text:
Feb. 27, 2013
's largest competitive energy and energy-related services company, today announced an operating profit of
, £331 million) for the full year 2012. Direct Energy is the North American subsidiary of
(LSE: CNA). Centrica reported full year 2012 revenues of
, £23.9 billion) with an operating profit of
, £2.7 billion).
For the full year 2012, Direct Energy reported a 5% increase in profit from
, £312 million) reported for the full year 2011, driven by operational efficiencies across business segments, including the move of the company's North American headquarters to Houston.
Solid growth in residential and small business customers segments due in part to the successful integrations of recently completed acquisitions in the U.S. Northeast including Vectren Source and
-based energy retailers Energetix and NYSEG Solutions, helped offset the planned, gradual exit of the
business and an increasingly competitive commercial industrial segment. Direct Energy's year-over-year revenue decreased 3% from
, £6.1 billion) in 2011 to
, £6.0 billion) in 2012.
, President and CEO of Direct Energy, said: "We saw solid customer gains in the U.S. Northeast region and home energy services segment throughout 2012. Although weakened economic conditions, the operating environment in
and low wholesale prices posed challenges to parts of the business, we were able to achieve organic and acquisitive growth in many of our downstream and upstream segments, and successfully implement operational efficiencies across the business. We are well positioned to continue to build our company to create scale, stability and value for our customers across
Direct Energy also announced today that
has been appointed Managing Director of Centrica's international downstream business with authority over British Gas and all of Direct Energy except its upstream gas assets. Mr. Weston will relocate from
for his new position.
Accordingly, current Direct Energy Upstream and Trading President,
, will succeed Mr. Weston as President and CEO of Direct Energy effective
. Mr. Khan joined Direct Energy in 2003 and has served in several roles at Centrica and Direct Energy including Managing Director of British Gas Business. He is a veteran of the North American retail energy markets having been involved since 1999. His earlier career was spent in management consulting with Deloitte Consulting and KPMG in the US and the UK. He holds an engineering degree from the UK, and an MBA from the Wharton School. Mr. Khan will report to Mr. Weston.
"Direct Energy has enjoyed significant success over the last three and a half years as we have grown our lines of business and increased the company's revenue and operating profit," said Weston. "I look forward to working with
as he takes on the role of running Direct Energy and increases our presence among customers and within the industry in the future."
Full year 2012 highlights from Direct Energy's lines of business include:


text: Simon Arcus: 'Disruption will happen, it\u2019s not a case of if but when, and directors being involved in the conversation is good news.'Technological disruption has gained prominence as a business risk, and is a new entrant to the top 10 risks for New Zealand directors. Despite that, just 27 per cent of boards regularly discuss cyber risk and are confident about their company\u2019s capacity to respond to an attack or incident, according to the Institute of Directors.The latest IoD NZIER Director Sentiment Survey, notes technological and business disruption, and the time spent on risk oversight are key challenges for directors. \u201cMost businesses use or rely on technology to operate \u2013 cyber risk is a reality of our times\u2013 so the ability of boards to consider it as part of enterprise risk is critical in ensuring directors are confident about business resilience,\u201d says IoD CEO Simon Arcus. Technological advances are disrupting many traditional business models, forcing businesses to find ways to adapt to the rapidly changing environment. \u201cHow they deal with disruption is going to be a big question for the future,\u201d says Arcus.The survey, now on its second year, was conducted in October and covered 820 IoD members. Technology disruption is number 6 in this year's top 10 risks for Boards.Cyber risk is a reality of our times \u2013 so the ability of boards to consider it as part of enterprise risk is critical in ensuring directors are confident about business resilience.' Simon Arcus, NZ Institute of DirectorsThe survey finds most directors (73 per cent) are spending more time on risk than a year ago yet only half say they have the capacity to deal with increasing business complexity \u2013 and 47 per cent expect to face major disruption within the next two years.It\u2019s critical that in a volatile and changing world, boards regularly consider the long -term sustainability of their business models \u2013 and most boards (79 per cent) are doing this, according to the IoD report.Arcus says disruption will happen, it\u2019s not a case of if but when, and directors being involved in the conversation is good news.\u201cDeveloping board and organisational capability are areas of focus for directors to ensure organisations are resilient, so it is pleasing to see that 60 per cent of boards agree diversity is a key consideration and 62 per cent regularly discuss composition for the future,\u201d says Arcus.\u201cDiversity of thought and experience brings a broad range of perspectives to the boardroom and increases the potential for successful and effective risk oversight.\u201dDirectors are somewhat less optimistic about economic performance than a year ago but are still buoyant about business performance. They see global growth, labour quality and red tape as the main barriers to business and economic performance. The results show 67 per cent expect the performance of their company to improve, down from 71 per cent in 2014, while 35 per centexpect the New Zealand economy to improve, down from 47 per centin 2014.Laurence Kubiak, CEO of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), highlights concern shown by many directors about the global economy. \u201cThere have been increasing concerns about the growth outlook of China, which is a key market for many of our businesses.\u201dNonetheless, directors were more positive about the New Zealand economy than businesses surveyed in NZIER\u2019s latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion. \u201cMore recent developments show an improvement in economic conditions, and that has likely improved directors\u2019 confidence about the economy.\u201dThe IoD says it is pleased to see the improvement in health and safety leadership, with 60 per cent saying they have the capability to comply with the new legislation, up from 51 per cent in 2014. Just 8 per cent say they are not ready.No captionSend news tips and comments to email@example.comFollow Divina Paredes on Twitter: @divinapFollow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nzClick hereto\nread the Spring 2015 edition of CIO\nNew ZealandSign up for CIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, views and events.Join us on Facebook.Join the CIO New Zealand group on LinkedIn.\nThe group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

domain: news


text:
A recent interview on BBC Radio 4 explored the growing trend of criminals hacking phone systems and the effect it is having on a large number of business in the UK.
Phone hacking is a type of fraud which is costing businesses millions of pounds; the police are calling it “dial through fraud”. Criminals hack into phone systems and then steal money by either selling the phone lines to other people to make calls or by making repeated calls to premium rate phone lines overseas.
Radio 4 has learnt that in March 2013, 40 UK businesses in March have reported this kind of fraud to the police. Phone hacking has cost UK businesses over £1.2 billion last year and is estimated to have affected 40% of companies already.
One victim reports that criminals had hacked into their system and re-routed calls to another number, which was then sold using telephone cards purchased on the street. Over 2,400 calls were made to Cuba over one weekend costing him thousands of pounds.
The telecoms regulator, Ofcom has advised companies to take steps to make their lines secure and is currently working with trading associations asking them to update their advice to businesses about protecting their phone lines.
This form of hacking is advancing all the time and research shows that most businesses will not be aware they have fallen victim to fraudulent activity until they receive their monthly phone bill.
Here at Pioneer Business Systems we put customers at the very heart of our organisation and are leading the way in proactively finding solutions for our customers. We closely monitor phone lines to ensure any suspicious activity is reported quickly. We also provide Anti-Hack Insurance to protect against any losses experienced by this type of fraud. This gives you peace of mind that your business is fully protected against hackers and from any unforeseen bills which could potentially run into the thousands of pounds.
To listen to the Radio 4 interview click here.


text:
- Apple’s stock charged its way up to $US212 in premarket trading Wednesday even after the company reported another decline in iPhone sales.
- It cements a $US327 billion rally in Apple’s market cap since January 3, when Apple issued an explosive sales warning on holiday trading, blaming weak iPhone sales in China.
- Numerous analysts think the downturn in iPhone sales has bottomed out.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Apple’s stock has been on a steady recovery rally in recent months, and it looks set to be cemented by a Wall Street vote of confidence in the iPhone maker’s latest earnings.
Since hitting an 18-month low of $US142.19 on January 3 – directly after Apple issued an explosive sales warning on holiday trading after iPhone sales took a hit in China – Apple’s stock charged its way up to $US212 in premarket trading on Wednesday.
If these gains hold during normal trading hours, Apple’s stock will close on a high not seen since November.
The $US212 premarket share price marks a $US327 billion rally since January 3, putting Apple’s market cap at $US999.7 billion. That would put Apple close to the trillion-dollar valuation it broke last year as it became the world’s most valuable company.
Wall Street responded warmly to Apple’s second-quarter earnings, published Tuesday. The company beat expectations, posting revenue of $US58 billion with higher-than-forecast iPhone and services sales.
Some analysts now think the downturn in iPhone sales has bottomed out after Apple’s brutal earnings warning in January, described by Wedbush at the time as “the darkest day in the iPhone era.”
While iPhone sales fell $US7 billion year-on-year in Q2, Wells Fargo said in a note to clients that it was “now seeing indications stabilizing / bottoming iPhone demand.” Bank of America Merrill Lynch agreed, saying, “iPhones/China have bottomed out and are improving.” Credit Suisse also said the iPhone “likely bottomed.”
The view was echoed by Apple CEO Tim Cook, who struck a relieved note on an earnings call Tuesday. “We certainly feel a lot better than we did 90 days ago,” he said.
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
It's not hard today to find news accounts of how America's digital networks are under siege. Cyber criminals are at work, hoping to extract valuable data from consumers, businesses, and government organizations and to shut down or disrupt our critical infrastructure. One way to combat these attacks is allowing businesses and the government to share information about possible cyber threats in order to more effectively respond. Unfortunately, current legal barriers discourage collaboration, putting more consumer data and our most critical infrastructure in harm's way.
To spur action on this front, I sent a letter on behalf of BSA | The Software Alliance to Senate leadership, encouraging them to take up cyber threat information sharing legislation that will help both businesses and government combat cyber threats.
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (S.754), introduced by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), has bipartisan support and deserves a robust debate before the full Senate. The Senate Intelligence Committee favorably reported the bill out of committee in April, and the House of Representatives has already taken necessary steps by overwhelmingly passing measures with similar goals: the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (HR 1560) and the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (HR 1731). The Senate has a valuable opportunity to take action on this key legislation now.
Enacting effective cyber threat information sharing legislation will allow public- and private-sector entities to voluntarily share valuable threat data, best practices, and vulnerabilities while protecting consumer privacy. BSA previously outlined six key tenets of effective information sharing legislation. Increased situational awareness will enhance the ability of businesses, consumers, and operators of critical infrastructure to better defend themselves against attacks and intrusions.
Cybersecurity threats change on a daily basis, and BSA member companies are at the forefront of these battles. BSA urges the Senate to pass legislation that gives a helping hand to these companies and provides government necessary tools in the continuing fight against cyber crime.


text:
Ghana Publish, the nation’s postal operator, has partnered with Jumia, Africa’s foremost e-commerce system, to grow its marketplace-leading presence in Ghana.
The partnership will transform the e-commerce sector and strengthen shopper working experience with efficient e-commerce flows.
Ghana Put up will assistance Jumia by delivering packages to shoppers by using economical and expedient courier solutions.
The new partnership supports Jumia’s motivation to leveraging its superior technological innovation and considerable network to give a seamless and potent system for Ghanaians to order every day needs online.
As the national postal operator, Ghana Post is recognised for its innovation and dedication to earning deal deliveries safe, very affordable and obtainable.
Deputy Running Director of Ghana Submit Kwaku Tabi Amponsah claimed, “Our partnership with Jumia signifies a favourable action forward in assembly the on-line shopping needs of Ghanaians.
“With about 300 network branches and a foremost monitor and trace system, we are effectively-positioned to provide the demands of all e-customers with speedy, secured deliveries.
“When COVID-19 impacted our entire world, Ghana Post’s innovation and resilience in serving communities and the entire world proved that innovation is not an accent but is as a substitute the driving power driving recovery. Postal products and services are critical to billions of people today.”
The partnership will provide a lot quicker deliveries for Jumia’s cross-border shipments.
With around 360 write-up workplaces spread all around the place, Ghana Put up supports Jumia’s consumers by way of a partnership that presents additional techniques for people in rural parts across the place to accumulate their orders speedier and conveniently, making use of the Jumia site and cell application.
‘’Our overarching objective is to bring e-commerce closer to individuals and make on the web buying available to all Ghanaians in conjunction with the Ghana Post’s network of branches masking all components of the country, such as rural regions. Jumia has intensive practical experience in the industry of e-commerce and logistics and signing up for forces with a reliable, and well-structured business like Ghana Publish further more expands our horizon,“ stated Tolulope George-Yanwah, CEO of Jumia Ghana.
This new settlement added benefits consumers as it lowers supply expenditures, ensures more rapidly shipping of orders delivered from overseas and enhances the amount of service, consequently heightening purchaser self-assurance and boosting participation in the e-commerce market place.


text:
Mountaineer Dean Maher is the first ever to vegan to summit the south face of Mt. Everest using animal-free gear. “I’m very proud to announce that two days ago I became the first vegan in the world to summit Mt Everest (south face)!!!!,” Maher wrote on Instagram last week. “I used no down, no leather, […]
The post The First Vegan Just Summitted Mt. Everest With Animal-Free Gear appeared first on LIVEKINDLY.


text:
These are the stocks posting the largest moves before the bell.Market Insiderread more
Damage to the top OPEC producer's oil facilities ignited fears of supply disruption around the world and has sent crude prices soaring.Energyread more
The second-largest investor in Kraft Heinz Company discloses that it has again trimmed its stake in the food company.Marketsread more
Retailers could be in for a jolly jump in holiday sales despite headwinds like the U.S.-China trade war and threat of another economic slowdown.Retailread more
After a series of setbacks on the road to an initial public offering, the parent company of real estate start-up WeWork is delaying the move, sources told CNBC Monday.Technologyread more
Apple isn't trying to blow our minds with groundbreaking new features on the iPhone 11, but is making lots of little improvements each year, this year focusing on cameras and...Technologyread more
The move is the latest sign of the blurring boundaries between big tech and big finance amid challenges for both industries.Financeread more
Traders in the fed funds futures market on Monday were pricing in a 34% chance that the Fed will stay put on rates.The Fedread more
Pizza Hut is also talking with Kellogg and other suppliers about the plant-based meat trend.Restaurantsread more
Saudi Arabia's defense spending is the world's third-largest — behind the U.S. and China, says Gary Grappo, former U.S. ambassador to Oman.Energyread more
Lumber Liquidators founder and chairman, Tom Sullivan, said the "real story" about his company is only starting to come out.
Speaking with CNBC, Sullivan said he hoped Thursday's conference call will give the company a chance "to start to show our side of the story."
"We are compliant with California law," he said. "Hundreds of tests by third parties show we're compliant. We test as well and we feel we're compliant under the law."
Earlier, activist investor Robert Chapman revealed he had taken a long position in Lumber Liquidators despite a "60 Minutes" report that raised questions about the safety of its products.
"The critics of Lumber Liquidators, from a consumer standpoint, often compare them as the Wal-Mart of flooring, and that's precisely the bull story here," the CEO of Chapman Capital said Wednesday on CNBC's "Fast Money Halftime Report."
"These guys only have 350 locations in the U.S., ... and their penetration is just getting started and they grow about 5 percent here in the U.S."
Chapman said his position in Lumber Liquidators is roughly 15 percent of his fund and is partly through call options.
Lumber Liquidators' stock spiked nearly 11 percent in afternoon trading Wednesday.
"Glad to see that Robert Chapman had the confidence in Lumber Liquidators and that the real story is starting to come out," Sullivan told CNBC on Wednesday afternoon.
The position comes as a surprise, as Lumber Liquidators has been under fire since the CBS news program claimed on March 1 that the company sold flooring with higher levels of formaldehyde than permitted under California's health and safety standards.
The report was also followed by a slew of negative headlines that have, in part, driven down the company's stock by about 35 percent. Chapman said the reports only encouraged him to raise his bet.
"This is precisely the fodder that makes for good investments. You can go through a lot of volatility in these things. There's going to be a lot of headlines risk for a while. ... It's just the nature of the beast, but it's that inherent fear that's baked into these stocks that provides the huge opportunity."
Lumber Liquidators has defended the safety of its products and dismissed the "60 Minutes" report as untrue. It challenged CBS' methodology and claimed it was the victim of short sellers.
Last week, Whitney Tilson, founder and managing partner of Kase Capital Management who originally brought the story to the CBS program, said he was increasing his short position against the company.
Chapman dismissed Tilson's comments. "The key part of the short story is that somehow Lumber Liquidators cheated their operating margins by 6 to 10 percent over the last few years. It really doesn't make any sense when you look at comps. Home Depot saw their operating margins double from 6 to 12 percent. Wal-Mart in eight years went from 4 to 6 percent … and Best Buy's margins tripled from 1.5 percent to 4.5 percent."
—CNBC's Scott Wapner contributed reporting.


text:
Before entering credit card information online, check to see that the URL begins with https:// and an icon of a lock appears to the left of the web address, signifying a secure network connection.
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (PRWEB) November 19, 2015
Beginning with Black Friday (November 27), millions of Americans are expected to once again put their credit cards hard at work during the holiday season.
According to ShopperTrak, shoppers in the U.S. spent approximately $9 billion in stores during Black Friday 2014, the majority of transactions using debit and credit cards. Reports from comScore show that U.S. e-commerce spending the day after Thanksgiving rose 26 percent to more than $1.5 billion in 2014.
“The day after Thanksgiving has become the biggest shopping event of the year, which means card usage will be much higher than usual,” said Jennifer Kerry, Vice President, Credit Card Services for CO-OP Financial Services, a financial technology provider to credit unions. “Fraudsters see the busy holiday shopping season as an easy opportunity to take advantage of a much larger pool of consumers, ranging from data hacks stealing card information from large retailers, to criminals targeting individual cardholders with online scams.”
To help combat card-related fraud, the U.S. payment industry is adopting EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) technology as a new security standard for credit and debit cards. Already used globally, EMV chip cards are making their way into the hands of U.S. consumers, and merchants are upgrading to new EMV terminal platforms…many in time for the holiday buying season. Consumers can also expect broader support for near field communication (NFC) and tokenization technologies, which enable and secure digital wallet applications such as Apple Pay and soon Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
“Security technologies such as EMV and tokenization can dramatically reduce exposure to card fraud,” said Kerry. “Make no mistake, though, consumers are still at risk when they shop online and need to proactively protect themselves from fraud by employing financial security best practices.”
Kerry encourages consumers to follow these five steps this holiday season:
1. Ensure you’re using a secure internet connection
Secure communications between you and your web server help prevent cyberattacks, especially when utilizing untrusted networks at places like coffee shops or libraries. Before entering credit card information online, check to see that the URL begins with https:// and an icon of a lock appears to the left of the web address, signifying a secure network connection. Additionally type in a trusted URL for a company’s website into the address bar of your browser and bypass the link in what could be a phishing message or unsecure site.
2. Use a variety of difficult passwords
With the seemingly endless number of sites requiring a password, using a password manager such as 1Password is a quick way to regain your sanity and security. By randomly generating unique passwords for each website, you reduce the risk of one stolen password compromising security in other areas of your life.
3. Monitor card use
Monitor transactions and report any suspected fraud immediately. Download a mobile app such as CardNav by CO-OP, which allows consumers to set controls for card usage, receive real-time alerts when unapproved transactions occur and even temporarily disable their own cards.
4. Keep your personal information safe
Do not provide personal or financial information to unsolicited requests for information. Remember that reputable companies let you come to them rather than approaching you to gather information or take action. Additionally, don’t open messages from unknown senders.
5. Protect your hardware
Update your operating system regularly and make sure you have the best security software products installed on all your devices. Experts in the industry suggest using antivirus protection and a firewall.
For more financial security tips from CO-OP, visit http://www.co-opcreditunions.org.
About CO-OP Financial Services
Based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and founded in 1981, CO-OP Financial Services is the nation’s largest credit union service organization in terms of number of credit unions, assets and members. The company helps credit unions thrive by providing products and services that make it more convenient for members to do business with them. With a motto of “Be There. Be More,” CO-OP’s products fall into three business lines, including “Locations,” (ATM, shared branching and call center services); “Card Payments” (debit and credit processing) and “Mobile/Virtual” (mobile, online, check imaging, bill pay services). To learn more visit http://www.co-opfs.org.


text:
AN ORGANIC mushroom grower with a farm at Lockwood and another in development at Newbridge has taken out his second and third major accolades for this year alone.
He had already claimed the title of Young Grower of the Year at the Hort Connections awards in June.
Mr McLoghlin said it was humbling to receive the honours and great to be recognised, but acknowledged that his successes were the result of the work of a team.
Mr McLoghlin began his career as a mushroom grower with his farm at Lockwood, which he bought after operating an online organic fruit and vegetable store.
His business now also includes a farm at Diggers Rest, with a third in the works at Newbridge.
Those two sites house Bulla Mushrooms and ScatoPlus, which have now come under the banner of Mycelia Organics, alongside Mr McLoghlin’s first farming enterprise, the Organic Mushroom Farm.
The company now claims a 90 per cent share of its market.
Mr McLoghlin is also a co-founder of escaVox, which aims to minimise waste in the supply chain and provide a transparent, digitised product tracking system.
“Despite his relatively short time in the industry, Chris has proven himself as an innovative businessman and strong advocate for the Australian organic industry,” AUSVEG chief executive officer James Whiteside said.
“Not only has Chris managed to expand his business and directly supply most major retailers with his produce, he has done so while being actively involved with organic industry associations.”
Mr McLoghlin said the company was now building its capability to produce exotic mushrooms.
He said the company was also looking into the possibilities of using mushrooms for nutraceutical purposes, as well as bio-remediation, such as restoring soil health.
- This story first appeared on the Bendigo Advertiser.


text:
Luke Runyon appears in the following:
Monday, August 17, 2015
Monsanto, the world's largest producer of seeds, is trying to swallow up a competitor in pesticide production. The move could lead to fewer choices for farmers and further consolidate the industry.
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
A judge ruled Monday that an Idaho law criminalizing undercover investigations of farms is unconstitutional. Seven other states have similar laws, but legal experts say they may not stand much longer.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Executives at JBS, the world's largest meat producer, know consumers want to know more about how their food is sourced. But the very nature of their business is grisly and sometimes unpalatable.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Regulators in the 23 states where medical or recreational marijuana is allowed are having a tough time making sure pot buyers don't ingest harmful pesticides.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Today, the average American eats about a half pound of lamb per year. Now lamb producers are setting their sights on Muslim consumers. But first they'll have to learn how to market to them.
Monday, April 06, 2015
The fast-growing organic sector hasn't enjoyed a succinct motto. The Organic Trade Association wants growers to help pay for one. The idea is splitting farmers, processors and marketers into factions.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Colorado's food and ag industries have been growing two to four times faster than the state's economy overall. The state's economists are ever more hopeful about cornering the market on ag innovation.
Monday, February 16, 2015
At farm shows across the country, drones have become as ubiquitous as tractors. Drone flights are mostly banned in the U.S., but on Sunday the FAA released long-awaited draft rules.
Thursday, February 05, 2015
The rate of growth in the number of farmers markets and sales at them has slowed in recent years. But that could mean the entire local food movement is growing up.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Scientists are studying how hemp might be used in the electronic, medical and manufacturing industries. Because the plant's been illegal for decades, it's been difficult to do research on its uses.
Monday, December 22, 2014
At a Colorado ranch run by Benedictine nuns, prayer and farming go hand in hand. "We have kind of a corner on the market" for grass-fed beef, says one sister. "People just kind of believe in it."
Thursday, December 11, 2014
The percentage of female farmers is climbing — slowly, according to federal figures. But those numbers don't take into account the many new roles women are filling on multigenerational family farms.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Audie Cornish talks with E.J Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times about issues that popped up during the first week in Washington since the midterms.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Colorado law says the plant itself has to be grown indoors, but regulation and reluctant banks have made real estate hard to come by for pot entrepreneurs. The right property can go for millions.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Voters in Colorado and Oregon rejected measures to require labels on foods produced with genetic engineering. Meanwhile, voters in Maui, Hawaii, approved a moratorium on GMO crops.
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
Similar measures calling for labeling genetically modified foods have failed in recent years in California and Washington, and Vermont is being sued for the labeling law it enacted earlier this year.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
When healthier school lunch standards went into effect, many worried kids would toss their mandated veggies. But researchers say letting kids pick what they put on their tray can cut down on waste.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Colorado is rolling out regulations for the edible-marijuana sector, including "emergency rules," which spell out serving sizes. But for now, most of the dosage education is falling to pot shops.
Friday, August 22, 2014
As attitudes toward homosexuality shift in the U.S., many gay men say that's created not just more legal freedoms but also greater freedom to express their gender identities.
Thursday, August 07, 2014
The "ick factor" has kept consumers in the U.S. from eating crickets, locusts and mealworms. To convert skeptics, bug-food advocates are trying to win them over with sleek packages and clever names.


text:
The Internet of Things (IoT) era is coming and a lot of experts call it next Industrial Revolution and will definitely make a huge impact on today’s world. According to ABI research the number of devices connected to internet is going to reach 30 billion by 2020 while growing ~15-20% annually.
There are many companies that are trying to establish themselves in this emerging market.
One of those companies is Lithuanian startup called MultiCord. MultiCord is a brainchild of four third-year students of physics and mathematics who focus their minds on developing new kind of a smart house system. It is an extension cord with such extras, as:
- Remote Control via mobile app or browser
- Self off avoiding an accident
- Energy consumption reduction
- Energy usage statistics
- Open API
The whole initiative started from a simple question where to use a microcomputer and it has evolved into this complex and promising project. The idea is based on behavioural analysis of people and understanding what kind of devices are being used around the house. One of the main purposes of using Big Data is making the house as efficient and energy saving as possible because energy vampires (all the electronic devices that consume electricity just by being in standby mode) add up to significant power waste. One of the numerous usage examples would be the scenario when as soon as a person leaves the house MultiCord system would automatically turn off all the unneeded devices leaving only the fridge and the router on and when the user is at a certain distance from home it would be turned back on.
To this moment team has developed several prototypes of modular extension strips as they let easy access and are quite versatile in use cases and they are able to control device via a smartphone app. Migle Radzvilaite, CEO of the company, states that current calculations show a possibility to save up to 13% off the electricity bill and with more data this figure could increase even more. Further development is planned for the software to implement machine learning in order to automate the system.
The timing for this kind of project could not be better. MultiCord programmer Edvinas Cerniauskas shares his insights: “There is an obvious trend by companies giving more attention to smart house devices one of which is apple which introduced iOS 10 with the ability to connect smart house devices and more. So the market is waiting and we are just in the right tracks to jump into the smart house train”. This kind of integration would allow use MultiCord system without the need of a native smartphone application and having all the control in one place is always better when talking about smart houses.
It is not only smart house market that is growing- the entire IoT market is projected to explode in the recent years as mentioned before. To this moment the team has claimed a few podium places at multiple competitions of which the latest is climate launch pad where MultiCord was selected to pitch at final amongst the best European startups.
Have anything else to add? Tweet me: @inamedinova


text:
Vodafone, one of India's largest telecommunications services providers, has announced a bonanza of four times more data for its Vodafone SuperNetTM 4G customers. This comes at a time when Vodafone is celebrating its milestone of reaching 200 million customers.
However, as per the announcement, customers buying a 1GB and 10 GB 4G data packs can now enjoy 4GB and 22 GB data, for Rs. 250/- and Rs.999/-, respectively. These packs will be available across all circles where Vodafone 4G services are accessible.
Commentating on the launch, Sandeep Kataria, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said, "Our customers are consuming more of content and video online. With these super rich data packs, our rapidly growing base of 4G customers across 17 circles can enjoy much more of mobile internet while remaining confidently connected on Vodafone SuperNetTM 4G.
It will also encourage first time and limited users of mobile internet to explore more by providing greater value. They can access four times more of their favorite content online for the same cost in a truly worry free manner."
Vodafone has mentioned that the 4X higher quantum of data can be used by customers as per their discretion including enjoying a variety of videos and movies on VODAFONE PLAY which offers 150+ Live TV channels, over 14,000 movies, TV show titles and a wide range of music.
Customers can enjoy the benefits can at any hour of the day or night, when connected to the Vodafone network.
Besides, Vodafone has invested significantly in building Vodafone SuperNetTM, a modern and scalable network incorporating the latest advances in technology for better customer experience. It offers HD Voice quality across its entire network and super mobile broadband experience across the country.
These 4X data packs can be purchased via digital channels as well as all retail touch points.


text:
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Beginning Feb. 25, CVS will administer COVID-19 vaccines at 40 pharmacies throughout California.
CVS Health announced in a news release that eligible residents can register for an appointment online, through the CVS Pharmacy app, or by calling 800-746-7287. You must have an appointment to receive a vaccine. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
Vaccines at participating CVS Pharmacy locations in California will be available to individuals meeting state criteria, which will be confirmed by the state.
Exact locations were not announced, however, the vaccines will be administered at pharmacies in La Mesa, San Diego, El Cajon, Spring Valley, and Chula Vista. In total, CVS will administer vaccines in 17 states as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
"We're also making significant progress in reaching vulnerable communities, which will continue to be an essential part of our vaccination effort," aid Karen S. Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, CVS Health.
As more supply becomes available through the federal program, the company will expand to additional states while increasing the number of stores offering vaccinations. CVS Pharmacy has the capacity to administer 20-25 million shots per month.


text:
Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the fastest-growing divisions in the IT industry. SaaS models, which are centrally located on a remote cloud network, operate on a subscription basis and become useful for many businesses due to their flexibility, cost, and many other reasons.
Newsdata.iois just another example of Saas based product, which in this case is anews APIthat users use to get required news data through API calls. This is just one simple example of Saas.
In the coming period due to the covid pandemic, many companies will need the remote working of their employees, so the need for SaaS will only increase.
In this article, I’ve included some of the most important trends and growth data for SaaS solutions in 2022.
SaaS spending vs overall IT spending
Despite the fact that the epidemic has affected many businesses and economies around the world this year, cloud growth has always skyrocketed.
Gartner also adds that end-user spending on public cloud services is expected to reach $ 396 billion in 2021. It also has the potential to grow to 21.7% in 2022.
Gartner senior research director said Henrique Cecci. “The economic, organizational, and social impact of the pandemic will continue to act as a catalyst for digital innovation and adoption of cloud services. This is especially true for use cases such as collaboration, remote working, and new digital services to support a hybrid workforce. “
Cloud growth: SaaS vs other cloud services
Compared to other cloud choices, SaaS offers more functionality. As more companies adopt SaaS solutions for a wide range of business operations, well beyond the original SaaS areas of core engineering and sales applications, the total growth of the SaaS market will increase. over the next few years.
Compared to other cloud services, SaaS has a substantial advantage because it is the first fully successful cloud service. According to Gartner, SaaS will continue to dominate the market until 2022.
However, compared to other cloud services such as Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), both expected to double in ‘By 2020 alone, the growth rate of SaaS is slowing.
Largest SaaS companies
Let’s look at the 10 largest publicly owned SaaS companies per market cap in the first half of the year 2021.
If you compare the growth of these companies with similar numbers since 2020, it turns out that it has increased. For example:
- Salesforce’s valuation in January 2021 was $ 161 billion compared to $ 251 billion in September 2021.
- Additionally, Shopify has grown from $ 52.1 billion in 2020 to over $ 185 billion dollars today. That’s 225% growth in 20 months!
Microsoft and Oracle are missing from this list. They are large IT companies but calling them SaaS providers is incorrect because on-premise software sales are a big part of their business.
Giant companies are under pressure to rapidly migrate their software solutions to a SaaS consumption model due to the desire for subscription-based pricing structures.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) of SaaS solutions is comparable to on-premises software implementation strategies. This suggests that SaaS solutions have a lot of room to grow in the years to come. As an increasing number of customers can benefit from the same product features through the subscription pricing model, large enterprise software companies such as Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, and IBM are expected to maintain their market share for software products.
SaaS acquisitions & IPOs
Entrepreneurs, inventors, and companies have been motivated to create new SaaS solutions due to the stable economy and investor interest in scalable cloud solutions. daily, as large organizations seek out the next big SaaS news.
SaaS acquisitions in 2021
- Dropbox acquired Docsend for $ 165 million. Docsend provides a secure and reliable interface for users to share and track their documents.
- Kenna Security, a global leader in risk-based vulnerability management, has been acquired by Cisco.
- In July, ZoomInfo paid $ 575 million for chorus.ai. Chorus.ai is a leader in conversational intelligence.
- Panasonic Corporation has acquired Blue Yonder, a global provider of end-to-end digital distribution platforms.
Recent SaaS IPOs
Industry leaders have continued to rely on SaaS solutions due to recent changes in the workplace landscape. Many SaaS companies are in a position to go public in 2021 due to the increase in inactivity. For example, compared to the same period in 2020, the number of companies specializing in SaaS that were the subject of an IPO increased by 125% in 2021.
Couchbase, an expert in NoSQL databases, went public on July 22, and posted a 39% price hike to $ 33.25 a share on day one, valuing the company at over $ 1 billion.
SentinelOne, a cybersecurity startup, debuted on the stock market on June 30 and closed at $ 42.50 a share, valuing the company at $ 10 billion. The company specializes in endpoint security, SentinelOne uses machine learning to ensure cybersecurity.
Confluent, which went public on June 23, closed the day at $ 36 a share, valuing the company at $ 9 billion. The popular open-source Kafka streaming data platform is available in an enterprise edition from the company.
At the time of its IPO in June, Sprinklr was valued at $ 4 billion at $ 16 per share. Sprinklr is a software company that develops content marketing, advertising, and media management solutions used by some of the world’s most famous companies.
SaaS adoption & workforce size
The growth of SaaS can also be measured in terms of adoption. Are customers using the same number of SaaS products, fewer or the same number of SaaS products?
While SaaS was initially ideal for small businesses and startups, SaaS is now an accepted and affordable alternative that enables flexibility and digitization for businesses of all sizes. In conclusion, in recent years the number and types of consumers of SaaS products have increased.
Recent research has shown that:
- The growth rate of the SaaS market is approximately 18% per year.
- 99% of companies will have implemented one or more SaaS solutions by the end of 2021.
- Almost 78% of small companies have already invested in the SaaS market.
- The use of SaaS in healthcare is currently increasing by 18 years.
- Agility and scalability are two of the top reasons to deploy SaaS solutions, according to 70% of CIOs.
Several variables contribute to the relationship between SaaS adoption and workforce size:
- Small businesses often focus on a limited number of businesses, requiring a limited number of assets. Users working on separate projects may have their own unique SaaS product requirements as the business grows and the number of teams increases.
- To minimize the costs and security risks associated with shadow IT or the use of unauthorized software in the workplace, large organizations are simplifying the provision of all necessary SaaS services.
- Users who use a variety of SaaS solutions to meet their technology needs can choose from a variety of products targeting the same audience and the same application use cases, as large-scale enterprise projects are so complicated that no SaaS solution can provide all the required functionality.
Why is SaaS so popular?
Despite their size, established businesses aren’t ignoring SaaS. Instead, they are fully committed to the as a service business model, which enables them to meet a wide range of demands with flexible and up-to-date solutions.
Despite limited IT resources, customers are increasingly choosing the subscription pricing model to meet growing IT needs, especially for small businesses and startups.
As a result, there is a favorable competitive landscape, which allows healthy competition among SaaS companies as market demand increases dramatically.
According to a study, the average number of competitors for SaaS companies around 2012 was less than three. At the end of 2017, each SaaS company faced nine other companies in the same market segment. Between 2007 and 2017, the number of products available for SaaS marketing solutions increased from 500 to 8,500.
Acquisitions, IPOs, and growth rates all imply that this trend will continue.
SaaS benefits for the customer
SaaS products offer many benefits to customers:
- SaaS offers greater strategic value than on-premises software implementations. Software implementation time has been reduced from weeks and days to minutes thanks to the SaaS model.
- Users have a diverse collection of resources to meet a variety of demands with an abundance of affordable enterprise SaaS solutions. Due to the many features provided by SaaS solutions that aim to improve the customer experience, companies are seeing increasing levels of staff engagement.
- Security updates, bug fixes, and feature enhancements can also be implemented on the fly by SaaS providers. On-premise facilities previously required these capabilities to go through many layers of regulations and corporate controls before reaching end users.
Businesses and software vendors have found it easier to deliver essential functionality and functionality to end users through SaaS technology, which has contributed to the popularity of SaaS solutions over on-premises software products.
Ultimately, the rise of SaaS solutions will continue as we go. SaaS is used by both large and small businesses, and as these possibilities expand, this ratio will increase. For more information, see the following articles.


text:
United Motorcycles Increased Sales in Pakistan Dec 2017
- Views 0 - 18 Jan 2018
Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association has announced the sales and production figures of the cars and motorbikes for December 2017. According to the detailed information, Atlas Honda sold total 90,823 bikes in December and 93,679 bikes in November the same year. When you compare it with previous month of November, there is decrease in sales of motor bikes. When you compare it with December 2016, then there will be significant increase in the sale of the motor bikes. The Honda company has also increased the prices of the bikes by PKR 1000/- and we will have to wait and watch the increase of sale of the bikes will affect the sale of Honda bikes or not.
United Auto Motorcycle has shipped total 32,765 bikes in December and 29,018 in November 2017, which means that the company has sold 3747 more bikes in this month. It is the 13% increase in sales and on the MoM basis, the company has performed well and there is increase of 23% in sales. Yamaha, Ravi and Qingqi sold 1743 units, 1593 units and 61 units of bikes for December 2017 respectively. There are motor bike companies like Road Prince shipped 18,833 bikes in December 2017 and the company has vended 3842 more bikes in December if we compare it with the previous month.
Motorcycles for Sale in Pakistan
Add a Comment
Cars by City
Gari by Make
Bikes by City


text:
Audi in the DTM 2005 – “Take Advantage”
November 25, 2004 Source: Audi Communication Motorsport “Take Advantage” – this is the Audi motto for the 2005 DTM. The works comeback in Europe’s most popular touring car series could hardly have been more successful: Audi scoop all three titles first time out: The Audi A4 DTM won five of the ten races during the […] More »
November 25, 2004 Source: Audi Communication Motorsport The 2005 season is sixth and, at the same time, the last for the Audi R8 the most successful Le Mans Prototype of all time. 52 victories from 62 races so far, and counting. New regulations are valid for the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the sportscar race […] More »
November 25, 2004 Source: Audi Communication Motorsport 2004 was one of the most successful years for AUDI AG, and one of the most successful in the marque’s long motorsport history. The successful DTM comeback with victory in the Drivers’, Manufacturers’ and Teams’ Championships and the fourth Audi R8 win at the Le Mans 24 Hours […] More »
November 22, 2004 By: Jason Teller Various online reports are saying that the president of Audi Japan will be named, perhaps as early as today, to succeed Axel Mees who was fired last week after making critical remarks about the VW Phaeton and former VW AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech.
November 17, 2004 By: Jason Teller What does it take to end an 8 month stint as Vice President in charge of Audi of America and Canada? I’m betting Axel Mees would like to take back the unflattering comments he made about former Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piech and the VW Phaeton to journalists gathered in […] More »


text:
The thieves cut a hole into the ceiling of the store, rappelled down and stole iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, among other Apple electronic devices.
Want to modernise your banking loan application?
Build an application that analyses credit risk with #IBMCloud Pak for Data on #RedHat #OpenShift
Click here to know moreAdvertisements
Apple could become the first American company with a trillion dollar valuation. Thanks to the popularity of its costly products, the Cupertino-based giant is now worth about $945 billion. For the fiscal 2018 second quarter that ended on March 31, it posted revenue of $61.1 billion, an increase of 16 percent from the year-ago quarter. But there is another side to the costly products -- they attract thieves like magnets. In an incident in the US, robbers stole Apple products worth over $100,000 from a Best Buy retail store.
According to a report in CNET, the theft took place in Dunwoody city in Georgia where thieves carved out a hole in the roof of a Best Buy store, rappelled down, broke into the storage area where the Apple products were kept and stole them -- just like it is seen in Hollywood movies. The Dunwoody police department confirmed the details to CNET.
Police spokesperson Robert Parsons compared the crime to a movie heist. “Someone that comes in, it's a 'Mission Impossible' style burglary,” Parsons was quoted as saying. He said the burglars stole thousands in iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and more and are still absconding.
This is not the first time that Apple has lost so many products in thievery. Last year, a group of robbers invented a way to get iPhone X without getting into a line. They stole more than 300 iPhone X phones worth over $370,000 before the devices were put in the store. Three people stole the smartphones from a UPS truck parked outside an Apple Store in San Francisco.
A journalist at heart; has knowledge of a wide gamut of topics related to enterprise and consumer tech.
Popular Mobile PhonesView All
Digit caters to the largest community of tech buyers, users and enthusiasts in India. The all new Digit in continues the legacy of Thinkdigit.com as one of the largest portals in India committed to technology users and buyers. Digit is also one of the most trusted names when it comes to technology reviews and buying advice and is home to the Digit Test Lab, India's most proficient center for testing and reviewing technology products.
We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


text:
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Doctors say it’s time to make annual appointments a priority again.
“There have been many people, patients of mine, that have sort of taken 2020 and 2021 off for doing what they consider the unnecessary or the nonurgent physician appointments,” said Dr. Seth B. Forman, Dermatologist at ForCare Dermatology.
According to the American Cancer Society, it’s estimated by the end of this year that 106,110 people will have been diagnosed with new melanoma cases and 7,180 people are expected to die.
Experts say those numbers are higher than years prior.
“I want to remind people that skin cancer does not take a break, or any type of cancer for that matter, it doesn’t take a break just because there’s a pandemic,” said Forman.
That’s why they’re pushing doctor office visits again before something that was preventable becomes irreversible.
“I encourage patients to get all of their cancer screenings and remain up to date because you could be saving your life,” said Forman.
As dermatologists encourage people to make skin health a priority, they also want to remind people to check their sunscreen.
There was a voluntary recall for sunscreens containing the chemical, benzene, last month.
RELATED: Study finds cancer-causing chemical in 78 sunscreens
“They thought it was due to getting into the bloodstream. And we don’t want benzene in the bloodstream. It can be a toxic organic material,” said Forman.
Doctors worry people never checked and may still have it on their shelves at home.
They stress there are still plenty of safe sunscreens available, and people need to use them. They’re the first line of defense to protect from those rising skin cancer rates.
“I want to make sure that these types of scares occasionally will scare people from using all types of sunscreens. We certainly don’t want that to be the case,” said Forman.
Dermatologists say people should be wearing sunscreen and protective clothing year-round, rain or shine.
“The ultraviolet rays do get through clouds. It’s still there if it’s cold outside so you need to protect yourself at all times,” said Forman.


text:
Hong Kong, April 7th, 2014 – The Hoffman Agency, an independent, global public relations firm has been appointed as Bosch’s public relations agency in Hong Kong. The Hoffman Agency has eight wholly owned offices worldwide spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Silicon Valley and Europe.
“After a rigorous selection process, The Hoffman Agency stood out as the best partner to advance our story in the local market,” said Winnie Li, Senior Marketing Executive of BSH Home Appliances Limited. “The team has demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand and convinced us that they have what it takes to elevate awareness of Bosch in Hong Kong.”
Today, Bosch is Europe’s leading household appliance brand. It offers premium quality, ease of operations and outstanding & advanced European-made-and engineered technology.
Hoffman will develop innovative communications initiatives that are specially crafted to boost Bosch as a leader in sustainability and home appliances in Hong Kong including product launches, social media campaigns and tie-ins with local lifestyle brand partners.
“We’re brimming with excitement at the opportunity to work with Bosch, one of the most prestigious household appliance brands in the world,” said Jenny Chan, General Manager of The Hoffman Agency Hong Kong. “Storytelling is in our genes and we will work closely together to make Bosch’s story a household legend in Hong Kong.”
About The Hoffman Agency
The Hoffman Agency (www.hoffman.com) helps companies in markets of technical complexity communicate compelling messages across the world. Thanks to a unique global infrastructure and culture, The Hoffman Agency takes a collaborative approach to implementing multi-country programs. Its operation extends across Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.


text:
Twitter announced Wednesday that it has acquired payments infrastructure company CardSpring.
CardSpring is a startup that helps merchants connect to publishers to create online-to-offline promotions. The company bills itself as a company that lets businesses "build apps for payment cards." The idea is that you can add a coupon or a promotion directly to your method of payment, meaning that buying a distinct product — or even shopping at a particular store — can trigger an action or discount when done on a specific payment method.
Twitter's plans for CardSpring aren't 100% clear. On its blog, the company says that the team and technology at CardSpring will be a "great fit" for its approach towards the future of commerce, but actual details relating to whether the company or product will exist in the future aren't spelled out.
On its website, CardSpring says it will "will continue to grow the adoption of our platform and work with our publisher, financial, and retail partners to create new, innovative commerce experiences for consumers." Still, it's not clear if that means that CardSpring as a brand and API will continue, or if it will simply be folded into existing Twitter commerce systems.
Twitter is actively working in the commerce space as a way to promote and deliver deals. In May, the company even introduced a way for users to add items to their Amazon shopping carts with a tweet.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.


text:
To parents with teenagers, life isn’t always easy, and today it seems it just got a bit harder for parents who use the monitoring app Teen Safe. The app Teen Safe allows parents to monitor their child’s phone activity, such as call logs, texts,
Heads up Xbox 360 owners, per a post on the Xbox support site, as of May 18, 2018 the Xbox 360 SmartGlass App is being retired. Per Microsoft, Xbox 360 users will need to either move to the Xbox app for iOS, Android, Windows 10
On Saturday (May 12, 2018), Chili’s Bar & Grill reported that “some of our Guests payment card information from certain restaurants was compromised”. Chili’s is calling it a Data “Incident”.
It appears whatever happened to the ABC tv owned websites has now been resolved. •••••••••••••••• As of 8a (ET) All ABC TV owned sites still appear down. At this time 6 ABC in Philly has acknowledged the issue via Twitter. And ABC 7 NY has
Another month another merchant announces that their point of sale system was compromised. This time it’s Forever 21 reporting their point of sale was compromised. Forever 21 Announcement – Point of Sale Compromised
Microsoft Groove Music Shutting Down After Today. A couple of months ago, Microsoft announced that the Groove Music Service was going to be shut down at the end of 2017. Well its now the end of 2017.
AG Ferguson’s lawsuit reveals Comcast deceived customers, charged for service plans without consent In 2016, the Attorney General in the state of Washington filed a $100 million dollar lawsuit against Comcast for deceiving customers and charging for service plans without consent.
Via Wired: Explanation of What Net Neutrality Vote Means On 12-14-17 the FCC (in the USA) voted to end Net Neutrality rules that were put in place in 2015. One of the interesting parts of the vote, is that the person that was put in
According to a post on the Imgur website, they have suffered a data breach that affects 1.7 million users of the site. For those who don’t use the site, Imgur is an online image sharing community and image host founded by Alan Schaaf in 2009.
I’m sure over the last couple of weeks (or months) you have heard about the upcoming solar eclipse on Monday, if you happen to live in an area that will get to see it. For starters, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN while trying


text:
Destruction AllStars has received a new patch that makes a number of significant changes to the game.
The key change has been fixing so-called "ghost hits", where players feel like they lose vehicle health for no apparent reason. This tends to happen when other players are close by but appear to not make contact.
Developer Lucid Games believes this is caused by latency issues, and has "worked on a new set of parameters between the game and the servers which should help keep everyone in sync a bit better than it had previously".
Another big change has been to vehicle slam cooldowns. Lucid says it received feedback saying cooldowns happened too frequently, leaving players frustrated by being unable to hit targets. In response, cooldowns have been "drastically lowered".
Aside from changes, Lucid has made a number of additions to the game, including new skins and cosmetics, online parties for solo game modes, a new quickplay playlist, buffs to AllStars and hero vehicles, two reworked Mayhem maps with smaller arena sizes, three new premium AllStar Pass tiers, and a refreshed shop interface.
While Lucid works on fixing the game's "core experience", season one has been extended with more tiers in the AllStar Pass.
"In desperate need of depth and content, Destruction AllStars is at least a fun whizz around the corner," Wesley wrote in Eurogamer's Destruction AllStars review back in February, calling it a "slick but shallow arcade racer".


text:
Apple fans are always excited whenever the company announces new iDevice. This has been the case for a long time and the recent unveiling of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus was no different. Even though Apple will start shipping the iPhone 6 on September 19th (this Friday) some retailers are already listing the device on their websites for customers to pre-order .
In Africa, the only retailer listing the iPhone 6 is South Africa’s online giant, BidorBuy through one of its sellers who goes by the name onlinebargains.
The seller had listed 10 units and has managed to sell one unit by the time of writing this. The price for this device is not cheap at R16 499 (approximately Kshs. 135,000), this will of course come down when the device is officially unveiled. BidorBuy CEO Jaco Jonke was excited with this first sale and took to Twitter to express his excitement saying, “First iPhone 6 already sold on @bidorbuy_co_za albeit at a hefty premium. Some just got to have it now.”
Shipping on September 19 will be for a few markets with others joining the list on September 22. It is not clear when the iPhone 6 will bet to Kenya but expect it sometime from late November to mid December this year.
Thanks to Stephen for the tip.


text:
Apple’s Money Burning Holes in Their Pockets, May Bid for Adobe, Facebook, Sony, Disney…Wait…Sony???
I’ve come across several articles today about Apple planning to purchase 1 or many of other large popular companies. This seems pretty reasonable as they have 51 billion dollars waiting to be spent with no debt. I, however, find myself hard pressed to believe these rumors even now that some official editorials are reporting the information such as the New York Times or Barrons Financial News Site.
What is most likely, is that if there is any truth to these rumors, then Apple will most likely be making a bid for a company within hours from now. thesixthaxis.com believes that the bid will mostly likely be made for EA but does not support this with a source.
No matter what happens, it’s going to be a crazy day for the US market.
I really hope a purchase for Sony is not made. While I think there are many pro’s and cons to said purchase, I prefer things the way they are. How about you?


text:
Korea develops antiviral nasal spray
Product image of coronavirus-killing nasal spray RHINOdeLIGHT (Korea Institute of Science and Technology)
South Korean researchers have developed a nasal spray that can kill viruses and bacteria including COVID-19, the culprit of the unprecedented pandemic, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday.
Labeled the “invisible mask” for its capacity to prevent virus infection as if one was wearing a mask, the nasal spray can remove harmful substances from the outside and protect the mucus membrane, according to the KIST.
In order for the sprayed liquid to take effect, it needs to be irradiated with light-emitting diodes. Once the LED light is provided, the methylene blue nanoparticles inside the sprayed liquid reacted to the surrounding oxygen and curbed the replication of the coronavirus.
According to the KIST, the nasal spray, whose commercial name is RHINOdeLIGHT, received government approval to be sold as a medical device in April. The nasal spray is expected to provide a solution for COVID-19’s endemic phase, when people are still hesitant to take off their mask, it added.
“We expect the product to be available in the market before the end of the first half of this year,” a KIST official said.
The official said the product will come with LED irradiation devices in a shape similar to earphones with wires. Once users spray the product into the nose, the earphone-shaped LED device should be plugged into the nostrils and irradiate the inside of the nose for about three minutes for the virus-killing ability to become effective, he added.
According to the official, the protective effect of the nasal spray can last up to several hours.
D.R.NANO is a company established by the KIST in 2015 on the basis of the technology behind the nasal spray. The company has been in charge of the development and commercialization of RHINOdeLIGHT.
“This is a meaningful achievement in that the excellent technology developed by the KIST led to the establishment of a bio venture and the eventual sales approval of an actual medical device through continuous follow-up research,” said Dr. Yoon Seok-jin, KIST president.
By Kan Hyeong-woo (email@example.com)


text:
The Lenzing Group, the leading global supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, will invest more than EUR 200 mn in its production sites in Purwakarta (Indonesia) and Nanjing (China) to convert existing standard viscose capacity into environmentally responsible specialty fibers.
“With our ambitious climate targets towards a zero-carbon future, we are pioneers in the entire manufacturing industry and especially in the fiber sector. Our investments in China and Indonesia underpin that investments in improving our eco-footprint are at the same time value-enhancing for shareholders. These investments are a substantial step towards our strategic targets for 2024”, says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group.
“We are and will remain a reliable partner for both the textiles and the nonwovens value chain in the long term”, says Stephan Sielaff, Member of the Managing Board of Lenzing. “The strategic focus on specialty fibers is fully in line with the growing market demand for sustainable viscose.”
In Nanjing (China) Lenzing will establish the first wood-based fiber complex in China that is independent of coal as an energy source. By using natural gas-based cogeneration, Lenzing will reduce CO2 emissions at the site by more than 200,000 tons. At the same time, a line of standard viscose will be converted to a 35.000 tons TENCEL™ branded modal fibers line making Lenzing (Nanjing) Fibers Co., Ltd a 100 percent wood-based specialty fiber site by the end of 2022. In Purwakarta (Indonesia), Lenzing will reduce its CO2 emissions by increasingly using biogenic fuels. Additional investments to reduce emissions to air and water will make this facility fully compliant with the EU Ecolabel by the end of 2022. That will allow converting standard viscose capacity into LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers for textile applications as well as LENZING™ Viscose Eco fibers for personal care and hygiene applications. As a result, the site in Indonesia will also become a pure specialty viscose supplier as of 2023.
Both investments are fully in line with Lenzing’s target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by 2030. By avoiding or reducing the use of fossil fuels at the two sites, the Lenzing Group will be able to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 320,000 tons in total, or 18 percent, compared to 2017. In addition, this investment allows Lenzing also to reduce its total sulfur emissions by more than 50 percent, compared to 2019.
Together with its major lyocell fiber project in Thailand, Lenzing will also boost its share in specialty fibers as a percentage of fiber revenues to well above the targeted 75 percent already by 2023, which in turn is an important step towards achieving the company’s EBITDA target of EUR 800 mn by 2024.


text:
By Dipo Olowookere
Journalist-cum PR executive, Mr Muyiwa Akintunde, has been announced as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TPT International Limited.
TPT International, which has Mr Adetokunbo Modupe as its Chairman and Lead Strategist, is a full-service public relations firm maintaining practice areas in crisis management, corporate communications, strategic counselling, media relations, information communications technology and social media.
Mr Akintunde has over 25 years of cumulative experience in public relations and journalism. He is the Vice President of the Public Relations Consultants of Nigeria (PRCAN) and, until lately, the Lead Consultant of Leap Communications.
He was Executive Director at MarketingMix, a reputable brand communications consultancy acknowledged as the Best PR Agency of the Year 2010 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State chapter.
He transited from journalism to PR when he joined the then Corporate and Financials (now C&F Porter Novelli) in April 2004 as Group Head Media.
His skills in reputation management, issues management and stakeholder relations, media and influencer relations and public affairs have been deployed to several international brands including MTN, Emirates, Procter & Gamble, Tinapa Business Resort, Unilever, UAC, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), among others.
Mr Akintunde was editor at several publications including UK-based Africa Today, Newswatch, Theweek, The Post Express and reporter with The Guardian and TimesWeek, a Daily Times publication.
He has been in the executive committee of PRCAN since 2010 serving in various capacities and leads the team that runs the PRCAN Masterclass series, the association’s capacity development initiative.
Commenting on this development, Mr Modupe said the appointment was to further strengthen the capacity of TPT International in its march to proffer creative solution to clients’ briefs and sustain innovation and professionalism in its operations.
Ecobank Ellevate, Others Train Fashion Entrepreneurs in Nigeria
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
To empower and expose local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria to the global market, Ecobank Ellevate has partnered with Ananse Africa and MasterCard Foundation to train fashion entrepreneurs and creatives in Nigeria.
Ecobank Ellevate is a proprietary service offering designed for businesses owned by women, managed by women and those with a high percentage of female board members or employees, as well as companies manufacturing products for women.
Speaking at a hybrid event which took place at the Ecobank Pan Africa Centre (EPAC) in Lagos on Thursday, the Head of Consumer Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs Korede Demola-Adeniyi, assured that the bank would continue to support initiatives designed to boost the country’s economy.
“This is an innovative impact-driven programme designed to equip women fashion entrepreneurs with valuable business skills to be better empowered and to equip them with more skills in their chosen field in fashion.
“For us as a bank, we are delighted to partner with Ananse and Mastercard Foundation to organise this training program. It aligns with our focus on enabling SMEs to grow their businesses to compete in the global market.
“Remember, we are also using Adire as a key driver in the fashion industry. Last year we took Adire technology to the global arena; we partnered with Ogun State First Lady through Ajose Foundation Adire Market Week, which attracted over 1000 local and foreign exhibitors.
“We organized a successful Lagos Adire Experience and sponsored Africa Fashion Week London 2022 with an Adire pavilion,” the banker said in her welcome address.
Mrs Demola-Adeniyi introduced to the participants the bank’s various products, services, and digital offerings such as “Ecobank Mobile app, Ecobank Online, Ecobank Omnilite, EcobankPay, Ellevate, a relationship package to cater for female-owned and female-run businesses and over 60,000 Ecobank Xpress Point agency banking locations spread across the country, among others.”
Earlier, the founder/CEO of Ananse Africa, Sam Mensah, said the training, which centres on e-commerce and digital marketing, is targeted at women and youths in fashion and creative MSMEs who want to start trading online or improve their current online presence, adding that, participants will receive continued practical support to setup or improve their online stores for three months after the session.
“We intend to take the training to four other African countries, including Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, in the next few months.
“There are lots of economic opportunities for youth and women across Africa in the fashion business. Our technology solution solves key problems behind the market challenges that prevent African fashion designers and creatives from being commercially successful and growing their businesses,” he said.
Mr Mensah listed the benefits to include digital PoS for improved inventory management, local and international payments, marketing exposure, global logistics for increased sales and hassle-free global e-commerce, among others.
Ananse Africa is an e-commerce platform that equips African fashion designers and creatives for local and international trade.
ALAT Urges Nigerians to Imbibe Stronger Savings, Investment Culture
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A campaign aimed at encouraging Nigerians to imbibe a healthy savings and investment culture has been introduced by Nigeria’s leading digital bank, ALAT by Wema.
In a statement, the lender disclosed that the initiative would help Nigerians build a strong financial base in the new year.
The bank has urged both existing and new customers to take advantage of its numerous savings offerings to grow their finances and create wealth by cultivating a strong culture of regular savings and investment.
According to the Acting Head of Brand and Marketing Communication at Wema Bank, Ms Morolake Philip-Ladipo, there are nine savings services on ALAT that customers can choose from, noting that they can earn up to 10 per cent interest.
“As people resume their various activities after the festive season, the early weeks of the year are often associated with a rise in spending.
“There are nine savings plans on ALAT that customers can choose from to ramp up their savings and investment. Naturally, it is difficult for people to save money because there isn’t going to be sufficient money to keep after spending.
“However, there is a more significant gain when people cultivate the discipline of making regular savings and investment a lifestyle,” she said.
For customers who would like to spend, the Spend and Save feature is the most convenient option.
Customers can automatically save a percentage of the transaction amount on ALAT and earn interest on their savings. They determine the specific transaction type and duration when a withdrawal can be made.
Other savings and investment products include Stash, Flexi Goal, Spend and Save, Fixed Goal, Lock Up Savings, Dollar Plan, Investment, and Rotating Savings.
Ms Philip-Ladipo added that the various savings features available were designed to meet the preferences and needs of everyone who desires to be intentional about their savings and investment culture.
KPMG Rates Stanbic IBTC Bank High in Retail, Corporate Banking
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The KPMG 2022 Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience (CX) Survey has rated Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc high in retail and corporate banking in the country.
According to the report, Stanbic IBTC Bank occupied the first position with a 73.8 CX score out of 100 in the retail segment and sustained the leading position for the second consecutive year. Time and effort are the drivers of performance in the retail category, and the bank outperformed its peers in this regard.
Stanbic IBTC Bank, which held the top position in the retail and SME segments last year, performed well across key customer journey areas, particularly in resolution – a key area of improvement for the industry where customers rate banks on timeliness and quality of feedback on issues as well as the ability and ease of reporting issues and concerns.
Other customer journey areas where Stanbic IBTC Bank came tops included discovery – the ease of getting information about the bank coupled with professional and friendly staff, the ease of account opening with digital-only options and the speedy onboarding process.
Stanbic IBTC Bank is among the top three in transacting – accessibility, timeliness, and quality of service from physical and digital channels, and in account maintenance which covers requests for account statements, general enquiries and updates to account information with accuracy and completeness.
Moving up five places compared to last year’s report, Stanbic IBTC Bank also emerged as this year’s leader in the corporate segment with an 80.9 score out of 100 and received great feedback on the depth of their relationship managers’ knowledge in key sectors.
The report also revealed that Stanbic IBTC successfully closed the gap in digital banking, emerging as a clear leader in the industry.
Speaking on these achievements, the chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Wole Adeniyi, said, “The primary goal of the bank is to forge lasting relationships with its clients by offering timely, creative, and valuable solutions that benefit them. We are fully committed to serving Nigerians with top-notch financial services.”
According to Mr Adeniyi, “2022 has been remarkable for us at Stanbic IBTC. Asides from these good standings revealed by the KPMG report, the globally renowned credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings, also reaffirmed the retention of our National Long-Term ‘AAA (nga)’ and National Short-Term ‘F1+(nga)’ ratings for the Stanbic IBTC Group and Stanbic IBTC Bank respectively.”
“The National Long-Term ‘AAA (nga)’ and National Short-Term ‘F1+(nga)’ Ratings are the highest possible ratings on Fitch’s rating scale, and we were rated high based on the potential support from our parent company, Standard Bank Group, based in South Africa. We play a vital role in Standard Bank Group’s main operations in West Africa, and we retained our ratings based on our size and high operational integration,” he added.
Fitch Ratings assessed Stanbic IBTC’s strategic importance as the holding company for Standard Bank Group’s leading corporate and investment banking (CIB) and wealth businesses in Nigeria and Stanbic IBTC Bank’s position as an integral part of its Nigerian operations. It also considered Standard Bank Group’s controlling ownership of Stanbic IBTC, high integration of risk management, operations and strategy, shared branding, and Stanbic IBTC’s moderate contribution to Standard Bank Group’s net income.
The ‘AAA (nga)’ is given to issuers with the lowest expectation of default risk when compared with their competitors. The National Short-Term Rating of ‘F1+(nga)’ is assigned to issuers that have a strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments in comparison to other issuers in Nigeria.
Mr Adeniyi noted that the organisation’s competitive position, good risk profile, healthy funding, and liquidity position also facilitated its upgrade in the Global Credit Ratings (GCR). The national scale long-term issuer rating assigned to Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC was upgraded to AAA(NG) from AA+(NG) and the national scale short-term issuer rating was A1+(NG), indicating a stable outlook and making Stanbic IBTC Bank the only financial institution in Nigeria with the rating.
He attributed the astounding performances of the organisation to the dedication and hard work of its workforce and the tenacity of the firm to continue to play vital roles in Nigeria’s economic development, stating that Stanbic IBTC would not relent in developing sustainable solutions that ensure customers’ delight and the company’s success in the Nigerian financial services spectrum.
Latest News on Business Post
- Streamlining and Increasing Pharmacy Inventory Workflow January 27, 2023
- Ecobank Ellevate, Others Train Fashion Entrepreneurs in Nigeria January 27, 2023
- ALAT Urges Nigerians to Imbibe Stronger Savings, Investment Culture January 27, 2023
- Lavrov Yet to Begin Choosing between Illusions and Reality for Africa January 27, 2023
- Is Loan Financing The Best For Startups? January 27, 2023
- How to Improve the Efficacy of Your Remote Workforce January 27, 2023
- How Much Is House Rent In Abuja? Everything You Need To Know January 27, 2023
- Unlisted Securities Market Gets 0.34% Boost Thursday January 27, 2023
- Naira Crashes at Parallel Market, Gains at Official Market January 27, 2023
- Stock Market Rebounds by 0.29% as GTCO, Others Enjoy Patronage January 27, 2023


text:
We all wish we were paying less for car insurance. Most of us are paying hundreds of dollars a year for insurance we’ll probably never use, and if we do try to use it the insurance company will do its best not to pay the claim, and then jack up your premiums. But, is it worth putting the safety of your vehicle at risk just to save a few bucks?
I wrote a blog post about how the Snapshot dongle from Progressive Insurance is insecure and puts cars at risk:
There are more than 2 million vehicles on the roads in the United States taking advantage of the Snapshot dongle to earn cheaper rates from Progressive Insurance. The little device monitors and tracks driving behavior to reward safe drivers but a security researcher has revealed that it is insecure and could also put the vehicle in danger.
According to the Progressive Insurance website, you just plug the Snapshot device into the OBD-II port in your vehicle. Most recent vehicles have one—it’s a diagnostic port typically found somewhere beneath the steering column. Snapshot then logs your driving habits, such as what time of day you drive, how you drive, and how hard you brake. Assuming you drive safely, Progressive will reward you with discounted rates on insurance.
Corey Thuen, a security researcher, scrutinized the Snapshot and the access it has to the vehicle computer systems, however, and discovered some serious concerns. Thuen reports that the device is completely lacking in security and can be exploited by a hacker to take control over crucial vehicle functions—possibly putting the lives of people inside the vehicle at risk.
“The story, highlighting how a Bluetooth dongle used to gather vehicle data can be compromised, provides another example of how, as our cars become increasingly connected, we open the door to threats that have long existed in the PC and smartphone world,” warns David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. “As well as gaining remote access to the vehicle, cybercriminals could potentially exploit features such as self-parking, active lane control, pre-collision systems and adaptive cruise control, all of which require some level of communication between a sensor and the car’s mechanical systems.”
Read the full blog post on CSOOnline: Insecure Snapshot dongle puts 2 million cars at risk.
- Detecting Anomalies with ‘Project Caspian’ - February 19, 2024
- The Strategic Partnership Elevating API and Endpoint Security - February 15, 2024
- Simplifying Cybersecurity from Confusion to Clarity - February 12, 2024


text:
A closer look at the market, the major players, and what the area lacks.
The market for intelligent virtual assistants is projected to reach a near $16 billion by 2021. This entails a 43.64% compounded annual growth rate. This growth is driven by a variety of use cases, in industries ranging from banking, ecommerce to healthcare. Organizations are implanting intelligent assistants to not only handle simple tasks, but to collect data, and ultimately free up some of their work force for more creative tasks.
In addition to organizations, intelligent assistants within the home is a large growth driver. Amazon is expected to sell 10-12 million AI speakers this year alone. Google is not far behind with their home assistant, and apple is joining the game too (albeit at a much higher price point). It should be noted that Google and Amazon aren’t looking to make money off of their hardware devices per say—they’re really selling the constantly improving software. Improving a product and an AI means utilizing the data. Did you know that every single voice snippet that Google hears, it stores? (Here at Mycroft we have an opt-in for contributing your data.)
Well, the more AI assistants that get shipped out, the more data the companies collect.
The implications of this are widespread, especially when it comes to legal situations. Remember that time an Arkansas man was murdered in his home, and Amazon wasn’t keen on releasing the recordings from within the home.
This has spurred legal experts and techies alike to consider where to draw the line with what information government has access too.
“Because technology is invading our homes and our lives in pervasive ways that we can’t dream of escaping, I think we need a societal conversation about what aspects of that technology are going to be available to law enforcement period,” said Barry Friedman, a Stanford Law professor.
Virtual assistants deployed in organizations are also capturing mass data. Think about this—if you’re deploying voice in your company and using one of the major vendors on the market, you’re sending them all of your data. Chances are, you’re competing with them on some front, but you’re still letting them process your precious data?
Queue the need for a neutral player in the voice assistant field. One that doesn’t rely on a third party for processing data. I.E. an open source alternative.
There are still some details to work out, but voice is the future. Youtube vlogger and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerhuk talks about voice assistants being the next search engine. Watch the clip below for his thoughts on why Amazon is in a position to wipe out google, and why entrepreneurs should work on building voice technology.
Alyx works as a business analyst for Mycroft, working with data to shape metrics and the broader marketing strategy. She also writes these blog posts.


text:
Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author.
Grab’s stock jumped by 10.78 per cent following yesterday’s earnings call, which saw Singapore-based superapp beating analyst estimates, reporting 77 per cent revenue growth, 74 per cent fall in losses year-on-year, as well as faster than anticipated path to positive EBITDA in 2023.
This means Grab is getting closer to profitability while still posting very rapid growth, nearly doubling its business in a year.
Deliveries back to pandemic highs
Adding to optimism is the fact that Grab’s delivery business has surged beyond pandemic highs it reached in Q1 2022, right before most restrictions were dropped and customers returned to purchasing food (mostly) in person.
It’s true that inflation has likely contributed to the bump, but its impact should have been seen in the previous two quarters already, so the increase reflects genuine boost to business, assuaging fears that Grab may be struggling to return to pandemic-induced boom.
It is also worth noting that the company has gotten better at extracting value, more than doubling its revenue on only slightly higher GMV than Q2 of last year and posting positive earnings, before deductions for taxes, depreciation and amortisation.
Stability in mobility…
Grab’s original market of personal mobility appears to have already matured under the company’s influence, with figures rising in lockstep with each other by about 30 per cent year on year.
…but there’s a long way to the “super” status
The most interesting figure of the whole report is one which isn’t often enough emphasised as the most critical to the business’ position: the number of monthly transacting users (MTUs).
It currently stands at 34.9 million, up from 32.6 million last year (+7 per cent).
This, more than anything else, shows just how far Grab still has to go in a region of close to 700 million people.
Depending on how you look at it, it might be a sign of great perspectives ahead or somewhat underwhelming growth for a company that’s over a decade old already and aims to become a truly household brand, used for more than ordering a ride or food delivery.
This relatively small user base finds its reflection in the figures reported by its financial services arm, which brought only $40 million in revenue last quarter. And while it constituted more than 220 per cent growth in a year, there is still a very long way ahead of it before it translates into a meaningful business and justifies the “super” app ambitions.
Featured Image Credit: MarketBeat


text:
By Kate Kelland and Ben Hirschler
LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Puffing on slim metal tubes loaded with pale yellow liquid, two London businessmen say they have between their lips a cure for what the U.N. calls "one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced".
Electronic cigarettes are the future, they argue. Cheaper, cleaner and cooler than smoking, "vaping" - using a vaporiser to inhale nicotine infused with exotic flavours ranging from pina colada to bubblegum - will spell the end of tobacco.
"After I first tried this, I left half a cigarette in the ashtray and never went back," says Zoltan Kore, who co-runs the newly opened London e-cigarette shop "Smoke No Smoke".
"I'm not a smoker now, I'm a vaper," says business partner Gabor Kovacs. "The awful morning coughing fits have gone, and the waking up in the night struggling to breathe has gone, too."
Such stories - and hopes of persuading the rest of the world's billion smokers to stub out their tar and toxin-loaded cigarettes, cutting a catalogue of chronic disease risks as they do - are tantalising for public health experts.
And since "vaping" doesn't entail kicking the addiction - either to the stimulant nicotine or to the behavioural habits of smoking - some say it can help smokers quit much more effectively than nicotine gum or patches.
COOL ALTERNATIVE, OR DANGEROUS GATEWAY?
All the top tobacco companies are now placing bets on e-smokes, which some analysts predict may outsell conventional cigarettes in 10 years, raising the counter-intuitive prospect that Big Tobacco could actually help people quit smoking.
Celebrities like Bruno Mars and Courtney Love are also endorsing them, a further inducement to makers of iconic cigarette brands like Marlboro and Camel to invest.
Yet e-cigarettes are far from universally accepted as a public health tool; regulators are agonising over whether to restrict them as "gateway" products to nicotine addiction and tobacco smoking, or embrace them as treatments for would-be quitters.
A big issue is the lack of long-term scientific evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes, prompting critics like the British Medical Association (BMA) to warn of the dangers of their unregulated use.
"These devices may also undermine efforts to prevent or stop smoking by making cigarette use seem normal in public and at work," argues the BMA, which has called for vaping to be banned in public places in Britain, just as smoking is.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is equally wary, saying that until e-cigarettes have been endorsed as safe and effective by national regulators, "consumers should be strongly advised not to use any of these products".
Supporters of e-cigarettes scoff at suggestions they are a hazard or could be a slippery slope for previously addiction-free young people to get hooked on nicotine.
There is, they argue, no evidence of any harm from nicotine consumption and it would be crazy to impose tougher restrictions on e-smokes than on toxic "death sticks" that are freely available to buy on almost every street corner worldwide.
As Adrian Everett, chief executive of Britain's leading e-cigarette company E-Lites put it in a comment to Reuters: "Comparing electronic cigarettes to tobacco is like comparing playing football to juggling live hand grenades."
While the debate rumbles, smoking is killing half of all those who do it. Tobacco has an annual death toll of 6 million people, and that could exceed 8 million by 2030 unless something urgent is done to stop people smoking, according to the WHO.
As well as causing lung cancer and other chronic respiratory diseases, smoking is also a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases, the world's number one killer.
"This could be the most effective method of smoking reduction that we have ever had," says Konstantinos Farsalinos of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Greece, who has conducted several studies exploring the risks of vaping.
His work, some of which has had some funding from makers of e-cigarettes, has found no adverse effects on heart function, nor any notable cancer risks to cells in the lungs.
Other research, however, suggests "vaping" may reduce lung capacity, and the German Cancer Research Center said last month it was concerned e-cigarette liquids contained ingredients that can irritate the airways, while poor quality products could contain carcinogens.
Against this background, a growing number of regulators see a need to control standards in a largely unregulated sector.
Britain became the latest to take the plunge this week by opting to regulate e-cigarettes as non-prescription medicines, after finding widely varying nicotine levels and contaminants in some existing products. This means manufacturers will need a licence from 2016, though they will still be sold in general stores.
A few countries have banned them outright - such as Brazil, Norway and Singapore - while others are opting for varying degrees of regulation, in some cases including limits on advertising and curbs on their use in public places.
France said last month it would impose the same restrictions on e-cigarettes as on conventional ones.
The European Union is proposing to limit the amount of nicotine they can hold before regulation kicks in, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has so far adopted a light touch, saying it plans to regulate e-cigarettes as it does tobacco.
Greater regulation, in one form or another, may sink smaller players that cannot afford to navigate through various licensing systems. But the rest will benefit from a halo of legitimacy.
In particular, that could play into the deep pockets of Big Tobacco - a prospect that makes some campaigners uneasy.
"Tobacco companies seem to be playing both sides of the game by selling cigarettes that cause thousands of deaths a year but also selling products designed to reduce the harm," says Martin Dockrell of British campaign group Action on Smoking and Health.
"There are some real risks here that need to be managed."
NO-BRAINER FOR TOBACCO FIRMS
For tobacco companies seeking to offset the decline in traditional smoking, judicious investment in e-cigarettes has become a no-brainer.
Altria, owner of Philip Morris, maker of the world's top-selling cigarette brand Marlboro, became the last of the major tobacco companies to jump on the bandwagon this week.
It is following in the steps of U.S. rivals Reynolds American, maker of Camel, and Lorillard, which paid $135 million to acquire Blu Ecigs in 2012. British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco are investing too.
Market consultant Euromonitor estimates the world market for e-cigarettes was more than $2 billion last year, with the United States accounting for a quarter of that. And the market is growing at breakneck speed.
Bonnie Herzog, an analyst at Wells Fargo bank in New York, believes the U.S. market alone will top $1 billion this year. By 2023, she predicts, there could be more vapers than smokers.
That poses a challenge to makers of nicotine-replacement products such as gum and patches, sold by drugmakers including Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, but it is a huge opportunity for the newcomers.
They include hundreds of small firms selling vaping devices made in China, where e-cigarettes were first invented, as well as a few larger pure-play e-smoke groups like U.S.-based NJOY.
NJOY this month raised $75 million from entrepreneurs including Sean Parker, co-founder of the music-sharing site Napster - another feather in its cap after recently luring former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona onto its board.
At Kore and Kovacs' green, sharped-lined shop in Camden in trendy North London, the watermelon and cherry flavoured vaping liquids and shiny offers of Swarovski-crystal-encrusted e-cigarettes are a far cry from the smoky reds and dusty browns one would expect in an old-style tobacconist's.
The pair say they are pursuing a deliberately clean image, designed to show how vaping can detoxify nicotine addiction.
These are exciting but uncertain times for e-smoke pioneers facing a wave of new rules in a hitherto unregulated market.
For now, Kore welcomes plans by Britain to regulate e-cigarettes as medicines. It will ensure safe standards and keep what he calls the "dodgy companies who mix nicotine liquids in the basement" out of the market.
But he's clear that excessively stringent rules would be dangerously counterproductive, banishing e-cigarettes to an inaccessible niche market and crushing an opportunity to improve health and save lives.
"To make people go back to smoking poisonous, stinking cigarettes is something that just must not happen," he said.