’s Raast through a highly secured interface, and payments to the beneficiaries’ accounts will be made instantly after validating the beneficiaries’ detail.”
The central bank said that to ensure that the payments are credited to the right person, Raast will verify “beneficiaries’ details with their banks on real time basis”.
The payment will only be transferred to the beneficiary’s account after the success of verification process, said SBP.
“After the pilot run, the facility will be rolled out to cover all the salaries, pension as well as supplier payments of the federal and provincial governments,” read the press release.
The digitalization process will ease the pension receiving process of the people as they don’t have to endure long waiting times at banks to cash their benefits cheques.
The central bank said that it is also working to “use the powerful capacities of Raast to include payments of social security nets such as the Ehsaas Program, BISP and other government entities”.
Raast is Pakistan’s first instant payment system that will enable instant payments process among individuals, businesses, and government entities. It provides a simple, fast, low-cost, interoperable and secure electronic payment platform for instant processing of high volume retail payments.
The digital system can also make payments to multiple beneficiaries at a time to cater to high volume government payments like salaries, pension and social security payments.


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A 'last resort' measure
- Delhi extended its lockdown as a "last resort" measure put in place to arrest the alarming spread of Covid-19.
Delhi creates oxygen portal; seeks help from industries
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said the govt has developed a portalwhere stakeholders in the supply chain of oxygen will have to feed real-time updates on consumption, stock ,arrival and departure of tankers,etc. even as he wrote to India's top industrialists seeking their help in addressing the shortage.
Kejriwal said, "The situation is concerning..In the light of the current situation, we have decided to increase the lockdown by another week. The lockdown now applies till 5am next Monday."


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Yesterday, July 4th, at 10:59am via its Facebook page, Jeannine's Gourmet Food Hall at The Shoppes at Westlake Village announced is is now closed and to visit their Santa Barbara locations. jeannines.com
Jeannine's originally opened on Sunday, October 12, 2014, so it didn't quite make it to the three year mark.
Additionally, the Oh! Matsuri Japanese Kitchen co-located at the same location announced that it is "temporarily" closed and is looking for a new location nearby.


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The list of best four-cylinder sports cars for 2012 contains a number of choices. Until recently however, the amount of cars powered by a 4-cylinder engine was low.
With the advent of combining direct fuel injection and turbocharging, many manufacturers are revisiting the four-cylinder engine. Building engines with this configuration enables combining the potential output of a normally aspirated six-cylinder powerplant with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder mill.
This bodes well for sports cars for yet another reason—weight reduction. Those four-cylinder turbo engines are almost always lighter than their six-cylinder counterparts. This enables the four-cylinder sports cars to exhibit more agility since they carry less weight in their noses (all of the cars on the list are front-engine models).
That high-end automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have warmly embraced this strategy bodes well for the coming years. With such dynamic results from their first efforts in this regard, the future can only be brighter for the four-cylinder sports car.


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Foremost e-commerce giant, Konga has unveiled massive discounts and sweet deals for its annual Back-to-School campaign. The Konga Back-to-School promotion this year runs from Monday, August 26 till…
Jumia is currently involved in some issues which are threatening its corporate existence. The company is facing class-action lawsuits in the United States as a member of its staff is engaged in fraud…
Amazon has opened its biggest office building in the world in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
Google, Mozilla, and Apple have blocked an encryption certificate issued by the Kazakhstan government, which citizens were asked to install on their browsers and that critics said enabled the…
Facebook Inc said on Thursday it had shut 216 social media pages, groups and accounts in Myanmar, some tied to the army, to stymie efforts to “manipulate or corrupt public debate”.
Audi is set to join an alliance with rivals Daimler and BMW to develop advanced driving assistance systems, German weekly Wirtschaftswoche said on Thursday.
Below are key facts on Guinness Plc.
The days of Spiderman on Marvel Cinematic Universe may be over as Disney’s owned Marvel Studios has ended its partnership deal with Sony Pictures.
Twitter announced Wednesday that it has agreed to meet with representatives of Manchester United over the club's midfielder, Paul Pogba's abuse.
Deutsche Post DHL, will no longer deliver Amazon Fresh's products in Germany as demand for the service launched in 2017 has been disappointing, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.


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While yesterday, we saw most of the news coming out of Google I/O, today is a bit of a slower day and we mostly just have some sessions. And Google's ATAP team – the team they kept from Motorola when they sold Motorola to Lenovo – has already done some cool stuff. These are the same guys behind Project Ara. Project Tango has already done some pretty cool stuff with their 3D features, including being sent to space with some astronauts to do stuff. Regina Dugan from the Google ATAP team stated in a talk today at Google I/O that the retail version should be hitting sometime next year and that it will be made by LG. LG gets to make all the Google goodies huh?
So far, there's no word on what specs we might seeing, or even a date. Never mind the pricing of the Project Tango tablet. There's already an NVIDIA tablet for Project Tango which is definitely not cheap. It's priced at $1024 and has some beefy specs as well. Including a Tegra K1 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 7-inch display. Although the display is pretty mediocre actually. I'm not sure who, besides developers, would want to buy a Project Tango tablet anyways, but it should be hitting retailers next year.
Pretty interesting to see that LG is building the Project Tango tablet. They've built lots of goodies for Google lately. Including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, LG G Watch, and now it looks like the Project Tango tablet. Maybe we also see a Nexus tablet from LG soon? Would be awesome to have both HTC and LG Nexus tablets come out this year. How many of you are interested in a Project Tango tablet? Let us know in the comments down below.


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We have more leaks to report on the upcoming (not yet confirmed) Google Pixel Fold, the first foldable phone from Google: apparently the device will be called PixelNotepad and it will be priced lower than some of the premium foldable phones already on the market.
This is according to sources contacted by 9to5Google, who say that Notepad is a “job brand” for whatever device it ends up being. It seems that another name that was being considered was Logbook.
9to5Google goes on to qualify the leak by saying that “plans can always change before the product announcement”, so the Pixel Notepad may not end up being the final name used.
In recent years, Google has kept the naming strategy simple with its smartphones, leading to last year’s Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro.
The price is ok, this would cost the first Google foldable
As for the price of this rumored foldable smartphone from Google, the same sources report that the Pixel Notepad will be priced lower than a Samsung Galaxy ZFold 3, which costs $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 for the cheapest model.
It’s a universally recognized truth that foldable phone technology isn’t cheap to make, so it’s somewhat surprising to learn that Google could hit such a relatively low price with its first entry into the category (although this is all unconfirmed speculation by time, of course).
Availability could also be an issue, according to the report; see also the global chip shortage and the Google Pixel 5a, which only went on sale in USA Y Japan. We may see the flip cover officially broken at some point later this year.
In AmericanPost.News We will follow the latest news from Google like that it will modify its “cookies” policy after receiving a fine in France.
Follow us on Google News, Facebook and Twitter to stay informed.


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Date posted : April 20. 2017
Automobili Lamborghini celebrated its latest Super Sports Car, the Huracán Performante, with an exclusive reception in New York City, coinciding with the media preview at the New York International Auto Show.
An unveiling of the Huracán Performante, which recently broke the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife track record for a production car (6:52.01), took place at an invitation-only event in the "Made in Italy" style atmosphere of Canoe Studios, overlooking the Hudson river in Chelsea, NY.
"Tonight, we are in the heart of New York City to bring a taste of Italy and unveil our latest automotive creation," said Federico Foschini, Commercial Director, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. "The Performante is a proud achievement of new aerodynamics; this vehicle is literally 'sculpted by the wind.'"
Text © Automobili Lamborghini SpA - www.lamborghini.com
Printed from www.lambocars.com/lambonews/huracan_performante_shown_in_the_us_for_the_first_time.html on January 19. 2021


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Carrie Lam urges Hong Kong to seize opportunities from new Qianhai, Hengqin development plans
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Monday urged various sectors in Hong Kong to seize the opportunities from new plans concerning Qianhai and Hengqin and push forward the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
China's central authorities have issued two new plans to further develop a cooperation zone in Shenzhen and Hong Kong and build a Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin.
The promulgation of the Qianhai plan will foster Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation at a higher level under which the two cities can serve as "dual engines" to drive development in the Greater Bay Area, Lam said.
The plan will enrich the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems," deepen reform and expand the scope of opening-up, and enhance the level of cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, she said.
Not only does the plan give full play to Hong Kong's long-held advantages in high-end professional services and elevate the function of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, but it also promotes long-term development for Hong Kong professional services, Lam said.
Hong Kong will capitalize on its own advantages to assist in promoting the full liberalization of trade in services in Qianhai, greater mutual access of the financial markets and a higher level of opening-up in legal matters, thereby expanding the room for development for professionals in different sectors and enterprises in Hong Kong, Lam said.
Lam also said the Hengqin plan will create favorable conditions for the diversified development of Macao and Hong Kong's business and professional sectors will also feel excited about this development.
'The biggest opportunity for Hong Kong lies in the mainland'
The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said Monday that the Qianhai plan will enrich the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" and offer Hong Kong, which has returned from chaos to stability and is marching toward greater prosperity, a broader arena of development.
The plan will deepen Shenzhen-Hong Kong services cooperation and bolster Hong Kong's economic and social development, a spokesperson of the liaison office said in a statement, stressing that the central government always supports Hong Kong in developing its economy and improving people's livelihood and has rolled out a series of favorable policies for the global financial hub.
The new blueprint emphasizes bringing Hong Kong's traditional advantages of high-end professional services into full play and will deepen opening-up in areas, such as services trade and finance and legal affairs, in the zone, offering huge opportunities for Hong Kong's professionals and enterprises and helping Hong Kong to further integrate into the "domestic circulation" and "dual circulation" development, the spokesperson said.
The biggest opportunity for Hong Kong lies in the mainland, the spokesperson noted. The broad markets and abundant resources of the mainland are the golden keys for Hong Kong to break its development bottleneck, and Hong Kong will be able to give full play to its unique advantages and have a stronger impetus to integrate into the national development, the spokesperson said.
(With input from Xinhua)
(Cover: A view of the OCT Harbor near Qianhai in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. /CFP)


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Catering giant Compass serves up a tasty dividend hike thanks to strong demand in North America
Compass treated investors to a huge dividend hike after strong demand in North America helped boost sales.
The catering giant, which provides food for the Wimbledon tennis championships as well as at the headquarters of Google and Twitter, said performance in North America 'continued to be excellent' after sales were boosted by contracts with schools and universities.
As a result, the company proposed a final dividend of 31.7p a share – a 7.8 per cent boost from the 29.4p it had pledged a year before.
Sales for the year ended September 30 were up 5 per cent to £19.9billion while profits grew 5.6 per cent to £1.44billion.
But its UK business was hampered by contract losses and a lack of major sporting events.
Shares fell 4.7 per cent, or 65p to 1326p after full-year results were below analyst expectations.
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USAA accuses Maryland company of riding ‘coattails’
Published 3:08 pm, Wednesday, August 23, 2017
USAA is suing a Maryland VA lender, accusing it of riding the San Antonio financial services firm’s “coattails” and deceiving the public into thinking the companies are similar by copying USAA’s national advertising campaigns.
USAA also says New Day Financial, which does business as NewDay USA, has infringed on USAA’s slogan — “We know what it means to serve” — with “We understand what it means to serve.” USAA received a copyright registration for its slogan in 2011, but says it has been using it since at least 1999.
The similarities in advertising campaigns and taglines are misleading consumers and causing confusion in the market, USAA says in its suit filed earlier this month in federal court in San Antonio
USAA has sued NewDay for copyright and trademark infringement and unfair competition. USAA seeks a court order preventing NewDay from copying USAA’s ads or engaging in acts that will give the faulty impression that the two firms are related.
USAA also wants unspecified financial damages and NewDay’s profits from the alleged infringement of the USAA slogan.
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“NewDay’s mission is to help Veterans purchase homes and get them the money they need for their families,” executive chairman Thomas C. Lynch said in an emailed statement. “NewDay respects the valid intellectual property rights of its competitors for veteran loan services, including USAA. NewDay did not engage in any improper copying and intends to vigorously defend the advertising concepts it has used since 2013 against USAA’s meritless allegations.”
Roger Wildermuth, a USAA spokesman, had no comment on the suit.
To read the full story, click here on ExpressNews.com or turn to Thursday’s Business section.


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Save the Rhino Trust gets boost from Auas Valley Shopping Mall initiative
The Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) this week received a donation of N$30,820 which was raised by through Auas shopping Mall’s management initiative.
The money was raised through a Row-for-a-Rhino competition at Auas Valley Shopping Mall’s late night’s shopping event which was held late last month.
“Fifteen teams from different companies entered the competition, where volunteers had to row on exercise machines to raise money for the Trust. Auas Valley Shopping Mall sponsored N$ 50 for every kilometer that was rowed,”said Elvira Hattingh.
Teams that participated in the competition included the SCE Consulting Engineers, Classic Car Rental, Crossfit Plus 264, BA Mining cc, RMB Namibia, HOG Namibia Windhoek, HOG Namibia Tsumeb, Excel Nutrition Africa, Taeuber & Corssen Namibia, Pick ‘n Pay Auas Valley, Melanie- Fitness & Nutrition Agra enrolled and the Agra executive management.
“This year, the Save the Rhino Trust celebrated its 35th year of existence. It has taken a lot of hard work in a tough environment to survive often challenging times. From the point of near extinction, the rhino population has rebounded,” Hannelie Turner, PR and Fundraising Manager at SRT said at the handover.
“The Trust has had great success in reducing poaching within the Kunene region and has seen this region’s rhino population triple since its inception. However, we could not have done this without initiatives such as this one organized by Auas Valley Shopping Mall,” she added.
Meanwhile, the donation will be used to upgrade SRT’s field radio system as communication is keyin their monitoring and security operations.


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Rob Alvarez on Official US PlayStation Blog:
"Great news BUZZ! fans!
We're going to launch a brand new space in PlayStation Home called BUZZ! HQ, where players can chat and meet up with other trivia fans in a new lobby area or take part in a massive 64-player BUZZ! trivia showdown!"


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Beauty products under the Etude House and Aritaum brands were found to contain dangerous levels of the substance antimony
Amorepacific has apologised after some of its beauty products were recalled over fears of unsafe levels of the metal antimony.
The products, mostly distributed in Korea but also in Singapore, include Etude House and Aritaum branded concealers and eyebrow pencils.
Manufactured by an Amorepacific subcontractor, Hwasung Cosmetics, the products were pulled from shelves and sales suspended over fears of health risks to consumers.
"As a manufacturer and distributor, we should have paid full attention to ensure quality control of all products sold," Amorepacific said in a statement. "We are very sorry for causing inconveniences.
"We will make every effort possible to minimise any further inconveniences in the process of retrieving the products."
The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that 13 cosmetics products – six sold by Amorepacific – had been found to contain over the permissible amount of antimony.
The other companies with products recalled included 3CE, Makeheal, Black Monster, Skeda, Skinfood and XTM.
Levels in the offending products ranged from 10.1ppm to 14.3ppm, with the legally-allowed limit being 10ppm.
Antimony is a metal that can have a toxic effect if ingested or inhaled, while it can cause skin irritation.
Amorepacific shares took a knock following the news of the recalls, falling 5.7% on Tuesday, shortly after the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announcement.
Earlier this month, Amorepacific entered the Australian market with its premium brand Laneige, selling through its first Australian partner Sephora.


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LISA DAVID OLSON CHATS NEW BOOK: FROM THE SPOTLIGHT TO REAL LIFE
Written by Ballzer on November 14, 2023
Local author Lisa David Olson has a new book coming out, From the Spotlight to Real Life: Tips from the stage to reignite teams and spark communication skills. Pre-order on Amazon HERE!
Lisa recently spoke at her 3rd TEDx and this latest book is about her decades of performing and speaking, and how the skills enhance real life conversations, as well as speaking tips, adding humor to writing, and a quiz to find out if you’re funny.
We caught up with the busy author and humorist to see what we’ll gain from her latest book:
The book launch event will be on small business Saturday, Nov 25, at The Pump House in downtown La Crosse from 2-4 p.m.
The Heart of La Crosse comedy troupe, which also includes me ;), will have a pop-up improv performance at the book launch around 3 p.m. plus, Lisa says there will be snackies!
Lisa also has a brand new card deck game called Dare Zone.


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Documents that need to be disposed of from offices are often worth much more than the paper they’re printed on.
This is particularly the case if these pieces of paper contain personal information belonging to individuals. If your business utilises personal details there is a responsibility not just to store this data safely, but also to dispose of it in the right way.
The new EU Data Protection Bill updates the existing EU Data Protection Directive 95/46 dramatically, putting all of the responsibility onto companies and organisations to manage, prevent and report any security breaches of personal data.
One of the most important potential new requirements is the provision of a dedicated employee to manage data protection regulation. Shredding any documents containing sensitive information used to be sufficient, but in the internet age we all have to be far more careful when disposing of data.
Why? Well, you’ll be facing a huge fine if you’re not. The new bill is worded to force organisations to take real responsibility for how they handle individuals’ data, and it threatens fines of up to one million euros or two percent of a companies’ global turnover if anyone tries to shirk the regulations.
The good news is that there are many kinds of archive storage services available to small and medium-sized businesses that are cost effective and easy to use.
However in the case of a breach of security, there’s no need to panic unduly about being landed with a huge fine. The most important thing is to report the breach to your relevant Data Protection Authority within 24 hours. Doing this will signal that you are organised and responsible business.
Despite what it may seem, the EU is not trying to further complicate how companies can dispose of information. Instead, it is standardizing the rules across EU countries and globally for anyone doing business with member states, so that there will be just one set of guidelines to adhere to.
It will take up to two years for the new legislation to come into effect, but be prepared for when it does – the fines are priced to ensure all sizes of business will be encouraged to play by the rules.
So when it comes to getting rid of old data, or any printed matter, go ahead and stick to that shredder – just make sure you dispose of any information held online responsibly too.


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After months of stalemate, Congress finally passed a bill to purportedly aid Americans struggling to survive the coronavirus lockdown-inflicted economic crisis — but that’s not all.
The more than 5,000 page bill that passed on Monday would make it a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison to stream digital entertainment illegally, Breitbart reported.
The $900 billion coronavirus stimulus was packaged together with a last-minute spending deal to keep the government funded through 2021, resulting in a massive $2.3 trillion bill.
The nearly 6,000 page bill, which offers $600 stimulus checks rather than the $1,200 from the CARES Act, has been slammed by critics as a meager lifeline for Americans struggling to stay afloat, and a give-away to special interests.
As Breitbart noted, one of those interests seems to be Hollywood, which received an early Christmas present in the form of a provision to make illegal, for-profit streaming a felony punishable by up to 10 years in jail. The provision, called the Protect Lawful Streaming Act, is the brainchild of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
The bill targets for-profit, “large-scale criminal streaming services” and will not affect users who may pirate content, according to Tillis. “Individuals who might use pirate streaming services will not be affected,” a press release said.
“The law will not sweep in normal practices by online service providers, good faith business disputes, noncommercial activities, or in any way impact individuals who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works,” he added.
COVID bill takes fire
A number of senators who supported the bill touted its “narrow” and “targeted” approach, saying it would save the economy $30 billion a year without interfering with users.
The Motion Picture Association of America hailed the bill, which also includes a tax deduction for film and TV production companies, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise on coronavirus relief after months of negotiations, with both parties agreeing to drop intractable disagreements on liability protections for businesses and state and local government funding. In addition to $600 stimulus checks, the bill includes a $300 boost to unemployment per week and aid for small businesses.
The sprawling $2.3 trillion bill has also been criticized for its length, the hurried manner of its passage and the inclusion of seemingly unrelated material.


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The Maharashtra Government has decided to supply milk powder manufactured from additional milk stock during COVID times. This will be distributed to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the Amrut Aahar scheme. The government intend to establish nutritional security in the state by supplying milk powder to these special groups.
Around 6.51 lakh children and 1.21 lakh pregnant women in the Maharashtra state will be the beneficiary under this scheme. The scheme will be implemented for a year at the cost of Rs 121 crore. The manufacturing cost of the milk powder is over Rs 246 per kg, it was stated.
Milk powder contains 34 per cent protein, which is essential for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Also read Supply of milk powder to children in Karnataka under Ksheer Bhagya Scheme interrupted due to resource crunch
Conversion of milk during the lockdown period
The state government procured 5.94 crore litre milk from farmers during the lockdown period till 27th July. It was converted into over 4,927 metric tonne of milk powder and 2,575 metric tonne butter.
This announcement will help in clearing up the stocks which got built up in the state during the lockdown period. However this announcement has not covered any benefit for the dairy farmers in their milk procurement prices. Also read Dairy farmers demand Rs10/liter Milk subsidy directly to their Bank accounts
There is no mention of the demanded export subsidy on milk powders . The state has around 60-70000 MT of stocks of SMP alone apart from Butter and ghee. The farmers in the state have been staging agitation against low milk prices of Rs18-20 per liter since July 21st. All opposition parties have joined together to take this agitation further from Aug 1st onwards.


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To security professionals in the financial services industry, every new data breach—with the high-profile coverage it generates—must seem like another knife in the back. All those resources dedicated to the area, all that time spent securing the infrastructure, never seem to be enough. Despite all the effort, some anonymous hackers somewhere are able to brazenly infiltrate the system and steal the account information of potentially millions of holiday shoppers. The Grinch was never this bad.
With the most recent debacle, the company squarely taking the hit in the court of public opinion is Target. But of course, it’s not just the retailer that’s going to suffer. The most recent information we have is that between November 27 and December 15, all consumers who swiped their credit cards at a Target store in the U.S.—perhaps as many as 40 million—had their information compromised. That includes names, both debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and even the three-digit security codes on the back. As hacks go, this one is big, and of course it took more than just some petty thieves to get the job done. Reports indicate that a sophisticated network of cyber criminals coordinated their activities to uncover the treasure trove of private information. While no one can be sure how big the ne6twork is, it seems their haul could be in the hundreds of millions. As a result, it will end up affecting not just Target and its customers but also the credit card providers, IT companies and industry security specialists.
But there are other repercussions too. While the industry has every right to be proud of the progress made in the adoption of many new technologies, each bringing about major changes in user behavior, the painful truth is that we could be doing much better. One big reason why we haven’t is security, and each high-profile data breach like this one sets back the conversation.
Take mobile banking. The speed with which this field has progressed is nothing short of astonishing—it’s gone from fantasy outlier to mainstream adoption virtually overnight, with thousands of custom apps emerging and finding an audience in record time. But most of the action is on the consumer side; corporations are still taking it slow.
We all know how mobile capabilities have obliterated the line with between personal and business data—sensitive information now resides next to video games and personal calendars on every knowledge worker’s phone and tablet. But with banking, it’s a different story. To be sure, there are other many factors to consider. For example, the average CFO has a lot more information to deal with than the average user, and the tiny screens we love on our smartphones can be a problem.
Yet the biggest issue by far is security. New research from Capital One shines a spotlight on this unfortunate issue. In its survey of financial services professionals, only a small number of the firms those firms that haven’t yet implemented corporate mobile banking plan to do so anytime soon. Fully 66% cited security challenges as the main concern.
On a very different but unrelated front, news emerged recently that the two-factor authentication feature designed to protect online bank accounts has been greatly compromised. The practice, which entails sending an SMS message with a code that quickly expires, has been threatened by new malicious software for Android devices. In fact, there are already numerous malware suites to defeat one-time passcodes, and experts urge institutions and individuals alike not to rely on them.
On the face of it, swiping a credit card while buying a Christmas gift, implementing mobile banking at large corporations and getting a test message with a code don’t have much to do with each other. But underlying each technological advance and the behavioral change it induces is the need for security.
The reality is that people will continue to use credit cards while shopping, just as corporations will inevitably overcome their justifiable skittishness and implement mobile banking—the benefits are just too great. But how fast those practices evolve depends on how secure we can make them. Looking ahead to 2014, it would be nice to end the year without having the Christmas spirit spoiled by concerns about financial information being compromised.
*Image courtesy of digitalart – FreeDigitalPhotos.net