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McClay is new CEO of BCI
The Better Cotton Initiative Council has appointed to serve as the new CEO of BCI, with effect from September 28. McClay replaces Patrick Laine who is retiring, but will continue to manage specific BCI projects during a transition period.
BCI joins ICA
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has become a member of the International Cotton Association (ICA). It now joins Supima, the Bangladesh Cotton Association, the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers, the Spinners & Weavers Association of Korea, the Australian Cotton Shippers Association and Turkey´s IPUD, who have all signed up to ICA membership and safe trading.
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Rocket sells Foodora to Delivery Hero
After the food ordering website Delivery Hero started working on its own food delivery service called Urban Taste, it now bought Foodora, a competitor of Deliveroo. The food delivery startups mentioned above all work with restaurants that don’t have their own delivery service. Buying Foodora from Rocket Internet only makes sense: Though it launched just last year, it is already active in 15 countries.
Details of the remain undisclosed.
HelloFresh raises €75 million round
Berlin-based meal kid service HelloFresh raises a €75 million round which leads to a €2.6 billion valuation. The startup was founded in 2011 and is preparing for an IPO, probably later this year. The investment comes from the Scottish investment company Baillie Gifford.
Rocket Internet and Delivery Hero invest in Qipqup
UK-based on-demand delivery service Qipqup announces a “multi million pound” Series A investment from Berlin-based take-out delivery service Delivery Hero and Rocket Internet, who partly owns Delivery Hero. Qipqup has a similar concept to e.g. Deliveroo: It brings customers what they want from places that don’t offer their own delivery service. However, the startup points out it is not limited to food delivery.
Splicky gets acquired by Goldbach
Berlin-based mobile AdTech platform Splicky sells 85% of its company shares to Zurich-based marketer Goldbach Group. The team of 17 people will continue work under its old lead Sven Ruppert, Bredon Mausolf and Roman Brunnemann. Other details of the deal remain disclosed.
[Reuters], [Gründerszene] (German)
Moviepilot raises $16 million round
Berlin-based film portal Moviepilot has announced its Series B round. The $16 million deal is lead by the French publishing house Webedia. Last year, the company had already acquired the German Moviepilot business (at that time for €15 million). Existing investors joined the round. The investment will be used to grow gaming content on the platform.
Springlane raises €11 million
Dusseldorf-based kitchen supply online retailer Springlane has investment news to share: €11 million came from two Italian fonds: Ad4Venture and Ihaca – both related to the Berlusconi family. Springlane sells pretty much anything you need in the kitchen: from cups and plates, to pots and pans, to wine and champagne. The investment will be used to expand the business.
Gamewheel raises six-digit amount
Berlin-based SaaS startup Gamewheel announces a six-digit amount investment. Gamewheel was founded 2014 and aims to let brands use games in their mobile marketing. After having joined Seedcamp in the beginning of this year, the startup now found Crown Ocean Capital as their lead investor for this round. Details of the deals stayed disclosed.
4tree gets acquired
Muenster-based big data analyst and consultant 4tree got acquired by Periscope™, a McKinsey Solution, focusing on price, promotion, and assortment optimization. The startup focuses on big data on fast moving consumer goods and B2B industries. Financial details on the deal have not been shared. However, the team of 18 people will continue working from Muenster, where they started the business in 2010.
Wohlheit expands to China
After windeln.de announced its large success in China, WohlHeit, an online shop for toys, care-, health-, beauty and diet products, wants to enter the market, deutsche-startups reported. However, until now, it seems WohlHeit only ships to China.
Image: Some rights reserved by Georgie Pauwels

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The gates of the smartwathes are open and almost every big smartphone maker showed some models. Even Apple stop its traditions and join the new hot niche with its new wearable device. But we have no official word from HTC. The Taiwanese electronic producer has some initial plans to offer such device and not long time ago there was information which said that the project is scrapped. The reason – there is a believe in the company that it will not be competitive enough in this category.
Nevertheless HTC is still working on its own smartwatch. The ambition of the company is to make a device which will stand out from the crowd. The rumor is that HTC’s smartwatch will be ready for the early 2015. The company announced an event at 8th of October in New York, but it will not show the new device. At least this is the unofficial information, HTC didn’t comment to the cnet.com‘s questions for this topic.
This rumor has a very high plausibility because HTC had some previous ambitions to make a smartwatch. And now like everyone in the mobile industry is making such devices, there is very big possibility that it will lost the big wave. If it come later there will be small or no chance to get in the market at all. There are already such fears for the Apple Watch – because it will come at 2015 and in the market will have the third generation of smartwatches. HTC needs to stay in the mobile battle and to do this it will need at least one smarthwatch to match the competition. There are two problems – first almost everyone will have such devices at the market next year, second if this category doesn’t catch consumers heart it will be waste of money. And HTC is in no position to waste money right now.
Image Credit: Kārlis Dambrāns


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South African investor Morne Deetlefs, the founder of local fast food enterprise Big Square, has left the company to establish another business in Ghana nine years after establishing the eatery.
According to a news report by the Business Daily, Mr. Deetlefs left the company under yet to be established circumstances with insiders privy to the deal citing boardroom wars and conflict of interest with the eatery’s board as reasons behind his decision to leave.
“Mr Deetlefs has decided to step down from the business and he is now establishing new business in Ghana. He is no longer on the normal day to day operations of the business,” Mr Sebastian McKinlay Managing Director (MD) at Big Square is quoted as saying by the Business Daily.
The Big Square MD similarly revealed that Mr. Deetlefs agreed to leave the company after receiving a favourable compensation package from the restaurant chain. Despite his exit, Mr. Deetlefs will “remain a director” at the company. Prior to his exit, Mr. Deetlefs ran operations at the company alongside Joram Gatei, South-African based private equity fund Uqalo that recently invested Sh404 million into the business and a Zimbabwean national.
Big Square has been on an aggressive local expansion spree in recent months with the eatery opening its thirteenth outlet at Mountain Estate in Nairobi last month. The eatery partnered with oil marketer Vivo Energy to set up the eatery which will be located at its Shell Service Station in the area. The eatery is similarly eyeing new African markets tofurther expand its regional footprint.
“The new restaurant outlet will provide both motorists and shoppers the opportunity to experience their array of delicious and authentic home-made meals in relaxed environment in the Mountain View area,” said Big Square in a statement then.
ALSO READ: Big Square to launch second CBD outlet


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Top 5: Nokia Phones Coming Soon to India
1. Nokia XL
Looks like Nokia will soon go on a phone launching spree in India with a lot of devices set to be son launched.
Nokia dabbled into Android with the launch of Nokia X OS and while Nokia X was launched in India, Nokia XL based on Android is yet to see light of the day. Nokia XL is a dual-SIM device and runs on Android Jelly Bean coupled with Microsoft Windows OS. The phone comes with a 5-inch display, dual core processor, 4GB internal memory, 768 MB RAM and a 5MP rear end camera. The phone will be a mid-range device and is expected to release in the second quarter this year.
2. Nokia X+
Along with Nokia XL< Nokia also plans to launch Nokia X+, the third phone in the Nokia X series. Nokia X+ also runs on the Jelly Bean platform and comes with a 4-inch display. The phone comes with a dual-core processor, 4GB internal memory and 768MB RAM, the same as Nokia XL. However, the rear end camera is downgraded to 3.15MP and the phone skips the front cam. Nokia X+ will be a mid-ranger device.
3. Nokia 225
It might be the era of smartphones but Nokia has not given up on feature phones yet. Nokia 225 will be a feature phone with keypad and the phone will be an entry-level device. Nokia 225 is a dual-SIM device and comes with a 2.8-inches screen, expandable memory, 2MP rear end camera and 1200 mAh battery.
4. Nokia Lumia 630
Nokia Lumia 630 was unveiled by Nokia at the Microsoft BUILD conference and is a mid-ranger in the Lumia category. The phone comes in the single SIM and dual SIM variants and Nokia will launch the both in India. Nokia Lumia 630 is based on the all new Windows 8.1 platform and comes with a 4.5-inches display with corning gorilla glass 3. Under the hood runs a quad-core processor with 512MB RAM and 8GB internal memory. The phone boasts of a 5MP rear end camera and there's no front cam.
5. Nokia Lumia 930
The latest Lumia flagship, Nokia Lumia 930 is all set to come soon to India. The flagship comes with a 5-inches AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3. The 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory and a quad-core processor make up the internals. The phone stresses on the camera with a 20MP rear end camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a 1.2MP front camera. The phone will be a premium segment device and is expected to launch in June.


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New Blockchain Mainnet Samsung Coin and New TRON Sponsorship
It is being reported that Samsung is planning a new blockchain main net featuring Samsung coin. An exclusive report on Tuesday citing a person quote familiar with Samsung's internal situation said that the company's blockchain task force, part of its wireless division is building a blockchain main net based on ethereum. The work, however, is still at the internal experimental stage. If this is true and from everything I've been reading, this is just in the testing experimental stage right now. This is not confirmed, but when you hear institutions and higher-ups talk about things going on behind the scenes in cryptocurrency.
If Samsung adopted cryptocurrency, one I think this would make complete sense for their brand. They have definitely a huge use case there. But two, Samsung is a South Korean electronics company so they're not held down by any of the USA or Chinese regulations. This would make sense. This is a direct quote, “Currently we are thinking of private blockchain, although it's not confirmed yet. It could also be a public blockchain in the future, but I think there'll be a hybrid. That is a combination of public and private blockchains.” A bit confusing. It sounds like they're toying with the idea of something permissioned. Meaning not totally decentralized. Although they say they could easily change that.
What I take away from this is that right now it is truly an internal experiment on the direction they're going to go with cryptocurrency. When the development of the blockchain is complete, Samsung may also move to launch a Samsung coin token, according to the report. The official said we expect Samsung coin to come out on the market, but the direction has not been decided yet.
Would you buy a Samsung Coin? I might buy a little bit of Samsung coin. Yeah, I have a Samsung. And what would be the use case of a Samsung coin? If the company develops a public blockchain in the future, then a Samsung coin could be traded publicly on cryptocurrency exchanges just like Bitcoin, just like Ethereum. Samsung could also bring blockchain technology to its payment APP, Samsung Pay.
But the move is not yet decided according to the official. It could also be used for gaming in the future on their apps. Because as we know, the S 10 also supports decentralized apps, dApps such as crypto gaming platform engine. What a time to be alive! If any cell phone were to do this, to me it makes total sense. It would be Samsung because two months ago the company made a leap into the blockchain arena. This is already confirmed. Samsung is already doing this. They made a leap into the blockchain arena with the unveiling of its flagship cell phone, the Galaxy S 10 which has the ability to store cryptocurrency, private keys and other features such as support, blockchain based digital signatures.
If they're supporting other cryptocurrencies on their cell phone, why not just create their own? I like it. I want to support it and as new information comes out about Samsung coin, I'm going to keep you updated.
Next piece of news, another TRON partnership. Although I'm going to take issue on the word partnership in this situation. I'll tell you why. Justin Sun tweeted out about 12 hours ago. “Thank you for the unique and innovative invitation, Liverpool. I'm impressed and I'm looking forward to exploring this TRON new partnership together.” Specifically between TRON and the Liverpool football club new partnership.
While this is pretty cool to me, after doing more research, this is clearly just a sponsorship. Now, I haven't read the exact contracts but I think this is just going to be signage and the logos on the Liverpool football games, which is cool. But that's just a sponsorship. I'm sure TRON paid to have their signage up there unless Liverpool is still heavily invested in TRON. The Liverpool football club, and in terms of a use case on how TRON and BitTorrent's token could help Liverpool football club in the future. Moreover, Justin Sun believes TRON and BitTorrent will help Liverpool if they could use their own live streaming options in the near future.
If the football club wants to stream, they can use TRON and BitTorrent network. And this partnership, TRON, and Liverpool are very similar to what we saw with Litecoin and the UFC. When Litecoin became a sponsor of the UFC and they had some signage.


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Investing.com – The Dow fell Wednesday as the recent reprieve in tech appeared to be short-lived, while positive vaccine news and President Donald Trump’s move to ease fears of a second lockdown did little to improve sentiment.
Tech gave up some gains this week, paced by a 3% decline in Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), fell 2%, and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) down 1.7%.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), meanwhile, fell more than 10% even as chief executive officer Elon Musk provided an update on full-year delivery targets. Musk forecast vehicle deliveries to increase by 30-to-40% on last year’s 367,500 vehicles, implying between 477,750 and 514,500, largely in line with a previous estimate to roll out half a million cars this year.
Energy fell about 2%, adding to downside momentum in the broader market despite U.S. oil prices turning positive on data showing crude inventories fell by a less-than-expected 1.639 million barrels last week.
The volatile week for stocks seen so far this week comes as fears over new lockdowns mount amid a resurgence in the coronavirus. Trump, however, said the U.S. would not be implementing a second lockdown.
Against the backdrop of rising infections, drugmakers continued to ramp-up efforts on the vaccine front. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) entered the final stage of clinical trials for its potential single-shot coronavirus vaccine, sending its shares 0.7% higher.
In consumer discretionary, Nike (NYSE:NKE) was the standout performer, rallying 9% after the sportswear giant delivered better-than-expected first-quarter earnings thanks to a surge in online sales. “In all, Nike posted a large Q121 beat as the outlook moves higher & is likely conservative in our view with further upside opportunities,” Wedbush said in a note.
In other news, The Wall Street Journal reported talks between Nikola and its partners to build hydrogen-refueling stations stalled amid allegations from short-seller Hindenburg that it misled investors. Nikola (NASDAQ:NKLA) was down 20%.


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May 14, 2012 |
CHENNAI: As part of efforts to attract more investments in the state, Tamil Nadu government today signed pacts with five automobile majors entailing inflow of at least Rs 5,700 crore that would create 9,530 jobs. The MoUs with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd, India Yamaha Motor Ltd , Ashok Leyland-Nissan Motor Company Ltd , Eicher Motors Ltd and Philips Carbon Black Ltd were signed in the presence of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Making suo motu statement in the Assembly, Jayalalithaa said German luxury car maker Daimler has decided to double the investments proposed in the state.
December 10, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: Expanding its portfolio in the high-end bike segment, Japanese two-wheeler major Yamaha today launched a 998cc motorcycle -- FZ1, in India, priced at Rs 8.7 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The wholly-owned subsidiary of the firm -- India Yamaha Motor -- also introduced a 153cc motorcycle-- SZ-R carrying a price tag of Rs 55,500 (ex-showroom, Delhi). "India is one of the key markets for Yamaha and we have been constantly shifting gears to transform the market from utility to pleasure and lifestyle," India Yamaha Motor CEO and Managing Director Hiroyuki Suzuki said in a statement.
March 2, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: Two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor today reported 48.02 per cent increase in total sales in February at 25,766 units. The company had sold 17,407 units in the same month last year, India Yamaha Motor said in a statement. The domestic sales rose by 17.80 per cent to 16,313 units in February 2010 from 13,848 units in the same month last year, it added. During last month, the company exported 9,453 units as against 3,559 units in the year-ago period, a jump of over two-fold.
March 1, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: Two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor reported a 23.03 per cent increase in its total sales at 40,655 units during February 2012. The company had sold 33,046 units in the same month last year, India Yamaha Motor said in a statement. In the domestic market, the company's sales stood at 27,050 units during the month under review as against 23,384 units in the same month last year, translating into a 15.68 per cent increase. Exports of India Yamaha rose by 40.81 per cent to 13,605 units during the month from 9,662 units in the year-ago period, it added.
August 1, 2011 |
NEW DELHI: Two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor today reported 28.49 per cent increase in its total sales in July at 38,197 units. The company had sold 29,728 units in the same month last year, India Yamaha Motor said in a statement. In the domestic market, the company's sales stood at 29,021 units as against 22,899 units in the same month last year, up 26.73 per cent. Exports of India Yamaha rose by 34.37 per cent to 9,176 units during the month from 6,829 units in the year-ago period, it added.
July 26, 2012 |
MUMBAI: Twenty-seven years after setting up a manufacturing base in India, Yamaha Motor Company will export sports bikes to Japan from India, in what is a first in the history of Indian two-wheeler industry. ET learns India Yamaha Motor , the subsidiary of the Japanese two-wheeler company, will be exporting its first shipment of 300 deluxe motorcycles R15, a 150cc sports bike manufactured at its plant in Surajpur. The idea is to test the product in Japan; if the response is good, the company may even begin exports of another motorcycle, FZ, to its home market.
April 13, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: Japanese two-wheeler major Yamaha on Tuesday launched its new commuter segment motorcycle -YBR 110, in the Indian market, priced at Rs 41,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). "We have been studying the entry level market and wanted to launch a new bike at an affordable price that would give satisfactory mileage... We are confident that we will replicate the success of our premium segment bikes with the launch of all new YBR 110 in entry level space," India Yamaha Motor Chief Executive Officer and MD Yukimine Tsuji said in a statement.
November 17, 2011 |
NEW DELHI: Two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor today said it will expand its production capacity by 4 lakh units next year with an investment of about Rs 50 crore. "We are targeting to increase our production and sales as we are witnessing very good demand for our products. We target to increase the capacity to 10 lakh units per annum from 6 lakh units at present," India Yamaha Motor National Business Head Roy Kurian told PTI. The company will enhance the capacity of its Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh, he added.
April 12, 2011 |
NEW DELHI: Two-wheeler maker Yamaha today said it has tied up with IPL franchise Deccan Chargers (DC) as an official team partner for the ongoing session. "The deal entitles Yamaha the right to be referred as the 'Official Team Partner' status in all its advertising and promotions, including web promotions, right to be mentioned in all official media release by DC, right to unlimited usage of DC name and logo," India Yamaha Motor said in a statement. Yamaha can also use images and signatures of minimum three players of DC, besides getting access to players for two days of promotion and events of the auto maker, it added.
March 3, 2009 |
NEW DELHI: India Yamaha Motor on Tuesday announced the launch of its new bike 'FZ-S' priced at Rs 67,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). "Our strategic intent is to provide customers with stylish variant to suit his fashion statement and personality," IYM Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Y Tsuji said in a statement. The FZ-S, present in the 150cc segment, will be offered in two colours -- Yellow Streak and Silver Tech, the statement said. IYM currently has over 400 dealers and its product portfolio includes MT01, YZF-R1, FZ16, YZF-R15, Gladiator Type SS and RS, Gladiator Graffiti, G5, Alba and Crux.


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China’s biggest LED chip maker Sanan Optoelectronics was removed from the red-flag list of “unverified” entities by the U.S. last week along with other seven Chinese companies.
On April 10th, 2019, the U.S. Commerce Department added 37 Chinese companies and research organizations including Sanan Optoelectronics to a red-flag list of “unverified” entities and warned that companies in the U.S. should be caution when dealing with the listed organizations. After the list came to effect, semiconductor equipment supplier Applied Materials has once stopped business with Sanan, halting deliveries and services to the company, according to a report of Nikkei Asian Review.
The two companies resumed partnership after Sanan agreed that it will not use the equipment on purposes banned by the U.S. trading laws.
The trade dispute between the U.S. and China has come to another turning point after G20 as the two countries reached an agreement to restart trade talks. Trump said that the U.S. will not add tariffs on further US$ 300 billion worth of Chinese import and U.S. technology companies could resume their business with Huawei. However, previous tariffs are still in place, which continues to aggravate overcapacity of LED products in China.


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Adam Richman Weight Lost: 'Man V Food Star' Sheds 60 Pounds (PHOTO)
Sep 16, 2013 04:15 PM EDT | By Dina Exil
"Man v. Food" star Adam Richman has revealed his weight loss success.
The television host, who shot to fame after tackling humongous portions of food in restaurants around America, told People Magazine that he's lost more than 60 pounds since quitting his food series.
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Richman said he had to cut down on white flour and dairy and has started exercising more, but admitted that sticking to his weight loss plans were hard.
"The crew got a bunch of pizzas, and it was all I could smell," Richman said. "It sucked. But I had a Greek yogurt with raw almonds, water and an iced coffee, and I was satisfied."
The TV host is most known for inhaling close to five pounds of stuffed pizza and taking on gluttonous food challenges such as an 8-pound platter of steak and fries covered in mushroom sauce and cheese.
The 39-year-old chef said he has no regrets about appearing on "Man V Food." despite his weight gain.
"Man v. Food was the biggest career-defining opportunity," he said. "I went from anonymity to someone of note with access to amazing eateries."
Richman's series ran from 2008 to 2011. He reportedly kept a journal of all the places he has visited since 1995.
The former actor has appeared on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" as a judge and has also hosted "Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America" an 11-episode series "documented on Richman's nationwide quest to find the best thing since slice bread."
Richman's new show "Fandemonium" airs Sundays on the Travel Channel.
Sugar-sweetened beverages were found to cause tooth decay and affects blood sugar.
Hoards of illegal Shark Fins had been impounded and destroyed by the Trading Standards in one of the most elite Chinese restaurant in London. Confiscation of the illegal shark fins comes after its restaurant manager admitted selling shark fins and other exotic dishes not indicated in its menu in January.
Robot Chef, the sophisticated invention of London-based Company, Moley Robotics has launched a sample robot that can literally make a total of 2,000 dishes. Robo Chef was unveiled this week during Hannover Messe trade fair that was held in Germany by demonstrating tasty crab bisque.
Just today, February 25, 2015, Yahoo! Food posts the secret weapon ingredients used by Star Chefs to achieve the most palatable dishes at home or in a restaurant. The said website revealed the top 10 magical ingredients that can turn home-cooked meals into top class restaurant tastes.
For those who love to have a nice glass of wine or beer during the weekends - which is just about everyone or almost -, there's a new way to keep the guessing out of the way you choose what to drink: the Next Glass app chooses drinks according to what you love!
U.S. Consumers, Ready To Accept Genetically Modified, Nanotech Products If It Is Healthy And Safe, New Survey Reveals
A national survey done by the North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota representatives suggests that most U.S. consumers are ready to accept genetically modified and nanotech products if it is enhanced with nutrition and are safe.


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Bungie and Activision confirmed the rumors that they are working on a sequel for 2014’s Destiny.
Square Enix released the March 2017 update for Final Fantasy XV featuring refinements to Chapter 13 is available now.
Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed the launch trailer for Dark Souls III The Ringed City DLC.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios released the part three of the Shattered Alliances series videos for Injustice 2.
Square Enix has detailed Final Fantasy XV’s upcoming downloadable content, Episode Gladiolus.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios revealed a new playable character, Cheetah for Injustice 2.
Focus Home Interactive and Deck13 released a new CGI trailer for their upcoming action-RPG, The Surge.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios revealed a new playable character, Firestorm for Injustice 2.
CI Games released the story trailer for their upcoming open world first-person tactical shooter, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3.
Square Enix officially released the trailer for Final Fantasy XV’s upcoming downloadable content, Episode Gladiolus.
Focus Home Interactive & Cyanide Studios’s upcoming stealth video game, Styx: Shards of Darkness is out next week and we’ve got the launch trailer.
Square Enix revealed the Collector’s, Limited and Digital Edition for their upcoming role-playing game, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.


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Samsung is already set to launch its first foldable phone this year but why stop at just one? In typical Samsung fashion, it could have another one in mind. That’s at least based on a patent for yet another foldable phone that puts a small twist to the concept. In addition to folding the opposite way from what Samsung teased late last year, this foldable device seems to be earmarked for gaming, complete with gamepad controls that may actually be too small to be comfortable.
The Galaxy Fold or Galaxy F phone/tablet hybrid that Samsung showed off last month had the larger flexible screen fold inside. It required having a second, more traditional touch screen on the outside to be usable as a phone even when folded.
In contrast, this new patent shows a screen that folds on the outside, making the device useful folded or unfolded. On the one hand, that solves the tricky problem of needing to leave a gap in the fold because screens still can’t fold completely flat. On the other than, that does expose the screen and the folded area to risky damage.
That, however, isn’t what’s special about this patent. That comes from one of the edges of the device, the “bottom” part, that folds up to reveal physical controls, a D-pad on the left side and six buttons on the right. The way the controller edge folds up makes it possible to use them whether in phone or tablet mode.
That said, the patent, which may not even become a real device, raises some questions and concerns. For one, the relative size of the buttons will make them feel cramped when in use. For another, the controller edge folds a section of the screen, which seems not only unnecessary but also risky for the screen’s integrity. While it does seem to be a curious device, Samsung will have to iron out a lot more kinks before such a foldable gaming phone becomes a reality.


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Felix Bräutigam, who joined JLR last November from Porsche as chief marketing officer, becomes chief commercial officer, and will lead a new commercial function covering customer experience, product marketing, market performance, customer service, planning and regional operations.
Global PR communications director Fiona Pargeter is being promoted to the new role of customer experience director, in which she will add marketing communications, experiential marketing and customer insight to her current PR remit.
Global communications director Anthony Bradbury, meanwhile, becomes UK marketing director.
JLR did not comment when asked on what impact the changes will have on global head of advertising Ian Armstrong, who previously reported in to Bradbury – but a spokesman said further changes may be announced in due course.
In his new role, Bradbury will report to new UK regional director Rawdon Glover, who was previously global customer service director.
Finbar McFall continues his position as product marketing director, with an increased remit for new business models.
Bräutigam said: "This restructuring brings key functions together, making us fit for the future and enabling us to delight customers, strengthen our brands, define outstanding products and drive success – success derived from better responding to our customers’ needs that are changing as quickly as the communications landscape is being revolutionised.
"I am certain that these adjustments to the way we do business will better prepare us to face increasing external challenges but also to seize new opportunities as we over-proportionally invest in new products and technologies. In this we are driven by one goal: creating experiences that our customers will love for life."


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H&R Block is operating television commercials during major sports and has now indications at its workplaces promoting a Refund Advance that starts at $500 and goes as much as $3,000. (Picture: Susan Tompor)
Millennials among others who are in search of quick money to pay for getaway bills â€“ in addition to unforeseen vehicle repairs and skyrocketing heating bills â€“ are now being bombarded with television adverts, screen indications as well as other pitches for income tax reimbursement improvements.
Actor Jon Hamm, using bib overalls, laments being stuck after their old vehicle stops working in a Dust Bowl environment within an H&R Block retail.
“There’s surely got to be an approach to get us some cash fast, ” claims Hamm’s character. “If just there is some sort of advance we’re able to can get on our taxation reimbursement. “
The pitch is tempting â€” especially if the retail says as much as $3,000 could possibly be obtainable in an advance. Jackson Hewitt, that has its refund advance item, noted that 43% of millennial taxpayers polled suggested in a recent survey they want to utilize their income tax reimbursement to settle vacation debt, compared to 31per cent of this population that is general.
The reimbursement loan items are fairly brand brand new. Consumers must dig to the details to determine what sort of loan they could exactly expect and what exactly is being offered. Continue reading “What things to realize about tempting reimbursement advance loans”


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Users created over 100 mn pieces of Hindi content in 2019: ShareChat
Other top languages in which UGC was created on the platform - which claims to have over 60 million monthly active users - includes content in Tamil, Telegu, Punjabi and Malayalam.
"Hindi is the top language based on UGC creation on our platform this year. National and regional brands have also started getting attracted and are already driving campaigns on the platform in Hindi language as we are best placed to provide them the desired scale and engagement," ShareChat CBO Sunil Kamath said.
He added that there are an estimated six lakh creators working on Hindi content on the platform.
"Apart from content creation, there is also an extremely high engagement. We saw 1.98 billion WhatsApp shares of Hindi content, and over 100 million hours of short form Hindi videos were played on ShareChat in 2019," Kamath said.
He noted that maximum content posts in Hindi are coming from cities like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jabalpur, Patna and Lucknow.
Kamath pointed out that given this trend, brands are also using Hindi and other vernacular languages to connect and drive unique brand experiences amongst its target audience through micro influencers strategy."Brands are using our platform to connect and interact in native languages with users across the country. We are working with them to craft effective storytelling and drive deeper engagement and experiences that will be closer to the heart of their audiences," he added. SR KPM BAL BAL
(This story has not been edited by Business Insider and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.)
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A man from Windsor has been convicted after he was caught red-handed with stolen goods in a hotel car park in Bracknell.
Daniel Coward, 34, of Haywards Mead, Eton Wick, was found guilty of handling stolen goods and vehicle interference at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Friday, May 4.
He was arrested in December last year when police investigating reports of parked cars break ins saw him shining a torch into cars in a Bracknell hotel car park.
A search of his vehicle revealed stolen goods taken from two other cars which were broken into the same night while parked at an Ascot hotel.
The 34-year-old was given a community order to include 200 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month supervision order with £350 costs on Tuesday, May 22.


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A large study successfully published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has shown that those who consume up to eight cups of coffee daily may have a lower risk of dying young than those who don’t. And how the coffee is brewed or if it’s with or without caffeine doesn’t seem to matter.
On July 2, 2018, WBUR article, nutritionist Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, stated that there are numerous potentially advantageous components in coffee. People often think that caffeine is the substance that offers health benefits, but Giovannucci, who was not involved in the study, said, “It’s possible that some of the most helpful molecules are not the caffeine.”
How the study was conducted
The UK Biobank is a sizable database with information on people’s DNA, health, and lifestyle. This study looked at the sample of almost 13 years of health and nutrition habits of 449,563 people with an average age of 58.
The study looked at data from approximately 500,000 Britons and discovered that the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk of passing away during the 10-year study. When compared to not drinking any, there was a 14% lower risk associated with consuming eight or more cups per day.
The participants were divided into groups according to how often they drank coffee and what type of it. About 100,000 people said that they never drank any. The effects of sex, age, obesity, ethnicity, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, smoking status, obstructive sleep apnoea, and beverage and intoxicant use were all considered during the analysis.
From there, Kistler and colleagues could ascertain the variations in successful breast health outcomes and death from excessive causes between survey participants who drank coffee and non-drinkers.
According to electrophysiologist Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia, “In this large observational study, ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee were associated with equivalent reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular illness and disease from cardiovascular illness Oregon immoderate cause.”
The findings imply that moderate consumption of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be taken into account as part of a consistent lifestyle.
Longevity and your daily cup of joe
There is a smaller chance of all-cause mortality if you consume instant, ground, or decaffeinated coffee. Two or more cups per day increased a person’s likelihood of living longer than those who didn’t.
What may be the cause of this link is unknown to researchers. If the cause is your morning cup of joe, a wide range of possible compounds in it may be responsible.
“Coffee includes more than 100 biologically active ingredients, although caffeine is its most well-known component,” according to Kistler.
The non-caffeinated chemicals are probably to blame for the favorable correlations between coffee consumption, cardiovascular disease, and survival.
Further investigation revealed that your daily java consumption was also associated with the onset of cardiovascular disease, with those who drank two to three cups per day having the lowest risk.
The results for the risk of arrhythmia, or an irregular cardiac rhythm, were slightly different; here, instant and ground coffee, but not decaffeinated, were associated with a lower chance of acquiring the disorder. Once more, it appeared that drinking just a couple of cups per day was the sweet spot.
As several previous pieces of research have demonstrated, coffee interacts with the body in a variety of intricate ways that scientists are still trying to understand. The fact that this study included such a large number of participants and lasted so long only strengthens the connection between its consumption and longevity.
Limitations to the study
Since most of the database records were of Caucasian descent, it was difficult to generalize the results across a population with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Coffee drinking was also self-reported rather than observed, and the database does not show any positive effects due to coffee intake or coffee type over time.
Even though the study does not prove that consuming a lot of coffee lengthens your life, it is still a fascinating relationship that researchers want to explore more. It’s also crucial to compare the results to other research that connected encephalon shrinking and an increased risk of dementia with a regular habit of six Oregon-sized cups of coffee.
For now, it may be time to sip that greeting brew guilt-free: chances are it’s helping you out a lot. According to Kistler‘s research, “consuming small amounts of coffee of all kinds should not be discouraged but should instead be encouraged as a consistent habit.”


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Side by Side 1965 – 2015 Mustang Display. Ford and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum (NIHF) are set to unveil a one-of-a-kind Mustang that marries a 1965 model to a 2015 model in a unique side-by-side display for the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum.
If you love cars you should subscribe now to official YouCar’s channel: http://urlz.fr/lEd
Go! It’s free!
All the Best


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For the last four years, there has been one key subject weaving its way in and out of every part of daily life in the UK: Brexit. Since the first mutterings of a referendum on whether the UK would like to leave the European Union, to the triggering of Article 50, the political landscape has been beset with questions and uncertainty.
The shifting sands have also not been helped by the continuous uncertainty and fallout in UK parliament, with two general elections being held and three different prime ministers in place over the course of three short years.
While the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is holding everyone’s attention currently, Brexit is still quietly rattling on in the background, with the end of the transition period bearing down upon us in December this year. Consequently, while organisations are naturally busy fighting fires caused by the immediate crisis, they must still have their eye on the game with regard to our departure from the EU.
One of the subjects at the forefront of the Brexit debate has, of course, been business and trade. What will happen once the transition period runs out? What will the eventual deal between the UK and EU look like – will there even be one? And if one is forged before the end of the year, what tariffs will be imposed and how will this impact supply chains? All key questions that can generate very different responses depending on the leanings of those you ask.
One thing is certain, however: even as uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak continues, IT and tech businesses will need to adapt again in order to ensure the future viability of their operations in a post-EU UK.
Channel firms have already seen an impact on technology markets such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Research conducted by Gartner found that tech vendors have been grappling with the global political uncertainty throughout 2019 and that’s forecast to continue into 2020. As a result, IT companies have already needed to adapt to vendors increasing their prices.
“There is no doubt the PC landscape is changing,” commented Ranjit Atwal, Senior Research Director at Garter, regarding the firm’s 2017-2023 forecast update. “PC vendors are having to cope with uncertainty from potential tariffs and Brexit disruptions.”
Atwal said that vendors are adjusting pricing to account for the weaker pound and have begun moving away from purchasing models in favour of service income.
“Ultimately, they need to change their business models to one based on annual service income, rather than the peaks and troughs of capital spending,” he said.
Supply chain and equipment issues are of utmost significance to IT firms. Leaving the single market means that certain hardware that passes through borders will also now need to go through extra checks. As Forrester senior analyst Paul McKay noted in January last year, some hardware-based security services will be subject to extra customs controls and origin checks.
"CISOs should review their key suppliers and supply chains to determine whether this is likely to impact them and any in-flight projects,” he advised. “Additional time should then be built into your security program plans to account for some additional delay in deliveries. This is not expected to be a large bump but may delay some delivery deadlines if supply chains start to jam up.”
To minimise post-Brexit hits, channel firms will need to work closely with partners to investigate their supply chain and ensure there are plans in place that can negate price hikes and delays. IT leaders are advised to draw up a game plan tailored to their specific needs and market, accounting for any predicted market changes or fluctuations as the transition phase progresses.
Alongside hardware issues, another key concern for businesses is data flows between the UK and EU, McKay said. Essentially, the UK’s post-Brexit data protection regulations will need to align once the country has left the bloc – but IT companies will need to plan for any potential non-agreement or an extended discussion period.
“We recommend that CISOs and DPOs start looking into alternative means now for guaranteeing the legal basis for their international data flows between the UK and EU,” he said. “This can either be through model clauses or a binding corporate rules program, for example, which are already widely used for transfers outside of the EU.”
On top of that, there’s also the consideration of the workforce, with many IT workers in the UK born overseas. Should Brexit bring about a dramatic reduction in this worker-base, many industry observers believe it will create an even wider skills gap than the one already present in the industry.
No-deal Brexit could still happen
Of course, the spectre of a no-deal Brexit scenario continues to linger. As recently as April 18, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial advisor, Dominic Cummings, ruled out an extension to the transition period, despite talks being severely disrupted by the coronavirus crisis.
Back in September, IT firm Pure Technology Group noted that should a no-deal Brexit occur, the effects on supply and currency exchange “are likely to result in temporary constriction and currency fluctuation”, but added that the IT industry is “not likely to be the worst affected sector”.
According to Deloitte, this no-deal scenario would leave the wider tech sector needing to mitigate effects on data flow, continuity, intellectual property protection, access to talent, as well as access to the digital single market. “The winners will be those in the sector prepared for change and alive to the opportunities,” the professional services firm said.
That preparation should involve the continuous monitoring of key sources, it added, such as government and EU advice, industry bodies, as well as the business’ own workforce. Companies are also advised to conduct a market access review to understand the future trade relationship with the European Union.
“Undertake a regulatory review to understand what changes to the standards or regulatory regime could mean for your products and services where they are delivered, produced and sold” Deloitte advises. “In particular with regards to the transfer of personal data and GDPR.”
Others have predicted some positives, however. Analysis conducted by BNP Paribas and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) in 2019 that looked at the long term impact of Brexit and the UK’s financial recovery, found that up to 2.7 million jobs could be added to the economy by 2038. Of these, almost one million of them will come from the transport, storage and communications industry, the research predicts, driven by the rise of AI, automation, and robotics across all sectors.
While the situation may be incredibly unstable now thanks to coronavirus, companies operating in the IT channel can’t afford to forget about Brexit. They must still take steps to bolster defences against economic uncertainty in the short term and, in the longer term, grow their business in a new economic and political landscape.
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Dan is a freelance writer and regular contributor to ChannelPro, covering the latest news stories across the IT, technology, and channel landscapes. Topics regularly cover cloud technologies, cyber security, software and operating system guides, and the latest mergers and acquisitions.
A journalism graduate from Leeds Beckett University, he combines a passion for the written word with a keen interest in the latest technology and its influence in an increasingly connected world.
He started writing for ChannelPro back in 2016, focusing on a mixture of news and technology guides, before becoming a regular contributor to ITPro. Elsewhere, he has previously written news and features across a range of other topics, including sport, music, and general news.


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Many representatives of growers warn that because retailers are unwilling to pass cost increases on to consumers, or see reduced margins, trust is being lost between suppliers and growers. However, Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium which represents supermarkets, said, “Retailers have long-standing, established relationships with their suppliers and know how important maintaining these are for their customers and businesses. Supermarkets source the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they need to pay a sustainable price to farmers, but they are constrained by how much additional cost they can pass onto consumers during a cost-of-living crisis.”
Another factor is that higher prices in store are already reducing the volume of vegetables being sold. A new market insight report by Veg Power looking at purchases over the Christmas period, found that families on lower incomes reduced their spend on vegetables – and on food generally – and prioritised purchases including alcohol, sweets and treats.
Almost a third of the people surveyed (28%) also agreed that rising energy costs led to less veg consumption, while 20% agreed that veg purchasing was reduced to save money. Another survey by IRI Worldwide showed that this Christmas the basket volume share for vegetables was 7.6% lower than before the pandemic in 2018.


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Messaging app Line hopes to cash in on the popularity of artist-created “stickers” by offering physical merchandise of fan favorites, Line Taiwan Ltd (台灣連線) said yesterday.
The company has invited top sticker creators to start their own online boutiques where fans can take their favorite sticker characters home in the form of hats, pillows, plushy toys and more, the local unit of messaging and communication services supplier Line Corp said.
Although Line is a popular app in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, the most fanatical users are in Taiwan, where there are about 21 million accounts for a population of 23 million people. The average user in Taiwan spends more than an hour per day on the app, the company said.
Photo: Chen Ping-hung, Taipei Times
A big part of the app’s popularity in Taiwan is the sticker store, which features sets of animated messages and emoticons. Stickers have become increasingly sophisticated after the company encouraged artists to create and sell their own sets on its store, it said.
The average Taiwanese user purchases 18 sticker sets per year, more than twice the average in Japan.
In the past year, the number of Taiwanese sticker creators grew from 280,000 to 450,000, and the number of sticker sets grew 84 percent to a whopping 6.7 million, the company said.
The top-selling sticker set in Taiwan for three years running is “The Haughty Smelly Cat — Troll Edition,” featuring a lazy, cynical cat with narcissistic tendencies created by a Taiwanese artist known as “Mochi Dad.”
The top 10 Taiwanese creators have generated, on average, NT$290 million (US$9.8 million) in cumulative sticker sales, the company said.
Line Taiwan yesterday also announced a bevy of upgrades and redesigns for the app, including a new karaoke function, a more personalized home page, and “special effect” stickers that trigger background effects.
Additionally, The Black Cat Knows (黑喵知情), the first Taiwanese idol drama about an animal whisperer, is to debut on Line TV and Formosa TV on Aug. 2, the company said.
Line Taiwan said its traffic volume tripled from January to May this year, likely due to increased communication caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the company said it is eyeing growing business opportunities amid the outbreak.
As an information provider, Line could close the gap between e-commerce platforms and offline retailers by enabling “online merge offline” services.
At the moment, people are looking for as little physical contact as possible when making purchases, Line Taiwan managing director Roger Chen (陳立人) said.
For instance, the Line Spot service launched last year, which helps mobile phone users find nearby stores and promotions, has played an important role in the pandemic, Chen said, adding that the service helped people locate which pharmacies had masks available during the outbreak.
Line Spot has 7.7 million users and 27,000 registered businesses, providing services such as food delivery, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘BIG LOSS’: This year might see the last generation of Huawei’s Kirin chips, as their production would stop next month because they are made using US technology Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co (華為) is running out of processor chips to make smartphones due to US sanctions and would be forced to stop production of its own most advanced chips, a company executive has said, in a sign of growing damage to Huawei’s business from US pressure. Huawei, one of the biggest producers of smartphones and network equipment, is at the center of US-Chinese tension over technology and security. Washington last year cut off Huawei’s access to US components and technology, and those penalties were tightened in May, when the White House barred vendors worldwide from using US
’WHITE BOX’: The open platform would give local firms access to Cisco’s cloud-based mobile network to develop 5G telecom equipment and tap into the global market The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday introduced a new 5G “open lab” in collaboration with US-based information technology and networking giant Cisco Systems Inc to address the rapidly growing “white box” 5G networking equipment market. The open lab will be a platform where Taiwanese manufacturers can access Cisco’s cloud-based mobile network to develop their own 5G telecom equipment, such as small-cell base stations, network switches, modems and Internet of things (IoT) devices, a ministry statement said. The open platform would allow Taiwanese manufacturers to tap into the lucrative 5G telecom equipment market, which was previously monopolized by Nokia Oyj, Ericsson AB
CORPORATE SCANDAL: Cathay Life has invested NT$13.3 billion in Bank Mayapada since 2015, but the latest loss of NT$8.8 billion has completely written off its investment Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) yesterday said it would recognize an investment loss of NT$8.8 billion (US$298.1 million) in Indonesia’s Bank Mayapada Internasional Tbk PT due to concerns about the lender’s operations amid a corporate scandal. The company said it would revise its earnings result for June, from a net profit of NT$6.52 billion to a net loss of NT$520 million, its first monthly loss over the past 17 months. After booking an investment loss of NT$5.2 billion in Bank Mayapada earlier this year, Cathay Life has so far recognized total investment losses of NT$14 billion in the lender, executive vice president
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported that revenue last month expanded 25 percent annually, but fell 12.8 percent month-on-month to NT$105.96 billion (US$3.59 billion). In the first seven months of this year, the chipmaker’s revenue surged 33.6 percent to NT$727.26 billion, compared with NT$544.46 billion a year earlier. TSMC has said it aims to grow its revenue by more than 20 percent this year. The company has since May 15 stopped taking new orders from Huawei Technologies Co (華為), its second-biggest customer after Apple Inc, due to the US’ restrictions on exports containing US technologies. TSMC has no plans to


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All Might, everyone’s favorite superhero, is the latest playable character for My Hero Academia: One’s Justice. While most fans of the anime and manga pretty much knew he would be in this game, it’s always good to get official confirmation. Unfortunately, no release date has been revealed but the game is scheduled for release this year.
The superhero and teacher join Izuku Midoriya, Tomura Shigaraki, and Katsuki Bakugo as part of the game’s roster. All Might was revealed via the latest issue of V-Jump Magazine, so we can expect a gameplay video for the character soon. Hopefully, more details about the fighting game are released since fans want to know about the content that they can partake in.
Considering the number of characters who have appeared in both seasons of My Hero Academia, we can only hope that the game has a big roster. Since the fighter is going for a simple Ultimate Ninja Storm-like combat system, there should be room for plenty of heroes and villains.
My Hero Academia: One’s Justice will be coming out this year for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.


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OnwardMobility to work with Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile
Mobile security business OnwardMobility has announced a deal to produce new Android-powered BlackBerry 5G smartphones in the first half of 2021. The devices will be manufactured by FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn.
Two of the world's communications giants have agreed to merge their UK operations. Liberty Global will combine its Virgin Media UK broadband network with Telefonica's O2 UK mobile business.
The European Commission has blocked the proposed merger of Telefonica UK’s O2 network with Hutchison’s Three.
It said it was concerned that the deal would have harmed innovation, reduced consumer choice and caused prices to rise.
A new report from wireless analyst firm Berg Insight predicts there’ll be 1 billion cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) subscribers by 2022.
It says the number of cellular M2M customers worldwide increased by 23% last year to a total of 265.2 million.
In October, Ofcom revealed more information about its plans to auction the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz radio spectrum it had received from the Ministry of Defence.
It planned to start the auction process in December 2015 but is now delaying this until 2016.


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With the introduction of the iPhone 5 a new smaller dock connector is launching. The new small 9-pin connector replaces the aging 30-pin connector Apple has used so far. A new report on 9to5Mac says that Apple is calling the new port Lightning. This would fit to the new high speed port Apple rolled out of the last months named Thunderbolt.
The name would also suggest that the Lightning Dock Cable would allow for faster data transfer (USB 3.0?).
Luigi Lugmayr Luigi Lugmayr (Google) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years
experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting
world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into
vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at email@example.com.
The “geek mind” is concerned with more than just the latest iPhone rumors, or which company will win the gaming console wars. I4U is concerned with more than just the latest photo shoot or other celebrity gossip.
The “geek mind” is concerned with life, in all its different forms and facets. The geek mind wants to know about societal and financial issues, both abroad and at home. If a Fortune 500 decides to raise their minimum wage, or any high priority news, the geek mind wants to know. The geek mind wants to know the top teams in the National Football League, or who’s likely to win the NBA Finals this coming year. The geek mind wants to know who the hottest new models are, or whether the newest blockbuster movie is worth seeing. The geek mind wants to know. The geek mind wants—needs—knowledge.


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Home Automation Software is not Immune from Security and Privacy Issues
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent testimony in Congress shone a bright light on data privacy issues. In reality, the issues have been there for a long time, and while Facebook is a major player with an enormous amount of personal data, unfortunately, there’s more to worry about.
In this age of the Internet of Things (IoT), there are billions of devices connected to the Internet. Whether we realize it or not, most of them are collecting personal information and activity that ends up in the cloud. The trend to mobile apps as an interface of choice for home automation control brings our industry into this world.
Should we be worried? From a security standpoint, yes – but there are steps to take to mitigate risk. From a privacy standpoint, awareness of where your data is going and how it’s being used is an important consideration.
Let’s consider some security and privacy issues that may or may not be top of mind for you in the crush of the daily business – but that deserve your attention.


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Berbay to expand publishing program in 2020
Melbourne-based children’s publisher Berbay Books will double its publishing list from eight to 16 titles in 2020, as well as publishing its first graphic novel, chapter book and junior fiction title.
After a few years of ‘significant’ sales growth of its illustrated titles, Berbay’s list will expand to include junior fiction, children’s nonfiction and a graphic novel, alongside the picture books and middle grade titles the company also produces. ‘I feel there is a real gap in the market for well written chapter and junior fiction, and this seems a natural extension of what we already do quite well,’ said managing director Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke.
Yatomi-Clarke said the publisher’s new sales and distribution deal with Simon & Schuster this year had helped Berbay’s sales growth and market expansion, and it has also made progress overseas. ‘In the first eight years of Berbay’s existence we didn’t have any foreign sales except selling to direct foreign customers,’ said Yatomi-Clarke. ‘However, in recent times Berbay has achieved increasing international recognition that has generated incredible momentum, resulting in 19 foreign licence deals with large and prestigious international publishers in the last two years alone, with many pending negotiations currently ongoing,’ said Yatomi-Clarke.
To help with the expansion, Berbay appointed Nancy Conescu as associate publisher in May. ‘We are so excited to have Nancy on board as associate publisher,’ said Yatomi-Clarke. ‘Nancy’s strong editorial and acquisitions experience including working at Walker Books Australia, Penguin USA and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette USA) will be very valuable at Berbay.’
Conescu said she has found the environment ‘refreshingly creative’. ‘Because we’re truly independent, our growth depends on our list, not on titles we distribute for other publishers,’ said Conescu. ‘So, it’s a very personal and specialised approach to publishing, where every title gets our full attention. We look for what we perceive to be gaps in the market and try to publish into them.’


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- Kristopher Fraser |
Corneliani is receiving an investment from the Italian government. Italy's Ministry for Economic Development will be granting the luxury brand a 10 million euro loan to help Corneliani continue operations. The news reported by WWD. Like many fashion brands, Corneliani suffered economic fallout from the coronavirus lockdowns, and their operations in Italy were hit particularly hard as the country was one of the most affected by the pandemic.
In response to many Italian companies struggling from not being able to do business, Italy launched a program called the "Re-Launch" Decree to support businesses trying to get back to regular operations. Corneliani's Mantua-based factory has been closed since June 12, which led to employees protesting for the right to get back to work. Mantua's general secretary is now just waiting to see if Corneliani will make a significant investment to restart the brand.
Corneliani has a total of 1200 employees worldwide. While the coronavirus pandemic did not help the company's financial situation, their issues pre-dated the pandemic. Back in May 2019, Corneliani put their employees on a temporary 19-day work suspension via special public funds. Back in November, the company slashed 130 jobs at their headquarters. Corneliani has a three-year plan they are working on to turn the business around.
photo: via Corneliani.com


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Aleph Farms Submits First Ever Application for Cultivated Meat in Europe
Application submitted in coordination with Migros to commercialize Aleph Cuts in Switzerland
REHOVOT, ISRAEL--(Business Wire / Korea Newswire)--Aleph Farms, a cellular agriculture company that enhances sustainability, food security and animal welfare in our food systems, today announced that it has submitted an application for regulatory approval to the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) with the goal of selling the world’s first cultivated beef steaks under the Aleph Cuts brand in Switzerland. The submission is part of Aleph’s collaboration with Migros, Switzerland’s largest food enterprise, which has been instrumental in assessing the country’s specific regulatory approval process.
Aleph Farms is leveraging the expertise and infrastructure of leaders in food production, including Migros, which first invested in the company in 2019, to help accelerate scale-up, go-to-market activities and commercialization of Aleph Cuts worldwide. Together, Aleph and Migros have since conducted extensive consumer research in Switzerland and navigated the intricacies of the country’s regulatory landscape for novel foods. As part of their agreement, the two companies will continue to develop a go-to-market strategy that involves distribution and commercialization of Aleph Cuts through fine dining food service channels in Switzerland.
“Food systems affect everyone, and it will take a coordinated effort between regulators, innovators and incumbents to ensure food security in a way that helps humanity live within its planetary boundaries,” said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms. “At Aleph Farms, we carefully consider partnerships that reflect our core values and sustainability commitments. Together with Migros, we are establishing the cow cell as the third category of food products from cattle, alongside beef and milk. We look forward to working closely with Switzerland's Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office to enable access to both high-quality nutrition and world-changing innovation.”
Switzerland is a country with a high affinity for innovation. According to research conducted jointly by Aleph Farms and Migros, 74% of Swiss consumers are open to trying cultivated meat and are motivated to try it chiefly by curiosity and a desire to align with principles like sustainability and animal welfare.
Alongside sustainable animal agriculture, cellular agriculture can help increase resilience and stability in the supply of animal proteins and fats to diners in Switzerland. In addition, acceptance by Swiss consumers - known for a quality-conscious attitude towards food - can contribute further to cultivated meat’s growing momentum worldwide.
Later this year, Aleph Farms plans to launch Aleph Cuts in Singapore and Israel in limited quantities and offer exclusive tasting experiences curated with select partners, pending regulatory approvals. Aleph’s regulatory team is working in similar fashion with regulatory authorities in numerous markets around the world, including Switzerland, in order to ensure compliance with respective safety requirements.
About Aleph Farms
Aleph Farms, an Israel-based cellular agriculture company, enhances sustainability, food security and animal welfare in our food systems by diversifying the supply and decentralizing the production of quality animal proteins and fats as a complement to sustainable animal agriculture.
Founded in 2017, the company unveiled the world’s first cultivated thin-cut beef steak in 2018, the world’s first cultivated ribeye steak in 2021, and cultivated collagen in 2022. Under its product brand, Aleph Cuts, the company is launching its first product, the cultivated Petit Steak, grown from non-modified cells of a premium Black Angus cow.
For its contributions to climate leadership including a net zero commitment made in 2020, the company has received top accolades from the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
For more information, follow Aleph Cuts on Instagram and Facebook, Aleph Farms on Twitter and Linkedin, or visit www.aleph-farms.com. Access our press kit here. (https://bit.ly/3wcApbY)
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230726122722/en/
This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.


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Where honesty is still practiced in PH
Honesty is the best policy, so the saying goes.
But for Green Frog Hybrid Bus System, an operator of environmentally friendly hybrid buses in the school and business districts of Makati, Manila and Pasay cities, that adage has little meaning to some of its passengers.
Green Frog conducted a trial run from March 10 to 17 to make passengers drop their fares—P15 or P13 depending on the manner of payment—into a cash box or tap their bus cards on a machine located near the driver. No bus conductor was posted to watch over the passengers.
To its dismay, 30 percent of the passengers, most of whom were office workers and university students, failed (deliberate or otherwise) to live up to the honesty-based payment scheme.
For obvious business reasons, Green Frog called off the experiment and reverted to the traditional practice of assigning conductors to collect fares.
Its expectation that passengers with sufficient financial capacity and education can be trusted to voluntarily and correctly pay their standard transportation fares was dashed.
Last year, the Manila Police District (MPD) conducted a similar experiment on honesty when it opened a store on its premises that sold basic food items. The goods were left unattended and customers were expected to put the payment for their purchases and get their change in a box placed on top of the food shelf.
After six months, the MPD cooperative decided to cease operations due to serious financial loses. Many customers helped themselves to the goods without paying despite the presence of a CCTV monitor.
Apparently, some police personnel treated the food items like freebies they routinely solicit from small store owners when they do intermittent rounds in their assigned areas.
If it’s any consolation, however, there are places in the Philippines where honesty is voluntarily and scrupulously observed regardless of the presence or absence of other people.
In Ivana, Batanes province, the northernmost part of the country, customers of the unattended “Honesty Coffee Shop” pay for their purchases and get their change, if any, on their own.
The honesty trait of the Ivatans must have rubbed off on the province’s visitors who patronize the store because there are no indications it might close shop because of freeloaders or cheats coming from elsewhere.
The simple folks of Batanes can give the more sophisticated and financially able residents of Metro Manila and other urban areas some lessons in honesty and fair dealing.
Considering the Ivatans’ character, it’s no surprise the crime rate in Batanes is nearly zero and its police contingent’s toughest job is fighting boredom.
The Batanes experience is replicated in Brooke’s Point, a first class municipality in Palawan province.
According to a friend who works there, unlike Batanes which has one honesty store, Brooke’s Point’s stores are all unattended. Customers can freely enter the stores, get the commodities they want, pay for them and get their change from a money box.
The element of trust between and among the residents is so strong that there have been no reports of store pilferages or short changing.
The honesty goes one step further. If somebody from out of town wants to have a package delivered to a Brooke’s Point resident, all he or she has to do is write the name of the intended recipient on it, and ask the bus driver to put it on the bench of the waiting shed nearest the addressee’s house.
That package will remain at the waiting shed until its addressee picks it up or asks somebody to have it brought to him or her. No package delivered in that manner has, to date, been reported to have been pilfered or lost.
Do something like that in Metro Manila and the package will be swiped or stolen by somebody in the wink of an eye.
So, is honesty, as the song goes, such a lonely word? Not really. There are still some places in the country where that virtue forms part of the DNA of their residents.
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Friday, September 25, 2020
Ford Sentenced in Cannabis Insurance Embezzlement Case
Posted By Thadeus Greenson @ThadeusGreenson on Fri, Sep 25, 2020 at 4:06 PM
An investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and the California Office of Insurance alleged that Ford contracted with various clients in 2016, including several cannabis businesses looking for insurance policies, but simply pocketed premium payments rather than purchasing policies. He was charged with 13 counts of embezzlement and grand theft.
According to a press release from the DA’s office, Ford’s sentence includes an order to make restitution payments to all victims.
Read the full press release copied below:


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ShiftPixy Inc. (NASDAQ: PIXY) — which earlier this month announced the sales of its PEO business — reported revenue rose 50.8% in its fiscal first quarter ended Nov. 30, according to a filing on Tuesday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Irvine, California-based firm reported gross margin narrowed and net loss edged higher.
|(US$ thousands)||Q1 2020||Q1 2019||% change|
ShiftPixy’s PEO operations represented 60% of its business, and the sale was announced Jan. 9 after the close of the first quarter. The company said it plans to focus on its staffing/technology model serving the quick-service restaurant and staffing industries. The company had also, in December, conducted a one-for-40 reverse stock split.
In Tuesday’s SEC filing, ShiftPixy reported that first-quarter revenue rose because of an increased number of worksite employees. Average billed employees increased 44% over fiscal 2019 and the average revenue per worksite employee rose approximately 6%.
Share price and market cap
Shares in ShiftPixy were down 2.14% to $15.17 as of 11:44 a.m. Eastern time; the company had a market cap of $14.18 million, according to FT.com.


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The only surprise here is the fact that Target didn't get nailed a lot sooner than it did. This is a topic almost as old as the Web itself: When I did a quick TechWeb search, I found a major feature on Web accessibility dated November, 1998, along with a steady stream of related news, reviews, product announcements, and how-to articles on the subject during the seven-plus years that followed. In fact, the last chance to hop this clue-train might have been the August, 2004 settlement between two major online travel companies and the New York State attorney general, in which the companies agreed to bring their sites into compliance with Web accessibility standards. If you design, build, or manage a retail Web site, this no longer qualifies as "news" -- it's common sense.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, said the upscale discounter's on-line business, Target.com, denies blind Californians equal access to goods and services available to those who can see.
"Target thus excludes the blind from full and equal participation in the growing Internet economy that is increasingly a fundamental part of daily life," said the suit, which seeks to be certified as a class action and alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state statutes.
Advocates for the blind said the lawsuit is a shot across the bow for retailers, newspapers and others who have Web sites the blind cannot use. They chose Target because of its popularity and because of a large number of complaints by blind patrons.
Or, perhaps, not so common: According to the Chronicle story, the plaintiffs in the case had been talking to Target execs since May, 2005, but finally decided to sue when the company "declined to modify its Web site."
What, exactly, did Target "decline to modify?" One of the biggest problems with Target.com is its complete lack of "alt" tags: absurdly simple snippets of plain text that allow screen-reader software to "translate" images for sight-impaired visitors. Rocket science? Not a chance -- these guys are stumped getting downhill on a Big Wheel.


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Gareth Bale revealed as Messi's co-star on the cover of FIFA 14
EA Sports has unveiled Tottenham and Wales star Gareth Bale as the second footballer to appear on the cover of FIFA 14 alongside Lionel Messi.
With Bales meteoric rise over the last few seasons it seems only fitting that he be the man to grace the FIFA 14 cover alongside multiple World Footballer of the Year award-winner Lionel Messi.
Bale said of the honour, “To be on the front cover is a massive honour. When you look at the calibre of players that have been on there in the past they are legends of the game, so for me to be here now is a dream come true.”
FIFA 14 is due out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on September the 27th. It is also scheduled for release on the PS4 and Xbox One later in the year most likely as a release title.
- Valve's Chet Faliszek has been confirmed as the first developer session for EGX Rezzed 2015
- One area from Zelda Wii U is as big as the entirety of Skyward Sword
- Telltale's new collaboration is with Mojang, on a Minecraft story game
- Franklin voice actor indicates GTA V story DLC is on the way
- Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire and Bully sequels will come when the time is right says Rockstar
- Telltale teases another collaboration with another game developer
- New Company Of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault trailer recognizes the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge
- New Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer focuses on character customization
- Splash Damage's free-to-play shooter Dirty Bomb coming to Steam in the new year


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First Bus passengers will be able to pay for their bus tickets using their bank card or smartphone in two weeks time.
First will accept contactless payments on all their buses in West Yorkshire from Thursday January 18, the company have confirmed.
They first announced in November that they planned to introduce the technology.
But in an update they say all the readers have been installed and the service will go live in a fortnight's time.
It will bring to an end the frustraton of needing the right change to pay for your fare.
And as well as making it easier for commuters, bosses say it will also speed up journey times and help people board quicker.
Any Visa, Mastercard or Maestro card which has the contactless logo can be used whilst the machines also accept Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay and bPay.
Fares must be under the contactless maximum spend of £30.
It follows on the from the introduction of the company's mobile phone ticket scheme which allows passengers to purchase tickets or weekly or monthly passes before they travel.
Paul Matthews, Managing Director of First West Yorkshire, said: "The introduction of contactless payments alongside our success with mobile ticketing is pivotal as we continue to make bus travel a convenient, simple and attractive experience for our customers.
"Use of mTickets is exceeding our expectations and continues to grow daily, so I fully expect customers to welcome and grasp contactless bus travel with the same enthusiasm.
“If more customers converted to using mTickets, contactless or the Mcard, then this would have a huge impact on boarding times and would help us in the battle to speed up the bus.
"We are determined to transform the experience for all our customers and I am delighted that technology is now able to deliver so many benefits for our passengers.
"The combination of journey planning, free wi-fi, real time information, contactless and mTickets, really does make the bus an increasingly attractive option for so many journey needs.”
Research from the British Retail consortium now suggests more than half of all purchases in the UK are made by card, overtaking cash as the primary form of payment.
And more and more businesses have invested in the 'tap and go' contactless techology to speed up payments and make them easier for consumers.


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By Ayeotan Shola
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Welcomed a delegation of Walmart Incorporated officials including the CEO, Ms Broader to his Lagos office yesterday.
He assured them that the state is ready to give necessary support to assist the firm in establishing its presence in the state.
The delegation of the firm, a leading global brand in retail supermarket, was led by the President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart Europe, Middle East, Africa and Canada, Shelley Broade, on Thursday.
Ambode said the presence of the Walmart brand in Lagos would go a long way not only to create jobs for the teeming youths, but also boost the economy of the state.
The governor said, “That summaries the reason why Walmart has to berth in Lagos. We are committed to expanding the business scope for Walmart and like I said, I am interested in having your brand signature in Lagos.
“You have been pro-people and that’s why we find a congress between the objectives of Walmart and Lagos State Government.
“As we speak, we have a population of over 21 million people and four million of that population are in the middle class. We have a bulging youth that is craving for employment and whatever it is that we do, we want to make sure that we attract as much investment to Lagos that can help us to take our youths off the streets and give them employment.
The CEO, Broader acknowledged the investment opportunities that abound in the state, adding that the Group was ready to expand its business horizon and create jobs for the people.
“We are incredibly excited and proud to be in this exciting state of Lagos. Just looking at the burgeoning economy and at the growth in this market is very exciting and now Walmart operates around the world in 28 countries and our mission is to lower the cost of living, to help people save and live better.
You can feel that this is a state within a country really on the move forward.”


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In a recent alarming discovery, Google Play Store has identified 193 problematic apps that have been infecting users’ devices with a spyware module called “SpinOk.” This malicious module is responsible for stealing users’ private data and transmitting it to a remote server, raising significant concerns about user privacy and data security.
The infiltration of “SpinOk” into mobile phones occurs through the Android advertising software development kit (SDK), a tool commonly used by app developers to generate revenue through targeted advertising. The insidious nature of this spyware has led to many app developers unknowingly incorporating it into their applications, inadvertently putting users’ sensitive information at risk.
Once installed on a device, the “SpinOk” spyware operates silently in the background, executing various malicious activities without the user’s knowledge or consent. Among its nefarious capabilities, the spyware can access and read files located in directories on the infected device. It can also search for specific files, potentially targeting sensitive data such as personal documents, photos, or financial information.
Furthermore, “SpinOk” is capable of uploading files from the infected device to a remote server controlled by malicious actors. This transfer of user data poses a significant threat to privacy, as personal information can be exploited for various malicious purposes, including identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to online accounts.
Another concerning feature of this spyware is its ability to manipulate clipboard contents. By accessing and replacing clipboard data, “SpinOk” can potentially intercept sensitive information such as passwords, login credentials, or credit card details when users copy and paste them. This technique enables the attackers to gain unauthorized access to users’ accounts or conduct fraudulent transactions.
Cloudsek’s discovery of these 193 problematic apps serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against malware and the importance of remaining vigilant while downloading and using mobile applications. Although the Google Play Store has implemented rigorous security measures to prevent the distribution of malicious apps, cybercriminals continue to find new ways to bypass these safeguards, underscoring the need for constant vigilance and prompt action.
Upon detecting the presence of “SpinOk” in these apps, Google swiftly removed them from the Play Store to prevent further infections. Additionally, users who have already downloaded any of these infected apps are advised to uninstall them immediately and conduct a thorough security scan on their devices. It is crucial to remain cautious and skeptical of apps that request unnecessary permissions or exhibit suspicious behavior.
To protect themselves from future threats, users should prioritize the following security practices:
- Stick to reputable app stores: Download apps only from trusted sources, such as the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, where stringent security measures are in place to minimize the risk of malicious software.
- Read user reviews and ratings: Before downloading an app, take the time to read reviews and check its rating. Pay attention to any red flags or user reports regarding privacy or security issues.
- Review app permissions: During the installation process, carefully review the permissions requested by the app. If an app asks for excessive permissions unrelated to its functionality, it is best to avoid installing it.
- Keep software up to date: Regularly update both the operating system and installed applications on your device. Software updates often contain security patches that address vulnerabilities exploited by malware.
- Install reliable security software: Utilize a reputable mobile security solution that can detect and block potential threats, providing an additional layer of protection against malware and spyware.
By adhering to these best practices, users can significantly reduce their exposure to malicious apps and safeguard their personal data from unauthorized access. It is crucial for both app developers and app store operators to collaborate closely in order to identify and mitigate security risks, ensuring that users can enjoy a safe and secure


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Social network Reddit is dealing with building an Non Fungible Token (NFT) market platform. A task posting made to look for new employee shows they envision and concentrate on creating “the biggest developer economy on the internet”.
Reddit published a job opening for a Senior Backend Engineer to build an NFT platform of their own. They are excited about NFTs capacities for producing and connecting new neighborhoods, as revealed in their listing:
For Reddit, it will constantly have to do with neighborhood. (…) If there is something we’ve discovered with NFTs, they too have an amazing power to produce a sense of participation and belonging. (…) Over time, our company believe this will only grow, and NFTs will play a main role in how fans support their preferred creators and neighborhoods.
Related Reading|NFTs InA Nutshell: A Weekly Review
The candidate must be able to “Design, develop and ship backend services for countless users to produce, purchase, offer and use NFT-backed digital goods.” Along with “Move fast while balancing quality.”
The publishing unveils that Reddit desires a high-quality platform that can be launched quickly, and they will not be compromising for “show-stopping bugs”. They know the space for the NFT market is moving quick therefore must they.
Crypto exchanges Binance and FTX have actually currently introduced NFT marketplaces, followed by Coinbase who recently revealed its own launch. The competitors is growing and Reddit’s already big NFT enthusiastic neighborhood could produce a big quantity of profits.
Owning An NFT Is Owning The Future
Reddit has been long focused on NFTs. They had already introduced OpenSea, which is “the very first and largest NFT market” to purchase and offer digital assets. They hit a $1.5 billion valuation past July.
Their neighborhood points system used in their subreddit online forums was based on Ethereum, which offered the tokens genuine worth. Back in July, they picked Arbitrum to scale it. At that moment, their r/CryptoCurrency and r/FortNiteBR communities had more than 4.8 million members.
Related Reading|RedditMoons Now Worth More Than Dogecoin In Impressive Takeover
Reddit’s team enthusiasm is not simply a hunch. The non-fungible token market’s numbers show that this is perhaps the best time to buy it. By the platform’s tone, one could presume they are putting their all into the game, and terrific things might be gotten out of their development:
Our team is a brand-new and amazing, rapidly growing group that intends to construct the biggest creator economy on the internet, powered by independent developers, digital items, and NFTs. (……) If you ask us, the NFT motion has only just started,
Up until own, purchasing art was limited and nearly unique. No art gallery has actually ever had the ability to produce possibilities almost near to what Ethereum’s network has finished with NFTs.
Beyond art appreciation, the ownership of digital properties creates a landmark for the crypto world and opens the market for developers, their admirers, and collectors. As Reddit “brings over 430 million people together every month”, a platform of their own thrills the market.
NASDAQ reported that in 2020 “the worldwide NFT market did about $338 million in deal volume.” And they think the worldwide NFT market has the prospective to grow by 1,000 X over the next 10 years.
If the anticipations over Reddit’s strategies are to be real and many keep banking on these reported numbers, the concern is raised whether the non-fungible token market could be getting closer to that development a lot sooner than anticipated.