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Fintech News – UK needs to have a fintech taskforce to safeguard £11bn business, says report by Ron Kalifa
The government has been urged to build a high-profile taskforce to lead development in financial technology as part of the UK’s progress plans after Brexit.
The body, which may be known as the Digital Economy Taskforce, would draw together senior figures from across government and regulators to co-ordinate policy and eliminate blockages.
The recommendation is actually a component of an article by Ron Kalifa, former boss of your payments processor Worldpay, which was made by the Treasury in July to think of ways to create the UK 1 of the world’s leading fintech centres.
“Fintech isn’t a niche market within financial services,” states the review’s author Ron Kalifa OBE.
Kalifa’s Fintech Review lastly published: Here are the five key results Image source: Ron Kalifa OBE/Bank of England.
For weeks rumours are actually swirling concerning what can be in the long awaited Kalifa review into the fintech sector as well as, for the most part, it seems that most were area on.
According to FintechZoom, the report’s publication comes almost a year to the morning that Rishi Sunak initially said the review in his first budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer found May last year.
Ron Kalifa OBE, a non executive director of the Court of Directors at the Bank of England as well as the vice chairman of WorldPay, was selected by Sunak to head upwards the deep plunge into fintech.
Here are the reports 5 important recommendations to the Government:
Regulation and policy
In a move that has got to be music to fintech’s ears, Kalifa has suggested developing as well as adopting common data requirements, meaning that incumbent banks’ slow legacy methods just simply won’t be enough to get by anymore.
Kalifa has additionally advised prioritising Smart Data, with a specific target on open banking as well as opening upwards more channels of correspondence between open banking-friendly fintechs and bigger financial institutions.
Open Finance also gets a shout-out in the article, with Kalifa informing the authorities that the adoption of available banking with the intention of attaining open finance is of paramount importance.
As a direct result of their increasing popularity, Kalifa has also recommended tighter regulation for cryptocurrencies and he has also solidified the determination to meeting ESG goals.
The report implies the construction associated with a fintech task force as well as the improvement of the “technical awareness of fintechs’ markets” and business models will help fintech flourish with the UK – Fintech News .
Following the success belonging to the FCA’ regulatory sandbox, Kalifa has also suggested a’ scalebox’ that will assist fintech companies to grow and expand their businesses without the fear of choosing to be on the wrong aspect of the regulator.
So as to deliver the UK workforce up to speed with fintech, Kalifa has suggested retraining employees to meet the expanding needs of the fintech sector, proposing a set of low-cost training classes to do it.
Another rumoured accessory to have been incorporated in the article is a new visa route to ensure high tech talent is not put off by Brexit, promising the UK remains a leading international competitor.
Kalifa indicates a’ Fintech Scaleup Stream’ which will offer those with the required skills automatic visa qualification and also offer assistance for the fintechs selecting high tech talent abroad.
As earlier suspected, Kalifa indicates the federal government produce a £1bn Fintech Growth Fund to help homegrown firms scale and grow.
The report indicates that a UK’s pension planting containers might be a fantastic source for fintech’s financial support, with Kalifa mentioning the £6 trillion now sat within private pension schemes within the UK.
As per the report, a tiny slice of this particular cooking pot of money may be “diverted to high development technology opportunities like fintech.”
Kalifa in addition has suggested expanding R&D tax credits because of the popularity of theirs, with ninety seven per dollar of founders having used tax incentivised investment schemes.
Despite the UK acting as home to several of the world’s most successful fintechs, very few have picked to list on the London Stock Exchange, for reality, the LSE has seen a 45 per cent decrease in the number of companies which are listed on its platform since 1997. The Kalifa evaluation sets out measures to change that and makes some suggestions which seem to pre-empt the upcoming Treasury-backed assessment straight into listings led by Lord Hill.
The Kalifa report reads: “IPOs are thriving globally, driven in portion by tech organizations that will have become essential to both consumers and companies in search of digital tools amid the coronavirus pandemic plus it’s important that the UK seizes this particular opportunity.”
Under the suggestions laid out in the assessment, free float needs will be reduced, meaning businesses no longer have to issue not less than 25 per cent of the shares to the general population at any one time, rather they’ll just need to provide 10 per cent.
The examination also suggests implementing dual share components that are a lot more favourable to entrepreneurs, indicating they are going to be able to maintain control in their companies.
In order to ensure the UK is still a leading international fintech end point, the Kalifa assessment has suggested revising the present Fintech News – “Fintech International Action Plan.”
The review suggests launching a worldwide fintech portal, including a specific overview of the UK fintech world, contact information for regional regulators, case research studies of previous success stories as well as details about the help and support and grants readily available to international companies.
Kalifa even hints that the UK really needs to create stronger trade connections with before untapped markets, concentrating on Blockchain, regtech, payments and remittances and open banking.
Another solid rumour to be established is actually Kalifa’s recommendation to create ten fintech’ Clusters’, or regional hubs, to guarantee local fintechs are actually given the assistance to grow and expand.
Unsurprisingly, London is actually the only great hub on the listing, meaning Kalifa categorises it as a global leader in fintech.
After London, there are actually 3 large as well as established clusters in which Kalifa recommends hubs are proven, the Pennines (Leeds and Manchester), Scotland, with specific resource to the Edinburgh/Glasgow corridor, along with Birmingham – Fintech News .
While other facets of the UK were categorised as emerging or specialist clusters, including Bath and Bristol, Durham and Newcastle, Cambridge, West and Reading of London, Wales (especially Cardiff and South Wales) Northern Ireland.
The Kalifa review suggests nurturing the top 10 regions, making an endeavor to center on the specialities of theirs, while simultaneously enhancing the channels of communication between the other hubs.
Fintech News – UK needs a fintech taskforce to shield £11bn business, says article by Ron Kalifa


text: Apple’s expected launch on Tuesday of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max marks a continuation of its shift from offense to defense. Once synonymous with innovation — such as the first widely accepted all-screen phone and the launch of the App Store — Apple has gone from being the explorer of new territories to the defender of its fortress. Instead of attracting new customers to the Apple ecosystem with breakthrough innovation, Apple is focusing on preventing its loyal customers from defecting to Android-based devices. The incremental level of innovation in the iPhone 11 lineup is a sign of a broader problem for Apple. Not only is Apple running out of innovative ideas for the iPhone, but the whole smartphone category has matured to the point that innovation and sales may have peaked. That was my argument when the iPhone X came out almost two years ago and, in my mind, signaled a plateau in hardware innovation. In fact, I foresee the smartphone being progressively replaced by a plethora of smart devices with purpose-built display and functions — instead of relying on one single device for all that we do with digital services. Apple’s defensive stance can be seen in the expectations for the iPhone 11 lineup. The only talked-about improvement is said to be a camera system with three cameras on the back, and artificial intelligence (AI) that improves photo and video editing. While these features may satisfy loyal Apple customers, they aren’t revolutionary. Earlier this year, Samsung released the Galaxy S10 with four cameras. When it comes to putting AI in smartphones, Google is also in this space with the Pixel 3. Clearly, Apple is playing catchup. It doesn’t have a foldable or bendable screen; Samsung unveiled that earlier this year and in so doing took the innovation lead over Apple. The superfast 5G phone is available, but not from Apple. At some point, Apple will no doubt bring out iPhones with these innovations as well. And when it does, it will undoubtedly fire up its marketing machine to give the impression that Apple has “invented” the 5G phone or the foldable/bendable screen. The Apple brand carries an aura that still convinces people that it is the first to market with innovations, or at least the first to get the innovations right. The question is: How long can that last? Apple’s catchup game with incremental improvements in high-end phones may keep people loyal to its brand ecosystem. But the lack of real innovation will not result in market share gains. Keep in mind there is a subtle difference between a loyal customer who truly believes in a brand and one who is held hostage by the difficulty of leaving Apple’s walled garden. Apple has been largely a one-trick pony, although it’s a darn good trick that has garnered the company a valuation of about $1 trillion. That pony, though is clearly running out of steam, which is why Apple has been emphasizing its longer-term game plan of selling services, including Apple Pay and Apple Music. Indeed, services might build a new revenue stream, but they’re not a transformational business that will allow Apple to regain the title of lead innovator. When it comes to overall technological innovation, others are passing Apple by: Samsung and Google in smartphones and, in a separate but related area, Microsoft in AI. Brand loyalty lasts a long time, particularly when the brand is as powerful as Apple with a strong legacy of creating the new and different. But from what we’ve seen, there is no reason to expect Apple will soon start exploring new frontiers. For now, at least, it’s comfortable being holed up in its fortress.

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Earlier this year, iBall launched two laptops in the CompBook series – CompBook Excelance and CompBook Exemplaire at ₹9,999 and ₹13,999. Today, iBall is adding a 2-in-1 to the CompBook series – the Flip-X5.
iBall isn’t a brand you hear of outside the Indian subcontinent – it is, after all, an Indian company – however, they have made some well-built laptops for the Indian markets in the past.
The Flip-X5 has a ‘360-degree rotating hinge’ – much like the Lenovo Yoga series – supporting an 11.6-inch FHD touchscreen display; with a small screen like that, the laptop weighs only 1.37 Kg, despite a 10,000 mAh Li-Polymer battery that can deliver 8.5 hours of usage, per iBall.
How does a 10,000 mAh battery last 8.5 hours? Well, the laptop uses an Intel Atom Z8300 @ 1.44 Ghz – that’s a four-core processor, however, an Atom one; it’s complemented by 2 GB of DDR3 RAM as well as the Intel HD Graphics 5300.
For storage, the laptop has 32 GB of inbuilt flash storage that can be expanded with up to a 64 GB microSD card – very mobile-esque here.
Everything else is quite standard – a 2 MP webcam, 802.11 b/g/n WIFi, Bluetooth 4.0, MiniHDMI, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm jack that supports both a headphone and a mic. It also comes pre-installed with Windows 10 Home.
It’s not exactly a machine to be proud of for its engineering – but at the price of ₹14,999, it’s sure to make a few waves for those looking at budget laptops.
iBall’s previous offerings in the series – Excelance and Exemplaire – share much in common with the Flip-X5, but they are not a convertible, and that’s what’s going to sell this one – especially at that price.
The Flip-X5 is available right now via Amazon India, and various retail chains across India.


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India mandates all state-owned mineral-based companies to pool resources to acquire lithium assets overseas.
India now joins China, Korea and Japan in a race to acquire to high-quality lithium assets and secure long-term supply.
The nation will require over 60,000 T LCE by 2030.
This announcement has a positive read-through for advanced South American brine assets.
In recent weeks, the Indian government has placed mandates on all state-owned mineral-based companies to pool their resources to acquire lithium assets overseas.
With an estimated 4 million cars purchased each year in India, the 30% Indian government target would translate into 1.2 million electric vehicles per year by 2030. Assuming that Indian electric vehicles will require half the amount of lithium batteries compared to those in North America, each of the 1.2 million vehicles would require 35KWh of storage capacity. This would place total annual lithium battery requirements at 42GWh and 33T of lithium carbonate equivalent.
This does not include other secondary e-mobility applications, such as electric scooters and mass transit fleets. I included India’s electric bus initiatives in a recent document (Seeking Alpha: Mass Transit Fleets Shift To Electric, Driving Demand For Batteries). A 30% conversion of the Indian bus market to electric drive would command another 4MWh of battery capacity.
Early this year, Ather Energy, an India-based electric scooter manufacturer, launched the nation’s first smart electric scooter. Company executives stated,
“ 600 per week is a test volume and seems to be the right number,” Rathore added. “I would be very worried if they can’t sell these 100% for 52 straight weeks. On the other hand, they should be ready to multiply capacity 10x-100x if the product takes off.”
Based on a 10X test volume production, the company could be preparing to achieve annual production of over 300,000 e-scooters per year, with a capacity of 2.4KWh. Annual requirements may amount to approximately 1GWh of battery capacity.
With over 20 million two-wheelers sold in India each year, a 30 percent conversion rate would require 14GWh of battery capacity, demanding around 11,000T LCE per year.
As the Indian economy prepares for a significant transition to electric transportation, the government is targeting to own foreign lithium assets delivering in excess of 60,000 T LCE per year. In 2017, the total lithium market produced less than 225,000 T LCE. In recent weeks, lead acid battery giant Excide announced a Joint Venture partnership with Switzerland-based Leclanche to build a lithium battery plant in India.
It is in my opinion that this announcement will encourage the development of new lithium assets, specifically low-cost lithium brine assets in South America. The transition to electric transportation will take several years to happen, allowing Indian companies to acquire foreign assets and begin to develop them. Most of the high-quality lithium assets located in Canada, Argentina and Australia have already been acquired or received financial backing from major Chinese (OTCPK:LGCLF), Korean and Japanese players, including: Toyota Tsusho (OTCPK:TYHOF), Ganfeng Lithium, LG Chem (OTCPK:LGCLF), POSCO (OTCPK:PKXFF), Tesla (TSLA), CATL, BYD (OTCPK:BYDDF), General Lithium, Northvolt, Great Wall Motors (OTCPK:GWLLY) and Softbank (OTCPK:SFTBY).
South American focused brine companies such as Advantage Lithium, NeoLithium and Millennial Lithium are at an advanced stage, which will allow them to benefit as India enters the global race to own lithium resources.
Author’s note: If you enjoyed this article, then be sure to receive future material by clicking on the “Follow” tab at the top of this page or on my profile here. Please also “Follow” on Twitter here.
Indian State-owned firms mandated to acquire overseas lithium and cobalt assets
22nd June 2018
KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) – The Indian government has mandated all State-owned mineral-based companies to pool their resources to acquire lithium and cobalt assets overseas.
A rough deadline of March 2019 has been set for these companies to complete all formalities, such as leveraging their balance sheets jointly, form joint ventures (JVs), consortiums or any such suitable corporate structures so that process of scouting and acquiring lithium and cobalt assets could get under way next financial year.
The mandate for these companies is to acquire and source strategic minerals, lithium and cobalt from abroad,” joint secretary of the Mines Ministry, Anil Kumar Nayak, said.
“Joint ventures of government companies will acquire assets overseas and do the mining operations jointly with entitled agencies in host countries. We will also invite Indian private companies to join in the proposed ventures,” he added.
The model to be followed would be the JV of State-owned National Aluminium Company Limited, Hindustan Copper Limited and Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited, formed last year.
The venture, christened Khanij Bidesh India Limited, has been directed to complete all internal corporate formalities and start acquiring assets overseas in the next financial year.
With India aiming to have at least 30% of vehicles in the country powered by batteries, the government reckons that building domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing capacity backed by raw materials – lithium and cobalt – sourcing will hold the key to success of achieving the target and reducing crude oil import bill, a Mines Ministry official said.
Towards this end, government-run Central Electro Chemical Research Institute and the RAASI Group last week signed an agreement to set up the first domestic EV battery manufacturing facility in the country based on indigenous technology developed by government’s Council for Scientific Research Institute.
However, the success of building optimal domestic battery manufacturing capacities would hinge of ensuring stable raw material security for these ventures and hence the mandate to government mineral companies to come together and acquire such raw material assets overseas, the Ministry official said.
The push to government mineral companies comes in wake of offers last year from Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, the so-called ‘lithium triangle’, that they would prefer a two-tier JV between Indian companies and local partners in return of contracts to buy-back lithium produce at concessional rates.
With Indian government companies spearheading such ventures, it would be easier for the Indian government support through bi-lateral diplomatic channels with these countries, Ministry officials pointed out.
According to forecast of a government policy advisory body, India’s lithium requirement to meet the projected demand for EV batteries by 2030 would be around 60,000 t/y and though this would be just 0.7% of the global reserves, future EV battery manufacturing faced the risk of short term shortages.
Ironically, while the Bolivian government has offered a government-to-government pact for supply of lithium, India does not even have an embassy in La Paz (Sucre) and the Indian embassy in Peru is accredited to Bolivia, even as China made inroads in investing in Bolivian mining industry.
EDITED BY: Creamer Media Reporter
Disclosure: I am/we are long OROCF, AVLIF.


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Concept illustrations & leaked screenshots
As iOS 12’s launch gets closer, we hope to see leaked screenshots of the pre-release testing versions being tested at Apple HQ. But this far ahead we must make do with concept illustrations: images created by interface designers and other enthusiasts to show what could be done.
Naturally, these shouldn’t be taken as evidence of anything more than what some people would like to see in iOS 12.
Our favourite illustrations were posted on Behance by iOS News And More. They envision some major upheavals to the iOS interface, including the removal of app names from the icons on the Home page, a new ‘app bar’ and the arrival of Split View from the iPad.


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The saga of Mark Fiore and the Apple Store has finally come to a happy ending, with Apple reversing its decision to ban the Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist’s iPhone app.
Fiore’s app, NewsToons (opens in iTunes), was rejected back in December—four months before Fiore won a Pulitzer Prize for his animated, politically themed cartoons. At the time, the App Store’s arbiters of taste deemed NewsToons unacceptable because it “contains content that ridicules public figures.” That rejection went unnoticed—until Fiore mentioned it in a post-Pulitzer-winning interview. A media firestorm ensued, and commentaries blasting Apple’s App Store approval process popped up like wildflowers. Last week, the company contacted Fiore and encouraged him to resubmit, which he did Friday; as of Tuesday, the $1 NewsToons is available for your downloading pleasure.
“It feels a little weird, it feels almost a little dirty, like I got preferential treatment because of the Pulitzer and press hubbub because of the rejection of my app,” Fiore told the SF Gate. “If it weren’t for the Pulitzer, I wouldn’t be in the App Store. What I want to come out of this is to change this policy so people don’t have to make a stink to make decent political satire for the App Store.”
Apple hasn’t issued a formal statement on the matter, but Steve Jobs has reportedly referred to the app’s rejection as “a mistake” in an e-mail to a customer. The question remains, however, as to what measures Apple is taking to avoid similar mistakes in the future.


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MELBOURNE — The opening of two major new hotels here in the last three months has ushered in a new, if modest, era of growth for the hospitality industry in south Brevard County.
July marked the opening of the $7.8 million Holiday Inn at Palm Bay, a 132-room hotel near Harris Corp.
Today, the Melbourne Hilton at Rialto Place hosts a grand opening. The $18.5 million, 242-room hotel is near the Melbourne airport. A third hotel, the 120-room Melbourne Beach Hilton, opens in November.


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TECNO SPARK 8C debuts with 90Hz display, dual rear cameras
TECNO has announced a new budget smartphone, called the SPARK 8C. As for the key highlights, it features a 90Hz LCD display, a 5,000mAh battery, and a dual rear camera module. The company is yet to announce the pricing and availability details of the handset but it is expected to reach the Indian market in the coming weeks.
Why does this story matter?
TECNO is aggressively expanding its portfolio of budget-range smartphones. In recent months, the Chinese company has released as many as five smartphones under its SPARK brand with an aim to take on Realme and Xiaomi in the developing markets. The SPARK 8 was announced in September 2021 followed by 8P, 8 Pro, 8T, and now the 8C model.
The phone comes with a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display
The TECNO SPARK 8C features a waterdrop notch display with rounded corners and a noticeable bottom bezel. On the rear, it sports a physical fingerprint sensor and dual cameras. The handset bears a 6.6-inch HD+ (720x1612 pixels) LCD display with an aspect ratio of 20:9 and 90Hz refresh rate. It is offered in shades of Turquoise Cyan, Magnet Black, Iris Purple, and Diamond Gray.
It sports an 8MP front-facing camera
The TECNO SPARK 8C is fitted with a 13MP (f/1.8) primary camera and a secondary AI lens. For selfies and video calls, it has an 8MP front-facing snapper. The handset supports camera features like bokeh effect, AI scene recognition, and HDR mode.
The handset packs a 5,000mAh battery
TECNO has not yet disclosed the chipset offered with the SPARK 8C. However, it is rumored to be powered by a UNISOC T606 chip. The phone houses a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging support and boots Android 11 with HiOS skin. It comes with 2GB or 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. For connectivity, it offers Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and FM Radio.
TECNO SPARK 8C: Pricing and availability
At present, the official pricing of the TECNO SPARK 8C is yet to be disclosed. However, going by its specifications and features, it is likely to be priced under Rs. 10,000.


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The latest insights from Google and other key sources that will help retail brands adapt and thrive in the wake of the pandemic.
Nobody could have predicted the events of 2020 and the impact they would have upon the retail industry. Even at this point, we still don’t know what the lasting implications of the coronavirus outbreak will be and all pre-Covid forecasts are irrelevant now.
Earlier this year, McKinsey described Q1 2020 as 10 years’ worth of change in the space of 90 days. Retail brands need to react to these changes if they’re going to survive (let alone thrive) as the industry recovers from coronavirus.
McKinsey’s 10 years in 90 days declaration comes from a simple, but staggering, analysis of eCommerce penetration in the US between 2009 and Q1 2020.
Google Search data shows a similar trend worldwide with eCommerce interest in online shopping or how to buy online growing by 200%.
Looking at data specific to the UK, we can see a spike in searches related to online shopping in mid-March when national lockdown measures were introduced. Since then, interest in online shopping has settled at a significantly higher level than pre-lockdown, even if the increase looks minor compared to the spike in March and April.
Reinforcing this point, ONS data shows that internet sales soared to reach 32.8% of all retail revenue by May. Much like interest in online shopping, internet sales are now on a downward trend but it’s slowing at a much higher rate than pre-lockdown levels.
The key takeaway here is that Covid-19 is having a lasting effect on how consumers shop, even after lockdown measures were eased and businesses reopened.
Google argues that the digital “shop window” has never been more important for retailers and we’ve seen this with success stories from smaller retailers moving online as a way to cope with lockdown and social distancing – some have even thrived thanks to making the online transition.
According to Google data, “retailers with a strong digital offering are expected to capture 86% of the sales growth in the next five years”.
While retailers with a strong online presence are set to make the most from sales growth over the next five years, the majority of these sales (78%) will still take place offline by 2024.
Online sales are expected to account for 22% of all sales by 2024, which is a notable increase from 14% in 2019, but this isn’t a case of online vs offline. Despite the majority of sales still taking place in-store, 53% of retail revenue will go to retailers with a digital offering and the big winners will be the brands that bring online and offline experiences together.
The majority of sales may take place in stores but the vast majority of consumer journeys begin outside them. The challenge for retailers is to capture interest through digital channels and turn this interest into store visits and offline purchases.
Here are three things Google wants retailers to keep in mind:
The coronavirus outbreak has shown that retailers don’t need to reinvent the wheel to satisfy consumers’ changing needs. By prioritising services like home delivery, contactless shopping, click-and-collect, virtual queueing and virtual changing rooms 404 – services that have been around for years – the divide between online and offline experiences is already getting smaller.
Retailers that thrive over the next five years will do so by capturing leads online and providing a seamless experience that allows consumers to complete purchases on their own terms – whether online or in-store.
The coronavirus pandemic is going to have a lasting impact on consumer behaviour and there’s no denying that difficult times lie ahead for many. However, the latest figures show that retail spending in September 2020 was actually higher than this time in 2019 and the British consumers are showing a surprising resilience to the outbreak.
Retail brands should take reassurance from this but they also need to recognise that the shopping habits of consumers in the UK has changed drastically (and will likely continue to do so), even if overall spending is up.
Google has seen this, first-hand, through changing search habits.
“Over the course of the pandemic, consumers developed much higher digital expectations – even porting expectations from one industry to another. This includes expedited delivery to their doorstep for niche items like ‘compost’ or an increase in demand for ‘promo codes’ across categories where we hadn’t previously seen this.”
Understandably, Covid-19 and lockdown measures resulted in a greater interest – and, in many cases, need – for services like home delivery. Google has seen demand for this in niche areas, such as compost and gardening items, where home delivery has never been provided in the same way as food and clothing orders.
This expansion of interest can be seen elsewhere with an increased demand for promo codes across categories where interest was previously much smaller or non-existent.
We also recently published a study looking at separate Google data related to increased interest in waste management during the height of lockdown – another example of niche interests booming during this crisis.
If you want to see just how niche the impact of Covid-19 has been on consumer interests, you only need to look at Google data for “balloon delivery” searches over the past 12 months in the UK.
The point is, changing consumer needs reveal new opportunities for businesses across every industry and, sometimes, and they’re not always in the most obvious place. This is why it’s so important that you have access to relevant, live data so that you can monitor consumer trends and react to new opportunities as they emerge.
There are four key takeaways Google wants retailers to consider as they adapt to the new normal:
The national lockdown and recent local measures have proven how important live information is to consumers during this time. As Google points out, this is especially true for retail where opening times, social distancing measures and available services (eg: sit-in dining, deliveries, etc.) can change at any moment.
Providing this information is crucial so that brands can offer a small amount of certainty during such uncertain times.
The same thing works in reverse, too. If we’re seeing consumer habits undergo 10 years’ worth of change in the space of 90 days, then retail brands need access to the latest data if they’re going to react quickly enough.
The economic recovery from Covid-19 is going to be slow and for every retail brand that wins, there will be multiple that lose. Moving first to satisfy evolving consumer demands will make the difference and brands need to react faster than ever in the current climate.
If you need help with your digital marketing, we have lots of eCommerce SEO and eCommerce PPC specialists that can help. Our customers include Fat Face, P&O Cruises, Sarah Raven, Foyles and many more! Contact us on 02392 830281 or email [email protected].
Lee has been working in the online arena, leading digital departments since the early 2000s, and oversees all our delivery services at Vertical Leap, having joined back in 2010.
Lee joined our company Operations Team in May 2019.
Before working at Vertical Leap, Lee completed a degree in Business Management & Communications at Winchester University, headed up the online development and direct marketing department for an international financial services company for ~7 years, and set up/run a limited company providing website design, development and digital marketing solutions.
Lee had his first solely authored industry book (Tactical SEO) published in 2016, with 2 further industry books being published in 2019, and can be seen regularly expert contributing to industry websites including State of Digital, Search Engine Journal, The Drum, plus many others.
Lee has a passion for management in the digital industry and loves to see the progression of others through personal learning, training and development. Outside the office he looks to help others while challenging himself, having skydived, bungie jumped and abseiled (despite a fear of heights) with many more fundraising and voluntary events completed and on the horizon.
As a husband and dad, Lee loves to spend time with his family and friends. His hobbies include exercising, trying new experiences, eating out, playing countless team sports, as well as watching films (Gangster movies in particular – “forget about it”).
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Fast Retailing opens its GU store in NY with the aim of building its presence in the North American market.
Ben & Jerry's directors revealed Unilever froze their salaries amid the dispute over the sale of its Israeli business.
Kevin Sylla Discusses the Potential Pitfalls of the Over-Electrification of the Global Energy Transition
Marks & Spencer removes disposable barbecues from store shelves due to extreme heatwaves in the U.K.
Every virtual NBA game is driven by actual NBA data, which Sportradar obtained as part of a US$1 billion streaming and betting data agreement with the league.
The two parties will develop distinctive activities and online encounters for Red Devils supporters at Old Trafford and elsewhere that are powered by Snapdragon techno
The Bundesliga champions aim to create personalized digital experiences in managing relationships with supporters globally to secure their long-term loyalty.
The NFL has 16 franchises worth at least $4 billion, way more than the four in the MLB, and three in the National Basketball Association.
Heineken made the warning after posting revenue growth of 37 percent in its half-year results that placed its growth ahead of the industry in over half of their markets.
The SK affiliate anticipates that the product will have a competitive advantage in the international market, which requires a consistent and stable supply of vaccines in the upcoming months.
HBO Max and Discovery Plus' merged streaming service is coming to the U.S. first in the summer of 2023.
Amazon reveals plans to hire 2,000 workers for major expansion in Austin
Amazon has plans to expand in Austin, Texas, and since it will be a major project, the e-commerce giant will be creating more than 2,000 jobs for the locals. The company stated that it would mostly be needing people for corporate and tech jobs in the next few years.
As per Austin American-Statesman, the new recruits will be assigned roles that will support teams working in the technology, web service, retail, and business units. Some of the positions mentioned are financial analysts, senior technical program managers, senior data engineers, and user experience designers.
Currently, it was reported that Amazon already has more than 3,000 workers in its tech hub in Austin. This number is the total employees from its three offices in Domain, the high-tech corridor of northwest Austin.
Now, for its plan to expand in the region, the company reportedly rented out 330,000 square feet of space at a new building that is being developed by Cousins Properties. This property is also located at Domain, and it is expected to open in early 2024. This new office will be Amazon’s fourth location in the area and may help boost other businesses nearby, including restaurants, local retail, entertainment, and so on.
“Our continued investment in Austin is a testament to the amazing talent and amenities that this city has to offer,” Amazon Austin Tech Hub site lead, Doug Gray, said in a press release. “With more than 3,000 jobs already created and more than 1,000 corporate and technology roles currently available, we’re looking forward to continue offering exciting career opportunities to local residents.”
The news of new job recruitment at Amazon comes as the unemployment rating in Austin plummeted to a pandemic-era low level in November for five successive months. It was reported that the record 3.2% unemployment rate last month happened as local businesses continue to have difficulties in hiring workers as the local economy starts to pick up again.
Meanwhile, to attract applicants for its job openings, Amazon set up a program called the “Amazon Returnship.” The goal is to help professionals return to work after losing or leaving their jobs, including those who were displaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


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Google, inundated with traffic from iPhone users over the holidays, has hurriedly made improvements to its mobile Web applications that will enable faster browsing for iPhone owners. "On Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing in...
Smartphones - News
Google released an update to its offerings for the iPhone, hoping to continue a trend that recently saw the iPhone briefly become the number-one mobile phone hitting Google sites.
Gadgets have always taken center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show, but this year more than ever, even the coolest devices seem to be mere means to an end -- access to content and services whenever and wherever you want them.
Open-source strategies are gathering steam in the mobile computing realm with companies like Wake3 and Funambol leveraging open source to bring iPhone-style browsing and e-mail to devices.
The GPS gold rush is in full swing at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, with industry veterans introducing increasingly sophisticated navigation systems while newcomers try to get a foot in the door.
For several years people have been talking about the idea of miniaturizing a projector so that it's small enough to fit inside a mobile phone or digital camera. Now it's finally been done, and 3M is demonstrating a prototype of such a device at this ...
While it would seem that the growth of smartphones, with their bigger screens and faster processors, would be good news for mobile gaming, handsets like the iPhone are in fact hurting the mobile game industry in the short term, one expert said on Sun...
Seagate Technology moved one step closer to launching its Digital Audio Video Experience wireless storage device Sunday by introducing partners who have agreed to integrate the technology into various products.
2007 could be called the year of the mobile operating system.
Air France launched a commercial trial of an onboard mobile phone service, but in a limited fashion that avoids a controversial aspect.
An iPhone owner who uses the alias "drunknbass" has hacked Apple's iconic smart phone and managed to turn it into a video camcorder.
Google on Wednesday released a free download that allows BlackBerry users to sync their Google Calendar with their device.
Sybase subsidiary, iAnywhere, has upgraded the security on its Information Anywhere mobile management platform to block rogue mobile devices remotely tapping into email or other business applications.
Roughly 500 million of the world's mobile phones, or more than 40 percent of the global total, were or will be produced in China this year, according to the country's Ministry of Information Industry.
While Google's Linux mobile phone platform, Android, has been stealing the spotlight, another longer-standing mobile Linux group is also moving ahead.
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London: A Google poll revealed that many Israeli people are willing to sacrifice sex and stop talking to their mothers for the sake of internet surfing.
Conducted by MarketWatch organisation on behalf of Google Israel, researchers asked participants what they would do to prevent their internet connection being snapped for a year.
Nearly 59 percent of men and 47 percent of women said they were willing to give up active relationships with their mothers if they could keep their connection, Times of Israel reported. 27 percent of men and 47 percent of women said they would give up sex for a year in order to get back their internet connection.
"However, if the choice is no sex or no internet for 30 days, 72 percent of men and 84 percent of women would choose the web," the findings showed.
An average Israeli internet user is online 4.5 hours a day searching for information, checking out news and content sites, engaging with social networks, playing games, writing blogs or participating in online forums.
The poll, based on a representative sample of 511 people, covered internet use during both work and leisure time.
Updated Date: Oct 29, 2014 17:26:00 IST


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Feds to ban microbeads in personal care products
TORONTO -- The federal government says it's developing regulations to ban the use plastic microbeads in personal care products.
Microbeads are small particles that are used in a range of personal care products such as body scrubs and toothpaste.
Officials say a scientific review that included an analysis of more than 130 scientific papers, as well as consultations with experts, has revealed that the presence of microbeads in the environment may have long-term effects on biological diversity and ecosystems.
Labour Minister Kellie Leitch says the government plans to add microbeads to the list of toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and intends to develop regulations banning the manufacture, import, and sale of microbead-containing personal care products.
The New Democrats introduced a motion in March calling for a ban on plastic microbeads, and NDP MP Megan Leslie pointed to McGill University research that discovered alarming quantities of microbeads in the St. Lawrence River last year.
Ecojustice executive director Devon Page says the environmental group is pleased to see the federal government responding to mounting public concern over the continued use of microbeads and their impact on Canada's rivers, lakes and streams.
"We look forward to the swift introduction of regulations that will bring this ban into force," Page said Friday in a release.
When products containing microbeads are used and rinsed down the drain, the tiny plastic microbeads are too small to be caught by wastewater treatment facilities and go directly into lakes, rivers and streams.
Scientists have found millions of microbeads in parts of the Great Lakes, with the highest concentrations occurring near urban areas. Studies have estimated that microbeads make up 20% of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes.
Microbeads can then absorb dangerous pollutants -- such as PCBs -- that are already present in the marine environment. When fish, birds and other wildlife eat these plastics, the harmful pollutants accumulate and eventually contaminate the fish and other wildlife species consumed by humans.
"Banning microbeads from personal care products will help us to continue protecting the environment for present and future generations," Leitch said. "We will continue to take action to keep Canada's lakes and rivers clean, and put the priorities of Canadians first."
Page said Ecojustice also hopes the government will extend the ban to so-called "biodegradable" microbeads.
Some biodegradable plastics only partially degrade, leaving residual fragments to linger in the environment, while others degrade into various components, including toxic inorganic compounds, Page said.
Meanwhile, Edmonton's TerraVerdae BioWorks Inc. announced Friday that it can produce biodegradable plastics from waste-derived methanol.
"TerraVerdae's process uses 'green' methanol from, forestry, municipal, agricultural or industrial waste sources, instead of petroleum or sugar-based sources," the company said in a release.
"The first of our products using this technology, biodegradable microspheres, are a natural substitute for plastic microbeads commonly used in personal care and cosmetic products like toothpaste and body scrubs."


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Alarming new study finds link between hair dye and breast cancer
Women who frequently dye their hair may be at greater risk of getting breast cancer, a new study has found.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a breast cancer surgeon at the Princess Grace Hospital in London, reviewed studies on links between hair dyes and breast cancer and found a 14 per cent increase in the disease among women who coloured their hair.
“Although further work is required to confirm our results, our findings suggest that exposure to hair dyes may contribute to breast cancer risk,” his study concluded.
He recommended that women dye their hair only up to five times a year, and use product with natural ingredients, such as henna, rose hip, and beetroot instead.
Professor Mokbel wrote on Twitter: “Women are advised to reduce exposure to synthetic hair dyes to two to six times per year and undergo regular breast screening from the age of 40.
“It would be preferable to choose hair dyes that contain the minimum concentration of aromatic amines suchas PPD (less than two per cent).
“Further research is required to clarify the relationship between hair dyes and breast cancer risk in order to better inform women.
“It is reasonable to assume that hair dyes that consist of natural herbal ingredients such as rose hip, rhubarb etc are safe.”
He added: “There is no evidence that hair relaxers increase breast cancer risk.”
In a separate study, Finnish researchers found that women who use hair dye were more likely to develop breast cancer, but the study conclude it’s not clear if the products were the direct cause of the disease.
“We did observe a statistical association between hair dye use and risk of breast cancer in our study.
“However, it is not possible to confirm a true causal connection. It might be, for example, that women who use hair dyes also use other cosmetics more than women who reported never using hair dyes,” said Sanna Heikkinen of the Finnish Cancer Registry.


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March 19, 2020, Simcoe, ON – Haldimand-Norfolk Medical Officer of Health Shanker Nesathurai has issued the following statement regarding helping seniors obtain groceries and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Seniors are among the most vulnerable to serious complications arising from COVID-19 infection. That’s why I – along with public health officials across Ontario – am asking them to stay home as much as possible and to avoid close contact with others.
Ensuring seniors continue to have access to food and other necessities is of utmost importance. I encourage them to take advantage of the food delivery services provided by some grocery stores.
If this isn’t a feasible option, I ask that family members and neighbours make themselves available to assist in the delivery of supplies.
Should seniors find it necessary to visit a grocery or other store during a “seniors hour”, they should be sure to do the following:
- Stay at least six feet away from other shoppers
- Wipe down shopping cart or basket handles before use
- Avoid repeat trips
Yesterday I spoke with a group of local clergy who I called on to make alternate worship services, and encouraged them to reach out to seniors in their congregations to provide various kinds of support.
I’m confident that, by taking these measures, local seniors will be able to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19.”


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The Google Home Mini is expected to be sold in Chalk, Charcoal, and Coal color options with a price tag of $49. Just like the full-size Google Home, this Google Home Mini will reportedly let you handle your schedule, set reminders, get news, answer questions, and use Google Assistant.
While the Google Home is cheaper than the Amazon Echo, its price of $129 can still be a bit much for folks that want to try a smart speaker but don’t want to pay a lot since they don’t know if they’ll like it. This Google Home Mini seems like a smart move for Google because it gives folks a cheap way to try a Google Home product and will likely get more folks using Google Assistant.
Also leaked today is a new Google Daydream View VR headset. This new model doesn’t look terribly different from the old version, sporting some kind of a cloth cover and a controller. One notable difference between the two is price, with the new Google Daydream View reportedly carrying a $99 price tag, $20 more than the original model.


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The Consumer Price Index fell to 2.0% in December, in line with the Bank of England's target for the first time since November 2009. This continues the downwards trend we have seen in inflation since June 2013.
According to ONS, the largest contributions to the fall in the rate came from prices for food & non-alcoholic beverages and recreational goods & services.
There was a small upward contribution to inflation from energy bills, as the increase in gas and electricity prices in December 2013 was slightly larger than the increases a year earlier.
Looking ahead to 2014, although energy prices should keep CPI around the 2.0% mark for the time being, inflation is likely to dip below-target over the course of the year as spare capacity in the economy makes itself felt. We expect inflation to average 1.7% over the year.


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Fisker Inc. and Karma Automotive, two electric vehicle startups with a long shared history, each announced this week that they’ve raised millions of dollars. Fisker has taken in $50 million of fresh capital from “hedge fund king” Louis Bacon and Karma Automotive has raised $100 million from undisclosed “outside investors.”
The money comes at a time when there appears to be renewed interest in funding money-hungry electric vehicle startups, thanks in large part to Tesla’s skyrocketing stock price and the early success of hydrogen trucking company Nikola’s recent public listing.
In fact, Fisker Inc. is considering following in Nikola’s footsteps and becoming a publicly-traded company via a reverse merger, a person familiar with the deal tells The Verge. The startup is in talks with Apollo Global Management to merge with the private equity firm’s publicly-listed “blank check” company, known as Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp. Spartan was set up in 2018 as a way for Apollo to field an investment in the energy industry, and only has until August 14th to acquire a company or else it will be dissolved, with investors and shareholders getting their money back. (The people running Spartan are trying to extend this date until February 2021, according to a recent filing.) News of the talks between Fisker Inc. and Apollo Global Management was first reported by Reuters.
“Special acquisition companies” like Spartan have become increasingly popular in the last year or so, especially after a number of high-profile companies ran into trouble while taking the traditional route to becoming publicly-traded. After Uber and Lyft went public last year, the share price of each immediately fell, and both companies’ stocks are still trading below the original price. WeWork, meanwhile, totally imploded as a result of the scrutiny of the so-called “roadshow” series of meetings that banks set up with investors before taking a company public. By merging with Spartan, Fisker Inc. could sidestep some of those issues and more quickly access the public markets to raise some of the massive amount of cash required to make a car.
In the meantime, it has $50 million of new money coming in from Louis Bacon’s investment firm, Moore Strategic Ventures, LLC. That’s more than triple the amount of money Fisker Inc. had previously raised from the venture arm of construction company Caterpillar and the family behind oil drilling company Schlumberger.
Fisker Inc. only just unveiled its electric vehicle, the Ocean, in January at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show. The SUV is supposed to get around 300 miles of range on a full charge. But it won’t be a performance beast like a Tesla. Instead, Fisker Inc. founder Henrik Fisker has said the Ocean will be all about environmental sustainability.
Henrik Fisker started Fisker Inc. a few years ago, and originally planned to make an electric luxury car before shelving that plan in favor of the Ocean. The company is separate from Fisker Automotive, which he founded way back in 2007, and became known for the Fisker Karma hybrid sports car. Problems with the battery system and a fight with the Department of Energy over a loan ultimately doomed Fisker Automotive, which went bankrupt in 2013.
Many of the assets from Fisker Automotive were bought out of the bankruptcy process by a Chinese company called Wanxiang, which revived the Karma project (without Henrik Fisker’s involvement) under a new brand: Karma Automotive. That startup has, in the years since, sold a Karma-based hybrid sports car known as the Revero. Karma Automotive has shared ambitions to build all-electric vehicles as well as sell the underlying technology, but has struggled mightily over the last year or so, laying off hundreds of employees.
Now, though, the company says it has raised $100 million and is seeking to raise $300 million more. Karma Automotive didn’t disclose who the new investors are, but Bloomberg reports that Wanxiang is looking to sell stakes to US-based private equity firms. This would help reduce the Chinese ownership to below 50 percent in order to make selling to government fleets more politically palatable.
While the enthusiasm around Tesla and Nikola may have helped knock some money loose for Fisker Inc. and Karma Automotive, plenty of other EV startups with a presence in the US are still struggling. Chinese EV startup Byton, which has a North American headquarters in Silicon Valley, recently announced it is halting all global operations for six months because of money trouble. Los Angeles-based Faraday Future is still in limbo, though its founder just wrapped up his personal bankruptcy case, and the startup says it will now be able to entertain investors who may have been skittish. Seres, née SF Motors, has all but fallen off the map after making a modest splash in Silicon Valley a few years ago.
A few lucky ones, like Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Nio were able to nail down big financing rounds before the pandemic. Though in the case of Lucid Motors, the startup had to give up majority control to Saudi Arabia. And in exchange for its own sort of bailout, Nio had to turn to state-owned entities in China.


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OPP WARN OF PHONE SCAMS SURFACING IN AREA
(PEMBROKE, ON) – The Upper Ottawa Valley Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to warn residents of scams that have recently surfaced in the area. In one scenario the scammer calls and pretends to be from a local business and falsely tells the victim that their credit card did not work when used to pay for recent purchases. The victim may not have even used their credit card to shop at the store but the scammer creates a sense of urgency and then asks for the caller to confirm their credit card number to make payment. The OPP would like to remind everyone to verify the legitimacy of any caller before providing any personal information over the phone.
Residents should also be wary of phone calls from scammers posing as police, Revenue Canada, or government officials demanding payment, for a variety of reasons, by way of Google Play cards, gift cards, or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
In an effort to reduce victimization consumers need to be aware of these scams and retailers should keep the scam in mind when faced with consumers interested in purchasing large quantities of gift cards.
A Social Insurance Number (SIN) scam is also circulating where fraudsters call and say that your SIN has been blocked, compromised by criminals or suspended. Fraudsters are pretending to be calling from government agencies such as: Service Canada, the RCMP, or various courthouses and are displaying the phone number of these agencies on your caller ID.
Consumers who receive this call are asked to provide their SIN and other personal information (DOB, name, address, etc.). Victims who provide their personal information to fraudsters are at risk of identity fraud.
If a scam artist contacts you or if you have been defrauded contact your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website at www.antifraudcentre.ca


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How Black Friday and Singles’ Day are reshaping e-commerce globally
Black Friday and Singles’ Day are, without a doubt, the two biggest shopping events of the year. But are the events managing to extend their reach across the globe? That’s what we set out to find in this latest report on cross-border holiday shopping trends. Download the report below to learn what we found.
This ebook will show you
The impact on revenue Black Friday has on Europe
The explosion of in-app activity across SEA on Singles’ Day
How app marketers can capitalize on the holiday shopping season


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Square has announced that a Game of the Year Edition for Batman: Arkham Asylum will be made available across Europe and other PAL territories on March 26 and will be 3D capable.
The new edition comes with six extra challenge maps on disc and features a play-in-3D option compatible with all standard and high definition TV sets with support for TriOviz 3D on both PS3 and Xbox 360.
All six previously released DLC Challenge Maps are on disc, including Crime Alley and the insane Scarecrow Nightmare.
It will be made available for PC as well.
The BBFC outed the game back in January.
Check out the screens.


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By Felix Oketcho
Kampala: Airtel Money Mobile Commerce Limited has today unveiled a 1.5BN cash prize consumer and agent promotion running across Uganda for the next 90 days.
Acting Director Airtel Uganda, Andrew Rugamba unveiled the Money After Money promotion to the media at Kampala Serena Hotel.
According to Airtel Mobile Money Director says the campaign is part of the company to give back, appreciate and add value to the festive season.
On daily basis, customers will win 100,000 and airtel money agents get two million as capital to expand their mobile money business.


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Country-of-Origin Labeling Loopholes Leave Consumers in the Dark
Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch Executive Director
WASHINGTON - "The Bush administration has been working hard in its last weeks to roll back consumer protections, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to finalize an inadequate rule for country-of-origin labeling is no exception. Today, USDA released its final rule for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for meat, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and several kinds of nuts, and it includes a massive loophole that will allow large quantities of food to go without labeling.
"Given the recent scandals about the safety of imported food, it is unacceptable that the rule was approved with an overly broad definition for which foods are 'processed.' This definition exempts from labeling over 60 percent of pork, the majority of frozen vegetables, an estimated 95 percent of peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and multi-ingredient fresh produce items such as fruit salads and salad mixes. It is inexcusable to exempt so much food from this basic labeling requirement just because one ingredient has been added or because something has been roasted or cooked.
"The Bush Administration is using a trade challenge by Canada and Mexico as an excuse for weakening a domestic labeling program that is hugely popular with U.S. consumers and producers. U.S. consumers' access to vital information about their food should not be subject to the whims of our trading partners. Consumers have a right to know where their food comes from and USDA should be standing up for those rights, not caving into pressure from our trading partners.
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"According to a November 2008 poll, 95 percent of consumers believe that processed or packaged food should be labeled by their country of origin. USDA should have listened to the majority of American consumers and dramatically limited the use of the exemption for processed foods so that the consumers and U.S. farmers receive the most possible benefit from country-of-origin labeling. Now it is time for Congress and President-elect Obama to get to work to undo the damage done by this last-minute rule from the Bush administration and close the loopholes that leave too much food out of labeling requirements."
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New information has emerged demonstrating that a Bloomberg report from August that claimed the cancellation of an unannounced mobile game based on the Warcraft franchise was caused by a fallout between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase (where more than a hundred developers on the latter’s end were displaced) may have been incorrect.
Warcraft Mobile might still be in the pipeline
New rumors are now floating around and these have mostly stemmed from two main pieces of news. The first one is from an official statement made by a spokesperson from Activision Blizzard who stated that Activision Blizzard and NetEase “continue to have an extremely successful relationship.”. This statement came on the same day as the report.
More recently, more proof has come up in the form of several very recent job listings for an “Unannounced Warcraft Mobile Project” being worked on in Irvine, California which really seems to cement the claim that the said game might not really be dead and buried.
Now there’s still no clarity on the progress of the game’s development so not much can be said about how far the game has gotten however we at least have some confirmation now. The job posts don’t really give too much information about the project aside from mentions of a “new Warcraft mobile project”.
Blizzard has already revealed a game in the Warcraft franchise for mobile in the form of Warcraft Arclight Rumble, which has already been booed off by players. We should hear more of this soon as it will create waves in communities because a mobile game set in the Warcraft universe is no small deal. It should be interesting to see where this project goes (and hopefully Blizzard will learn from their mistakes).
What are your thoughts on the Warcraft Mobile Game still being a possibility? Let us know in the comments below!


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Local community charity ASCEND, based in South Oxhey, is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the monthly funding scheme, which sees grants of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local outdoor community projects.
Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and this month shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.
ASCENDs Paths for Growth Project at the Dig Deep Garden Project is one of the groups on the local shortlist. The project is about improving the access arrangements on the half acre site eg. levelling paths and making raised beds for wheelchair based clients, changing bed layouts to include sensory and wildlife planting etc.
Christine Wyard, Project Director at ASCEND commented, “We are absolutely delighted to be chosen to receive an award and would like to encourage everyone to vote for us. Our Dig Deep project has already changed a derelict site into an amazing horticultural oasis to include vegetable and flower beds, a dew pond- attracting lots of wildlife and not forgetting our composting loo! This funding would help us to give access to so many more people, helping them to improve their wellbeing in an outdoor environment.”
Voting is open in stores from 2 January to 28 January. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop. Stores supporting ASCEND are:-
South Oxhey Express WD19 6EG
Harcourt Road, Bushey Express WD23 3PP
Bushey Heath Express WD23 1EL
Watford Whippendell Express WD18 7NB
Watford Extra WD17 2BD
Watford, 114 High Street Express WD17 2BJ
Watford, St Albans Road Express WD24 4AU
Watford, Langley Express WD17 4BU
Leavesden Watford Express WD5 0BT
Watling Radlett Express WD7 7LA
Borehamwood Extra WD6 1JG
Shenley Express WD7 9AA
Rickmansworth Express WD3 4PW
Rickmansworth WD3 1LX
Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £24 million to more than 2,400 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups each month. At the end of each month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.
Lindsey Crompton, Head of Community at Tesco, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for January. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”
Groundwork’s national Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:
“We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.
“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”
The Bags of Help scheme is permanently open for applications and anyone can nominate a project at any time – whether it’s Tesco customers, colleagues or the community groups themselves. Just ask in store for more information or visit the Bags of Help website, visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp/
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The Bags of Help initiative is supported by money from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags in Tesco stores.
- So far Bags of Help has awarded over £24 million to 2,421 local community projects.
- For more information please visit: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp
- ASCEND is a charity (no 1073909) based in South Oxhey and supports people to move forward in their lives, in particular with wellbeing projects. For more information please visit www.ascend.org.uk


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In the tree fruit industry, time can be the biggest impediment. After all, what is more unchanging than the time required to grow a tree?
"The nursery business is one of the slow parts," says Doug Hemly, a fifth-generation pear grower from California. "Once you know what you want to do, you have to get the tree grown correctly and as quickly as possible. And you want it to be consistent. You want it to be reliable (so) that you get exactly what you ordered."
Until recently, Hemly and other growers like him had to make the best of the situation. Apple orchards covet the most productive and resilient trees, but there aren't enough to go around. Pear growers see little research done to improve breeding in their crop.
But that could change as a Pullman-based company takes root. Phytelligence — a Washington State University startup — found a way to accelerate the natural process of growing trees, nearly cutting the time in half while saving 200 gallons of water per tree.
Such an innovation could bring unheard-of flexibility to some of Washington's most bountiful crops, allowing growers to adapt sooner to consumer demands or replenish orchards ravaged by disease.
Years ago, a WSU plant geneticist wanted a soil-free way to grow more plants more quickly to aid his research. An expert in fruit, Amit Dhingra directed his research assistants to divvy up species: sweet cherries, apples, pears, grapes, and strawberries.
"I started 3,000 [sweet cherry] buds and lost them all in the research lab because we were starting from scratch," says Tyson Koepke, who worked in Dhingra's lab. "We were just trying to make the process work for further experiments."
They found success growing plants in solutions that Koepke describes as "jello with Flintstones vitamins for plants." In that nutrient-rich media, one bud can multiply into 250,000 individual plants in a year.
Thanks to insight from an undergraduate working in the lab, Dhingra's team learned that its methods, if applied commercially, could relieve a longstanding bottleneck in the fruit industry. Where growers typically have to wait three to five years for new trees propagated at a nursery, these researchers invented a way to yield fruit in 12 to 18 months.
Phytelligence started production in 2013. Plants, including 11 different species, grow for about four weeks in jars crowded on shelves, filling three rooms in the office at WSU's Research and Technology Park. After a month, each plant is cut into two or three pieces, creating two or three new plants.
The process continues and the numbers add up quickly. When the time is right, Phytelligence moves the plant into media that tells it to grow roots. Then it's transported to a nursery near Seattle, where it will live in a pot until it's 18 to 24 inches tall.
The plant is a dormant stick called a rootstock, Koepke says. Once it's planted in the ground, it can be budded in the same season, which means the grower inserts a stem with leaf buds into the rootstock. Altogether, Phytelligence shaves two years off the traditional process.
Last fall, a cherry grower in Washington became the first to plant trees propagated in the lab.
"The Phytelligence approach lends itself to a lot of the concerns that have been present over the years," says Hemly, who invested in the company.
He hesitates to plant new trees because committing four or five years in advance is daunting. A lot can change in that time. In the end, he might not even have the right tree.
"One of the big issues in the industry has been cross-contamination. People are sold plants that aren't what they're supposed to be. You wait three to five years to realize the tree isn't growing right," Koepke says.
Phytelligence genetically tests each tree. It's the only nursery with that level of quality control. With that kind of assurance, combined with speed, Hemly feels more positive about the possibilities for his orchards.
"We haven't been doing a lot of planting because we haven't had the materials available to do what we want to do," he says. "I think the science Phytelligence is bringing to this area is exciting." ♦


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Optus today revealed the first details of its game changing 5G Home Broadband service which is underpinned by a plan to deliver 1,200 5G sites by March 2020.
In partnership with Nokia, who are supplying the 5G RAN and Fastmile 5G CPEs, Optus 5G sites are now live in two suburbs in Canberra, with an additional site live in Sydney and 47 more sites planned to be online by March 2019.
Optus will give select customers the opportunity to be part of the first wave of Optus 5G Home Broadband through an Expressions of Interest campaign in selected areas.
Optus 5G Home Broadband will offer unlimited data for $70 per month with a 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee.
This is an historic day for Optus as we begin our exciting 5G journey with the announcement of Optus 5G Home Broadband service, Optus Chief Executive Allen Lew said.
We will have more 5G sites going live across Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Sydney over the coming months giving a select group of customers the chance to get their hands on our 5G Home Broadband devices in areas of selected suburbs.
“We will open the service up to more customers and more locations as more devices are released and our 5G cells continue to roll-out.
Whether its bingeing on your favourite series in 4K, taking on a crafty Fortnite opponent, streaming your favourite Party mix on Spotify or live streaming the latest Premier League match Optus 5G Home Broadband is designed to deliver customers a great, multi-platform experience. And it is only just the start, said Mr Lew.
5G Roll-Out schedule
Optus plans to deliver 5G sites across the ACT, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia by March 2020.
We currently have three live in-network 5G cells, but we will be turbo-charging our roll-out over the next 12 months to deliver 5G cells on the Optus Mobile Network across Australia with the goal of putting this exciting technology into the hands of our customers as soon as possible, Mr Lew said.
We will continue to adopt a multi-vendor approach to our network technology infrastructure that will drive innovation and competition, which is critical to Optus DNA.
Mr Lew said Optus multi-year 5G network build would include upgrading and adding new mobile sites while densifying the network with innovative small cell solutions to increase capacity and speed in highly populated inner-city locations.
Anticipating future demand for 5G mobile services, Mr Lew noted that the 1,200 sites will include residential locations and other key customer hotspots surrounding airports, train stations, sports stadiums and CBD locations.
Optus 5G Home Broadband will be priced at $70 per month which will include unlimited data at superfast speeds with a 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee.
Mr Lew said an off-the-shelf product will be available through a variety of Optus touch points in the coming months.
When Optus customers have 5G compatible handsets in areas with Optus 5G network coverage they will also be able to experience 5G services on-the-go. We are working with a range of smartphone manufacturers and will announce details about 5G smartphone handset availability and plans in the future.
Expressions of Interest
Optus has opened expressions of interest today allowing customers to register their interest in selected suburbs to be amongst the first to experience 5G in Australia.
Customers simply need to visit www.optus.com.au/5G and enter their suburb to check eligibility for the first phase of Optus 5G Home Broadband.
Initial 5G coverage will be for limited areas within the suburb however Optus will confirm serviceability with these customers.
I encourage eligible Optus customers to register their expression of interest, Mr Lew said.
Customers will be selected based on 5G serviceability at their address to ensure they enjoy the best possible 5G experience. Initial services are expected to be delivered in Q2 2019.
The first 50 Optus 5G sites will cover 60 suburbs, with expressions of interest areas including:
|ACT: 9 suburbs|
|NSW: 22 suburbs|
|BIDWELL||WARWICK FARM||ST JOHNS PARK||BONNYRIGG||TASCOTT|
|NIAGARA PARK||SPRINGFIELD||YATTALUNGA||WOY WOY BAY||PHEGANS BAY|
|ST HUBERTS ISLAND||RICHMOND LOWLANDS|
|QLD: 13 suburbs|
|SA: 3 suburbs|
|TROTT PARK||REYNELLA EAST||OLD REYNELLA|
|WA: 13 suburbs|
|MOSMAN PARK||CITY BEACH||KIARA||LOCKRIDGE||EDEN HILL|
|SOUTH GUILDFORD||BELLEVUE||MIDLAND||ORANGE GROVE||WHITE GUM VALLEY|
Background technical information
• Optus is the first carrier in Australia to enable an end-to-end 5G fixed wireless access service with a 5G CPE device on a live network using 60MHz bandwidth. In the future, this technology has the potential of delivering up to 1Gbps peak speed, a concept which has been successfully tested in a lab environment using test equipment.
• Optus’ network, and the CPE device used, follows the latest 3GPP Rel15 Sep specification. We will continue to upgrade software as we receive new updates from network and device providers to deliver the new functionalities and capabilities.
• Nokia’s CPE has an 11dBi gain antenna, as compared to a traditional receiver antenna of 3-4dBi gain. This improved antenna will deliver a 5G connection in residential areas with stronger signals received.
*50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee
• If at any time you are not satisfied that you are getting download speeds of at least 50Mbps, simply get in touch and we will let you cancel your contract without cancellation fees when you return your 5G device to us.
• For New services on 5G Home Broadband 24-month or month-to-month contract only. Return the Optus 5G device in good working order within 30 days. The Optus 50Mbps Satisfaction Guarantee does not affect your Australian Consumer Law rights under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
Image: Optus 5G Home Broadband service in home
Image: Optus 5G Home Broadband service in kitchen
Image: Optus 5G Home Broadband service with gaming device
Image: Optus 5G Home Broadband service with family


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Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, Michigan) has officially announced that Cerise will return in late June as the next release in the brewery’s ‘Brewed for MI’ Series.
Brewed as a “celebration of the official state fruit” of Michigan, Cerise is a “ruby red” Fruit Beer “brewed with 100% tart, Michigan cherries.” Coming in at a light and refreshing 5.7% ABV, Cerise boast so much fresh cherry flavor that it is “as close you’ll get to tasting the real thing without picking it off the tree.”
Available exclusively in Michigan, each beer in the Brewed for MI Series “aims to raise awareness for Michigan-based non-profits through Founders corporate giving platform, The Big Pitcher.” Cerise will “raise awareness for Fair and Equal Michigan, a growing coalition of grassroots citizens, LGBTQ groups, business, political and philanthropic leaders that have joined together to help prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ community.”
“We’re absolutely thrilled to bring back one of our first fruit forward beers,” said Co-Founder and President, Dave Engbers. “Cerise isn’t one of those subtle, just a hint, fruit beers – it’s packed full of Michigan cherries. It’s well-balanced with the perfect amount of sweet and tart. We’re proud that this beer celebrates people and from all backgrounds and beliefs and helps raise awareness for Fair and Equal Michigan.”
Cerise is scheduled to be release in late June 2020 and will be available for a limited time. You can expect to find this Limited Release available in 6-packs of 12 oz. cans at select craft beer-friendly establishments located in Michigan only. Prost!
Vital Information for Cerise from Founders Brewing Co.
Release – Limited/Brewed for MI Series; late June 2020
Style – Fruit Beer
ABV – 5.7%
IBUs – 15
Added Ingredients – Michigan cherries
Fun Fact – “Each release in the Brewed for MI Series aims to raise awareness for Michigan-based non-profits through Founders corporate giving platform, The Big Pitcher. All causes Founders supports fall under three categories: Social Justice, Environment and Arts & Culture and range from local, MI-based organizations to those that operate on a national-level. The ‘Brewed for MI’ Series is Michigan-exclusive series include a lineup of three different beer releases throughout the year. The Brewed for MI Series beers have included Red’s Rye IPA. One more release in the series will be announced later this year.”
Availability – 6-packs of 12 oz. cans
Distribution – Michigan only
Beer Finder – https://foundersbrewing.com/beer/find-our-beer/


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Texas-based Cotton Patch Cafe will open its second Arkansas location in Springdale Tuesday, January 16, according to a press release.
"With its cotton mill-inspired design, the restaurant is known for its warm hospitality and classic homestyle dishes made from scratch using fresh ingredients," according to the press release.
The other location is at 3451 Hwy 412 in Siloam Springs.
"The growth of Springdale and its close proximity to the University of Arkansas made it a natural choice for our second Arkansas restaurant," said Cotton Patch Cafe Director of Marketing, Liz Phillips. "As we continue to grow outside of our home state of Texas, we want to become a beloved hometown brand wherever we serve our delicious comfort foods with Southern hospitality."
The Cotton Patch Cafe was founded in 1989 and has locations in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
The restaurant is located at 4101 W Sunset Ave.
NW News on 01/11/2018
Print Headline: Cotton Patch Cafe comes to Springdale


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KSA’s Creative+ Cloud Kitchen Raises $1 Million Investment
Founded in 2021, the cloud (or ghost) kitchen startup has emerged as a potential player in a growing sector.
Established in 2021 by Saudi native, Bakr AlHozaimi, Creative+ Cloud Kitchens’ innovative business model provides commercial kitchen spaces invented solely for online food delivery. Implanted in busy districts, these ‘dark kitchens’ amalgamate various restaurants and food options under one rooftop for seamless catering services.
Changing lifestyles, brought on by millennials with increased disposable incomes, as well as global pandemic mandates, have imposed and furthered the demand for convenience-based services. Stipulating the need for virtual kitchens, this surge in worldwide demand for food delivery services has enabled the global cloud kitchen market to increase in size, accounting for over 60% of the market share in 2020 alone and expected to reach 139.37 billion US dollars by 2028.
Subsequently, an increase in competition among restaurants and food delivery services bolstered the pressure to cut costs and maintain high-quality services. Startups such as Creative+ Cloud Kitchens permit restaurants and chefs alike to cut overhead costs and in turn increase profitability. With an e-commerce future-proof business model, Creative+ Cloud Kitchens act as that much-needed cost-cutting alternative to the traditional dine-in experience.
“The rise of the on-demand food delivery market has become a major trajectory in the food and beverage industry, and cloud kitchens are a critical component of this process,” says founder and CEO, Bakr Al Hozaimi, “The value of Global Cloud Kitchens was worth over $51 billion in 2020, and is expected to increase with an annual growth rate of 12.4% from 2021 to 2028,” he continues, “We at Creative+ aim to be a major player in the Middle East region in general and the Saudi market In particular.”


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IT’S one in a million! The Range Rover, Land Rover’s most luxurious vehicle, has roared into the history books after 40 record-breaking years.
The millionth model of Land Rover’s best known 4x4 rolled out of the vehicle maker’s Solihull factory today as part of a one-off cavalcade of vintage Range Rovers bound for London.
The vehicle was undertaking the 100-mile-plus trip down to the capital for presentation to motoring motormouth Jeremy Clarkson at Earls Court, where the TV star is hosting the Top Gear Live 2010 show this weekend.
The millionth model completed a memorable year for the Range Rover, which celebrated its 40th birthday in the summer four decades after its launch to the world’s media on June 17, 1970 in Cornwall.
Just days after the 40th birthday, Charles Spencer King, the motoring pioneer who designed the first Range Rover for the old British Leyland group, died at the age of 85.
Land Rover spokeswoman Natasha Waddington said: “The production of the one millionth Range Rover is a real landmark for us.”


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In May 2016, Germany approved the legalisation of medicinal cannabis. This was a landmark legal development in Europe, as many European countries listed cannabis as a strong narcotic at the time.
Since then, many states in North America have legalised cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use, and European consumers and lawmakers alike were surprised by the legalisation’s financial success.
Nowadays, several European countries, like Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Spain, have taken great leaps towards implementing successful cannabis legislations. Additionally, smaller countries took notice and moved towards accepting cannabis as a tool to boost their industry and improve their economy.
Let’s take a look at some small European countries that are preparing for the cannabis boom.
The top six small European countries that are preparing for the cannabis boom
As far as the cannabis industry is concerned, Malta is a small country with huge potential and big ambitions. In March 2018, the southern European island country officially legalised medical cannabis.
According to the Maltese legislation, entities are now allowed to cultivate, import, process, produce and distribute cannabis intended for medical and research purposes, as long as they do so in a controlled and supervised environment and comply with regulations.
The legalisation and regulation of cannabis for research and medicinal purposes should be in favour of cannabis entrepreneurs who are investing in Malta. In addition, the traceability and reporting structures that oversee the Maltese cannabis industry should also help researchers collect data and conduct clinical studies in the field.
Despite its small size, Malta is aiming to become the European capital of medical cannabis. And, as far as legislations go, the country has a fair chance of gaining that title.
Even though Malta is aiming to become the European capital of medical cannabis, Switzerland is quickly establishing itself as a safe haven for European cannabis producers.
Switzerland slightly relaxed its cannabis laws in 2011, and then legalised medical cannabis in 2013. However, getting your hands on medical cannabis in Switzerland is a convoluted process. Patients have to apply to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) to receive authorisation for medical cannabis. According to the FOPH, almost 3,000 people applied for a cannabis authorisation in 2018 alone.
In June 2019, The Swiss government proposed a bill that would make it easier for patients to access medical marijuana treatments. The new bill would allow doctors to prescribe cannabis as a treatment without the patients having to go to the FOPH for an authorisation. The bill also regulates the growing and processing of medical cannabis.
Despite it being an illegal drug, it’s estimated that up to 200,000 people in Switzerland use cannabis. As such, the Swiss government may allow up to 5,000 people to smoke marijuana legally as part of a pilot study meant to shape the rules for the recreational use of the plant.
But what sets Switzerland apart from other European countries is its current cannabis laws, which are often on the permissive side. Unlike most European states that ban all cannabis-derived products that have a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration higher than 0.2%, Swiss legislation allows the production and commercialisation of products containing up to 1 percent of THC.
In addition, cannabidiol (CBD) and legal THC products can be sold at cigarette shops, instead of dispensaries or headshops, making them more accessible to the public.
The relaxed cannabis laws make Switzerland attractive for investors, and many of the leading European CBD producers are based there.
In August 2019, Luxembourg surprised its neighbours by asking them to relax their drug laws. This demand was made by the country’s health minister in a statement announcing the county’s plan to legalise the production and consumption of recreational marijuana.
According to the legislation draft planned by Luxembourg’s cabinet, residents over 18 should be able to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use within two years. The draft legislation is expected to be completed later this year, and it should regulate the production and distribution of cannabis through a state-controlled agency, as well as the types of cannabis allowed and the tax that will be imposed on cannabis products.
Luxembourg’s state minister said that the legislation is going to include a ban that will prohibit home-growing and will likely include a ban that will stop non-residents from buying cannabis.
The small state already legalised medicinal cannabis in 2017, and the current bill is supposed to make cannabis less attractive to young people. All the tax revenues collected from the cannabis industry will be reinvested in drug education programmes and addiction centres.
If the bill becomes law, Luxembourg will join the growing list of states that legalised recreational marijuana — a list that contains Canada, Uruguay, and 11 U.S. states.
Cyprus legalised the use of cannabis oil for medical purposes back in 2017. However, the 2017 law only allowed patients suffering from advanced state cancer to benefit from cannabis treatments.
In February 2019, Cyprus approved a new medical law that legalises the cultivation, production, import, export and distribution of medical cannabis. In addition, the law also stipulates that individuals can now possess and use cannabis for medical purposes.
The current law allows patients suffering from a variety of health conditions to access medicinal cannabis straight from pharmacies if they have a prescription.
According to the Cypriot law, three producers will receive a license during the first 15 years, which should attract experienced companies to invest in this emerging cannabis market. Since Cyprus has ideal climatic conditions for cannabis cultivation, local authorities believe the cannabis industry might produce £204 million (€229 million) per year.
Portugal legalised medical cannabis in 2018. The country’s warm climate, its large agricultural sector and its, now, permissive legislation quickly attracted the attention of experienced cannabis companies from across the pond.
The Portuguese legislation allows the cultivation, growing, distribution and use of medicinal cannabis. However, the Portuguese lawmakers rejected two proposals to legalise the cultivation of cannabis for recreational use, even though Portugal decriminalised drugs more than 20 years ago.
Thanks to its climate and educated workforce, it’s easy to see how Portugal could become an influential player in the emerging European cannabis industry.
6. North Macedonia
North Macedonia legalised cannabis for medicinal use in 2016. As of 2017, there were 28 licensed cannabis growers and producers in North Macedonia, with 15 more companies waiting for their permits.
The 2016 cannabis law allowed the growth, production and distribution of cannabis products for medical use. But the lawmakers in Skopje are now changing the law, allowing growers and producers to export cannabis flowers.
The legal update is aiming to boost the country’s economy. Northern Macedonia is one of the poorest states in Europe, and its agriculture accounts for nearly eight percent of its output and ten percent of its exports.
The legislation change should help the local economy by allowing cannabis farmers to use all the plant’s components — from stems to seeds and flowers — and increase their profits. The new legislation should also encourage foreign investors to expand to northern Macedonia, as the country’s resources are not as expensive as those of other European states.
What the future holds
As more and more European consumers see cannabis as a medicinal tool and not an illegal drug, European governments are taking notice and changing laws to benefit their countries. And, the good thing is, not only large countries can benefit from the cannabis industry.
Thanks to the good yield of the cannabis plant, the scalability of a cannabis operation and the fact that growers can turn all of the plant’s components into profit, cannabis businesses don’t have to worry about making a profit and keeping their operation going. Coupled with the fact that cannabis is now attractive to the pharmaceutical industry, this means that the cannabis boom could benefit small countries as well as large ones.
As most European states are only just preparing to accept cannabis as a good investment, these countries will already have operational frameworks in place, attracting local and foreign investors.


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Electric Vehicles seem to be catching up with the pace in India with almost every car manufacturer heading forward to launch one.
As per some reports, MG Motors is now preparing for the launch of its Air EV in India. The EV is expected to make its arrival in India by mid or even early 2023.
Some reports suggest that MG Motors might unveil the Air EV at the upcoming Auto Expo and launch it by January.
Air EV has been reported to have been seen on Indian roads multiple times.
MG Air will be a front-wheel-drive vehicle and is expected to offer two battery pack options.
It comes with 17.3kWh and 26.7kWh battery options and on a full charge it can reach up to 300KM.
The 17.3kWh battery pack claims a range of 200km and the 26.7kWh pack can go up to 300km.
The EV is expected to deliver 38bhp and will be a four-seater.
Like the bigger MGs, the Air EV will have two 10.25-inch screens, each housing an infotainment touchscreen and an instrument cluster.
The price is expected to be under Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom).


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Malware Delivered through Google Search
Criminals using Google search ads to deliver malware isn’t new, but Ars Technica declared that the problem has become much worse recently.
The surge is coming from numerous malware families, including AuroraStealer, IcedID, Meta Stealer, RedLine Stealer, Vidar, Formbook, and XLoader. In the past, these families typically relied on phishing and malicious spam that attached Microsoft Word documents with booby-trapped macros. Over the past month, Google Ads has become the go-to place for criminals to spread their malicious wares that are disguised as legitimate downloads by impersonating brands such as Adobe Reader, Gimp, Microsoft Teams, OBS, Slack, Tor, and Thunderbird.
It’s clear that despite all the progress Google has made filtering malicious sites out of returned ads and search results over the past couple decades, criminals have found ways to strike back. These criminals excel at finding the latest techniques to counter the filtering. As soon as Google devises a way to block them, the criminals figure out new ways to circumvent those protections.


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Recently, rumors have begun circulating that despite saying MW2 would have a two-year development plan, Activision is already planning to reveal Call of Duty 2023 later this year.
When MW2 and Warzone 2 first launched, Activision had stated that they would take an extra year to develop the next iteration in the COD franchise.
But now it seems they will stick to their regular release schedule, and players will have a new Call of Duty title to enjoy later this year.
Possible Call of Duty 2023 Reveal Date & Rumors
Insider-Gaming claims that Call of Duty 2023 is currently set to be revealed on August 1st by “some form of in-game event” in Warzone 2.
Activision already has experience with these sorts of reveals since Vanguard and Cold War had similar in-game events before their announcement.
The Vanguard reveal event had players battle against an iron war train while the sky filled with hundreds of carpet bombers.
During Cold War, players had to complete a series of tasks before finding refugees in the stadium part of the map and seeing dozens of planes flying overhead.
You can see the full in-game Vanguard event here:
Rumors also state that COD 2023 will see a similar release date to past Call of Duty titles and release on November 10, 2023.
Sledgehammer Games will helm the development of COD 2023, but Activision has yet to confirm any of these rumors.
Insider-Gaming has also claimed to have corroborated these reports with multiple sources, so it seems likely that we’ll see a new Call of Duty announced at the beginning of August.
Among the reveal and release dates, here are a few other previously leaked dates that are essential for the upcoming game.
Rumored COD 2023 Key Dates
- August 1, 2023
- Beta Weekend 1 (PS4/PS5)
- October 6 – October 10, 2023
- Beta Weekend 2 (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC)
- October 12 – October 16, 2023
- Campaign Early Access (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC)
- November 2, 2023
- Full Release (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S/PC)
- November 10, 2023
Will COD 2023 Have Zombies?
The report by Insider-Gaming also states that Call of Duty 2023 will include a Zombies mode at launch.
It is still unclear how exactly the mode will function. Previous reports have stated that it will not be round-based.
This would align with a similar approach that Sledgehammer Games took with Vanguard, but that was met with heavy backlash, and they eventually opted to include round-based maps.
If you’re hoping for a similar experience to Black Ops 3 Zombie Chronicles, then you may be interested in Treyarch’s rumored upcoming Zombie mode.


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Nissan's calling this a concept vehicle, but it's close to what the next Nissan Pathfinder SUV will look like. As a crossover SUV, it shares most of its engineering with the recently revealed Infiniti JX three-row luxury SUV.
Nissan expects the new Pathfinder to have 25% better fuel economy than the current truck-based SUV.
In case you haven't noticed, Detroit's been turning out some very good cars, lately. Here's a sampling.
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