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Social Science One, an independent research commission, will give social scientists unprecedented access to Facebook’s data.
Her departure is a sign the company’s system is beginning to work. It’s also a crisis.
Timehop is admitting that additional personal information was compromised in a data breach on July 4.
The company first acknowledged the breach on Sunday, saying that users’ names, email addresses and phone numbers had been compromised. Today it said it that additional information, including date of birth and gender, was also taken.
To understand what happened, and what Timehop is doing to fix things, I spoke to CEO Matt Raoul, COO Rick Webb and the security consultant that the company hired to manage its response. (The security consultant agreed to be interviewed on-the-record on the condition that they not be named.)
To be clear, Timehop isn’t saying that there was a separate breach of its data. Instead, the team has discovered that more data was taken in the already-announced incident.
Why didn’t they figure that out sooner? In an updated version of its report (which was also emailed to customers), the company put it simply: “Because we messed up.” It goes on:
In our enthusiasm to disclose all we knew, we quite simply made our announcement before we knew everything. With the benefit of staff who had been vacationing and unavailable during the first four days of the investigation, and a new senior engineering employee, as we examined the more comprehensive audit on Monday of the actual database tables that were stolen it became clear that there was more information in the tables than we had originally disclosed. This was precisely why we had stated repeatedly that the investigation was continuing and that we would update with more information as soon as it became available.
In both the email and my interviews, the Timehop team noted that the service does not have any financial information from users, nor does it perform the kinds of detailed behavioral tracking that you might expect from an ad-supported service. The team also emphasized that users’ “memories” — namely, the older social media posts that people use Timehop to rediscover — were not compromised.
How can they be sure, particularly since some of the compromised data was overlooked in the initial announcement? Well, the breach affected one specific database, while the memories are stored separately.
“That stuff is what we cared about, that stuff was protected,” Webb said. The challenge is, “We have to make a mental note to think about everything else.”
The breach occurred when someone accessed a database in Timehop’s cloud infrastructure that was not protected by two-factor authentication, though Raoul insisted that the company was already using two-factor quite broadly — it’s just that this “fell through the cracks.”
It’s also worth noting that while 21 million accounts were affected, Timehop had varying amounts of data about different users. For example, it says that 18.6 million email addresses were compromised (down from the “up to 21 million” addresses first reported), compared to 15.5 million dates of birth. In total, the company says 3.3 million records were compromised that included names, email addresses, phone numbers and DOBs.
None of those things may seem terribly sensitive (anyone with a copy of my business card and access to Google could probably get that information about me), but the security consultant acknowledged that in the “very, very small percentage” of cases where the records included full names, email addresses, phone numbers and DOBs, “identity theft becomes more likely,” and he suggested that users take standard steps to protect themselves, including password-protecting their phones.
Meanwhile, the company says that it worked with the social media platforms to detect activity that used the compromised authorization tokens, and it has not found anything suspicious. At this point, all of the tokens have been deauthorized (requiring users to re-authorize all of their accounts), so it shouldn’t be an ongoing issue.
As for other steps Timehop is taking to prevent future breaches, the security consultant told me the company is already in the process of ensuring that two-factor authentication is adopted across the board and encrypting its databases, as well as improving the process of deploying code to address security issues.
In addition, the company has shared the IP addresses used in the attack with law enforcement, and it will be sharing its “indicators of compromise” with partners in the security community.
Everyone acknowledged that Timehop made real mistakes, both in its security and in the initial communication with customers. (As the consultant put it, “They made a schoolboy mistake by not doing two-factor authentication.”) However, they also suggested that their response was guided, in part, by the accelerated disclosure timeline required by Europe’s GDPR regulations.
The security consultant told me, “We haven’t had the time to do the fine-toothed comb kinds of things we normally want to do,” like an in-depth forensic analysis. Those things will happen, he said — but thanks to GDPR, the company needed to make the announcement before it had all the information.
And overall, the consultant said he’s been impressed by Timehop’s response.
“I think it really says a lot to their integrity that they decided to go fully public the second they knew it was a breach,” he said. “I want to point out these guys responded within 24 hours with a full-on incident response and secured their environments. That’s better than so many companies.”
Editor’s note: This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and TechCrunch may earn affiliate commissions.
Gearing up for a pleasant road trip entails more than picking an exciting destination. The mode of transportation, and what you’re able to do while traveling, sometimes makes or breaks hours spent on the road.
Whether you’re taking an older car on a short solo excursion, or piling in with family and friends for a cross-country drive, your road trip gear and setup can add to the experience. We’ve gathered some of our favorite picks that cover the basics.
iPad Headrest Mount: Arkon Center Extension Car Headrest Tablet Mount
If getting comfortable in a backseat and watching a movie sounds like an ideal way to pass time, do so with the help of a tablet mount. The Arkon Center Extension Car Headrest Tablet Mount securely holds iPads and most 9- to 12-inch tablets.
It attaches to the metal rods of the front seat headrest and its holster is attached to an extendable arm that can be positioned so one or multiple backseat passengers can get a clear view.
Car GPS: Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
Before the wheels start rolling, knowing where you’re going and how to get there is likely the first order of business. Using a standalone car GPS means your smartphone doesn’t have to be held hostage and you don’t have to rely on a live data connection.
The Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S has maps and a database with points of interest built in so that navigation — even off of the beaten path — is straightforward. It works via Bluetooth, can display alerts or searches from a smartphone and its maps are updated over Wi-Fi. During testing, its voice-control system was the simplest to use and its audible directions were the most precise.
You’ll like that its 5-inch touchscreen displays easy-to-follow lanes and road signs, along with nearby stops and speed limits.
Bluetooth Kit: Anker SoundSync Drive
There’s no fun in a road trip that doesn’t include your favorite podcasts and music playlists. Older cars without built-in Bluetooth pose a problem when it comes to streaming curated entertainment from a smartphone.
Bypass installing a new stereo system and use an inexpensive Bluetooth kit instead. We recommend the Anker SoundSync Drive for cars with an aux-in port as well as other options for different setups. The SoundSync Drive will allow you to listen to music and makes hands-free calls.
It offers high-quality audio that’s on par and better than competitors we tested, and it has convenient track-control buttons. Keep it powered by plugging its USB-A charging cable into any car charger or USB power source.
Car Mount: iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Air Vent Mount
For a car mount that won’t get in the way of other devices that have to be placed on a windshield or dashboard, we recommend the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Air Vent Mount. It fits into an air vent and its grip — which is secured by long rubber-lined arms and a spring-loaded clamp — places it above similar models.
Its cradle holds firm, it can be placed on vents of all thicknesses and it’s easy to position. The Easy One Touch 4 Air Vent Mount’s build makes it easy to access and it works against weighing down vent slats.
USB Car Charger: RAVPower RP-VC006
The RAVPower RP-VC006 USB car charger is small but packs a punch (up to 2.4 amps) with two USB ports for powering smartphones or tablets. It isn’t difficult to insert or remove, and when it’s dark outside, its LED and white ports make it easy to locate.
We like that it’s compact and doesn’t stick out too far. The RAVPower RP-VC006 plugs into a 12-volt power jack and it’s capable of charging two devices — simultaneously and in little to no time. It comes with a lifetime warranty, and if you’re concerned about misplacing it or running out of juice, it’s cheap enough to buy a few.
This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter.
When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commissions.
Newer Sonos devices and “rooms” now appear as AirPlay 2-compatible devices, allowing you to stream audio to them via Apple devices. The solution is a long time coming for Sonos which promised AirPlay 2 support in October.
You can stream to Sonos One, Sonos Beam, Playbase, and Play:5 speakers and ask Siri to play music on various speakers (“Hey Siri, play some hip-hop in the kitchen.”) The feature should roll out to current speakers today.
I tried a beta version and it worked as advertised. A set of speakers including a Beam and a Sub in my family room showed up as a single speaker and a Sonos One in the kitchen showed up as another. I was able to stream music and podcasts to either one.
Given the ease with which you can now stream to nearly every device from every device it’s clear that whole-home audio is progressing rapidly. As we noted before Sonos is facing tough competition but little tricks like this one help it stay in the race.
Pinterest is trying to further tap its popularity as a place to plan events, this time adding ways for users to collaborate across boards that are baked directly into the app.
Group boards will have their own designated feed, where users will be able to communicate with others collaborating on that board and also get updates on new member additions or added pins. There are also the other typical social structures you’d expect on an app these days, including @-mentions or liking comments. It’s another step to get people onto Pinterest and sticking around as they look to plan events, and create more ways to make the platform more and more sticky. It’s also another quality-of-life improvement that Pinterest seems to have needed for quite some time.
It’s those kinds of events — weddings, parties and others — that propelled Pinterest initially to become one of the larger social networks in the early 2010s. The company late last year said it had more than 200 million monthly active users, which while small compared to the likes of Instagram or Facebook, serves as a hub for a different kind of user behavior than you might find on those other platforms. The majority of the content on Pinterest is high-resolution products from businesses, where people will search for or save those products as they look to plan future life events.
Pinterest has tried to position itself as one of the best ways to discover new ideas, whether that’s stumbling upon something in a primary feed or finding something through searching. Over time, it’s added more and more tools to try to get people to come back more regularly, and if it continues to improve those recommendation engines, it can continue to run that feedback loop and keep users more and more attached to the platform. Adding a sort of light social pressure from friends that are sharing ideas and looking for feedback is one way to do that, in addition to it generally being useful.
All that is good for its pitch to advertisers as well. Pinterest, in addition to trying to cater to that unique kind of user behavior, is also trying to sell itself to advertisers as a platform where they can reach potential customers through ways they wouldn’t be able to with primary advertising channels like Facebook or Google. By making the platform more sticky, it can go back to those advertisers and offer them better engagement metrics and show that users stick around and are paying closer attention to content on Pinterest, which can in turn drive that additional value to advertisers.
Next Insurance, the Israeli digital insurance startup that helps small businesses get coverage, has raised a significant new funding round, adding another $83 million to its balance sheet.
The Series B round is led by Silicon Valley’s Redpoint Ventures, and will be used by the company to continue expanding across the U.S., where it now operates as a full service insurance carrier. It will also increase headcount in both its Israel and U.S. offices.
Founded in 2016 with the aim of becoming a one-stop insurance shop for micro and small business insurance needs, Next Insurance designs insurance plans for business sectors that are often overlooked by more general insurers.
Small business owners often rely on price comparison websites to figure out what kind of coverage they need and where to buy it, though that means the plans they get don’t always cover all their needs. The other option is to use a broker but that also adds another middle person.
“The complexity of the small business insurance market is very significant and this leads to a situation where even the largest insurance providers own less than 10 percent of the small business market,” founder and CEO Guy Goldstein told TechCrunch when the company raised its Series A. “This offers us huge growth potential as we aim to specialize in and become a market leader in each small business vertical”.
The small business sectors where Next Insurance offers general and professional liability insurance currently includes contractors, fitness, cleaning, beauty, therapy, entertainment, and education. It lets you buy insurance instantly at what it claims is very competitive prices and with no hidden fees. In addition, now that Next Insurance is a licensed carrier, it is able to write policies independently, with what it says is more freedom over underwriting, setting prices, and configuring policies.
Moving forward, the company plans on adding further lines of insurance, on-demand coverage, and ensuring that claims are paid within 48 hours. It is also hoping to develop more sophisticated uses of AI and machine learning to improve the customer experience and streamline the insurance purchasing process.
To that end, Goldstein says Next Insurance’s Series B is a “monumental turning point” in the company’s history, describing growth over the last two years as exponential. Hyperbole aside, the company does appear to have found market fit, as evidenced by the size of the round and how many previous backers followed on.
The Series B Round brings Next Insurance’s total funding to $131 Million in just two years. Other investors that participated in this round include Nationwide Insurance, Munich Re, American Express Ventures, Ribbit Capital, TLV Ventures, and Zeev Ventures. Elliot Geidt, Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures, will join the board of Next Insurance.
More broadly, the insurtech space is rapidly heating up in recognition that the insurance sector, both consumer and B2B, is still yet to be fully digitised, especially in a mobile-first world. In the U.S., consumer home insurance app Lemonade has been grabbing most of the headlines, not least after it raised $120 million in a round led by Softbank.
“Gone are the days of complicated, unreadable policies, exclusions that leave entrepreneurs vulnerable, and endless meetings and phone calls with insurance agents who don’t understand the nuances and needs of different classes of business,” adds Goldstein in a statement. “Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, and they deserve insurance policies that are simple to access, affordable to own, and which provide them the support and confidence they need to thrive”.


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Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) announced this morning that the company has acquired all of the issued and outstanding securities of Agro-Biotech, a medicinal cannabis producer that operates legally under the Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) in Canada, for an exchange of $90M. Half of the $90M will be paid out in cash and half of it in Emerald Health Therapeutics in shares.
Emerald Health has acquired assets including a Health Canada cultivation license, land, and 75,000 sq. ft. purpose-built facility. Emerald Health will now have the ability serve customers located in Québec with high-quality cannabis products ahead of the 2018 legalized adult-use market. This deal also improves the company’s ability to further ability to market throughout eastern Canada.
Emerald Health Therapeutics has facilitated this deal to keep up with the expected demand of product when Canada legalizes the recreational use of cannabis this summer. Emerald is building out 1.1 million sq. ft. of greenhouse space in British Colombia, which has its cultivation license and is expected to have an output of 46,000 kg of cannabis. Emerald is also constructing a 500,000-square foot hybrid indoor and greenhouse cannabis growing facility in Metro Vancouver.
Yan Dignard, President of Agro-Biotech gave this statement in the press release:
“Agro-Biotech is one of only six Licensed Producers in Québec, Canada’s second largest province with a population of over 8.4 million. Our experienced and talented team collectively has over 60 years of cannabis growing and broad horticulture experience. We did this deal as we respect Emerald’s capabilities and look forward to working with their team to build a strong and differentiated cannabis product line in Québec and across Canada.”
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domain: news


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Berlin Fashion Week: Green trade fair duo continues to grow
“Berlin is Fashion”
Berlin Fashion Week is the umbrella event of the fashion week in Berlin. It is where various trade fairs and fashion show platforms come together. According to the motto “Berlin is fashion” a new location has been chosen for “Salonshow” and “Ethical Fashion on Stage” which is only three minutes away from Postbahnhof on foot. The area right next to the Spree river is an appropriate location to present the highlights from the new collections that Greenshowroom and Ethical Fashion Show Berlin have to offer.
New location for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has moved into former department store Jandorf. With its new venue, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week offers an inspirational platform
and creative space for the visual design of the show. Catherine Bennett, Senior Vice President, IMG Fashion Events & Properties on the decision: “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be the first one-week fashion event in this location where designers will be offered a range of new opportunities to realise their creative visions.”
Berliner Mode Salon
Berliner Mode Salon will once again open its doors in the Kronprinzenpalais to guests and selected designers. The designer portfolio includes designers such as HIEN
LE, WILLIAM FAN, RÉNE STORCK and many more. Highlights will be the group exhibition as well as the Vogue Salon where more than 40 outstanding fashion labels from Germany show their most recent collections.
#FASHIONTECH Berlin is a platform for innovative ideas and business models that influence the world of fashion in terms of design, production, distribution, marketing and sales. The next event will be taking place during Berlin Fashion Week on 18 January 2017 in Kühlhaus Berlin in Kreuzberg.
In this season, too, designers and talents at the Berlin Fashion Week will be supported by the Senate Department for Economics, Technology and Research / Projekt Zukunft.


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The FDA Has Banned JUUL In The United States
JUUL can no longer sell or market items in the U.S, though individuals may still possess and use products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a nationwide ban on selling and marketing JUUL products. Stores carrying JUUL vape pens and cartridges must also pull the product off the shelves or “risk enforcement action,” according to the official statement released by the FDA on June 23.
“Today’s action is further progress on the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., said in an official statement.
The decision was made after the FDA rejected data submitted by JUUL regarding its products’ public health benefits, like helping former adult smokers quit. The FDA rejected the company’s findings, saying that the report “raised concerns due to insufficient and conflicting data.”
“The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the U.S. market. We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”
Back in 2018, the FDA called teen e-cigarette use an “epidemic,” as e-cigarette sales — namely the sales of flavored pods like strawberry and mangoes and cream — skyrocketed. In 2020, the US banned the sales of flavored pods (except for menthol and classic tobacco), noting how easily they hooked teens and even kids who assumed a smokeless nicotine was harmless when it was anything but.
“The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the US market,” Califf said in the statement. “We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”
Still, this doesn’t mean Juuling is a thing of the past. Simply owning a Juul or using one as an individual isn’t against the law, and there are loads of other e-cigarettes (and not to mention good ol’ fashioned combustible smokes and a host of other tobacco products) still available on the market.
JUUL is already planning to appeal the FDA’s decision. Joe Murillo, Juul’s chief regulatory officer, said in an official statement that the e-cigarette company is “exploring all of our options under the FDA’s regulations and the law, including appealing the decision and engaging with our regulator.”
The FDA’s decision comes just as the Biden Administration announced its plans to lower the amount of nicotine in actual cigarettes and other tobacco products.
"Nicotine is powerfully addictive," Califf said in a statement regarding the proposed lowered nicotine levels. "Lowering nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would decrease the likelihood that future generations of young people become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers to quit."


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(OTCMKTS:PURA) has announced that it has finalized
the acquisition of a Germany company. This will enable Puration to bottle its
CBD drinks locally and supply them throughout Europe.
EVERx CBD Sports Water to Europe
The acquisition comes at the back of Puration, entering
a distribution agreement to supply its EVERx CBD Sports water and other
beverages in Europe. The distribution agreement will add approximately $4
million in sales in 2020.according to the management, the European market is
huge, and the sales projection needed the establishment of a local bottling
By 2023 the CBD market in Europe will be around $17 billion. The expansion to Europe is part of the company’s strategy to expand the bottling of beverages outside Latin America and Canada. The company has indicated that it will close the acquisition on November 14.
The company has already started marketing the EVERx CBD
Sports Water in Europe. The company launched the beverage at the Arnold
Schwarzenegger Sports Festival In Barcelona. The water was introduced first in
2017 at the Arnold Classic in Ohio in 2017. It has grown to be part of the
global Arnold Sports Festival events.
EVERx Sports Water is a leading CBD infused beverage that is growing sales rapidly. In the first half of this year, the company generated sales of $1 million from the water, and it is targeting sales of around $4 million by the end of 2019. This will be different from the current anticipated $4 million from the distribution agreement.
Announces LOI for an acquisition in Latin America
Besides the acquisition in German, the company also announced a possible acquisition in Latin America same as that of Germany. The acquisition is designed to enhance foothold for the company to bottle the CBD infused beverages locally in Latin America. The Latin America CBD market is budding, and it is showing signs of massive potential. By 2028 it is estimated that the market will hit $9 billion.
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Published at Fri, 22 Nov 2019 13:05:11 +0000


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blessing’, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest report on currency and finance. As per the RBI, the virtual tokens increase financial inclusion and transparency but may take away low-costs deposits from banks with impacts on the economy. However, it poses a risk of disintermediation of the banking system, the report says.
Stating the benefits of CBDC, the RBI observed that it could be designed to endorse financial inclusion by direct benefit transfer, endorse non-anonymity at a personal level and regulate transactions. Adding more, the RBI added that CBDC could help pump central bank ‘helicopter money’.
The RBI also stated that CBDC could be beneficial in directing public consumption to a select segment of goods and services to augment social welfare and cumulative demand.
CBDC may also play a vital role as an instrument of sterilisation in emerging markets which are going through large-scale capital inflows, and argument the economy’s response to alterations in the policy rate, said RBI report. The regulator noted digital currency would help it alleviate the restraint that limited stock of government securities in the balance sheet.
Pointing at the disadvantages of the CBDC, the RBI report observed that the interest-bearing digital fiat may pose a risk of disintermediation of the banking system, considering the commercial banking system is thought to be flimsy. The RBI fears that people may convert their CASA (current account savings account) deposits with banks into CBDC.
Following this, the cost of bank-based financial inter-mediation would be raised, affecting the growth and financial stability. Also, chances of banks in countries with large credit markets lose their primacy may also rise.The new report on 'Currency and Finance 2020-21' was released a day after the RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had stated that the central bank was all set to issue major regulations on CBDC soon.


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As anybody who has worked at one can tell you, retail outlets can get shipments of games days or even weeks before they're supposed to be put out on the shelves. It's not uncommon, especially for popular titles that retailers need to keep stocked. However, they will never be put out before the game's release date, thanks to strict contracts and careful monitoring.
Apparently, though, nobody bothered to inform a game store in Poland of this when it came to Resident Evil 6.
Polish gaming site NeoGo claim to have gotten their hands on Resident Evil 6 from a local game retailer and have been playing the game. They've posted photos of the packaging, photos of the game, and other details.
It's unclear whether this is a legitimate copy, a pirate copy, or what exactly has happened. So far Capcom hasn't spoken on the issue. We'll update this as we know more.
Our Take: We're still a little skeptical that this is a legitimate copy of the game. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Polish retailers have taken shipments of the game, but considering the game only went gold roughly a week and a half ago, that's a heck of a turnaround time to a relatively small market, no offense to the Polish. It's credible in that the game is being launched in the EU October 2nd, so pressing facilities are hard at work making copies.
At the same time though, it's difficult to see how pirates could have gotten their hands on a master of the game and turned around such a careful fake in such a short amount of time, either.
Either way, the footage posted by NeoGo seems legit: It's not from any footage we've seen elsewhere on the Internet, which is usually the smoking gun on frauds such as this. We'll update this as more information becomes available.
NeoGo: Resident Evil 6 (Link is in Polish)


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Home Tags Purchase
Mastercard accounts for 33% of all card payments in India.
The measure, already in effect, orders co-op boards to clearly state the minimum financial requirements to potential buyers before they apply to purchase a unit, and to provide a reason for a denial.
Walmart took the top spot for the ninth consecutive year.
For each card purchased, $1 will be donated to Conservation International.
The product line consists of two varieties dubbed Lift and Ease.
Ekata's technology will be merged into Mastercard’s cyber and intelligence business.
The new Card by Seneca Women will launch in the spring.
Mastercard plans to allocate the net proceeds from the bond within three years of the transaction.
The new products come in five flavors.
Purchase-based PepsiCo and Beyond Meat, which is based in El Segundo, California, and specializes in producing food products made from plant protein that replicate...
“His brand is so tied to him as a person that the association is almost impossible to unlink,” says Sacred Heart University Professor David Taylor.
Meanwhile, security is being beefed up around Albany and Hartford in the wake of FBI warnings that more potentially violent protests are in the making in all 50 states.
A debut commercial aired on NFL Network Media and NFL.com.


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Dark Souls Creator Ponders Easy Mode
Update: Since yesterday's interview with Metro went live, Namco-Bandai contacted them to say Miyazaki's comment about possibly adding an 'Easy Mode' was a mistranslation.
But after that comment circled around the Internet Namco Bandai got in contact with us, claiming that there was a ‘translation mistake’. Although we did note at the time that the interview’s translation wasn’t very good the sentence in question always seemed pretty unambiguous. But this is apparently what it should have been:
‘This fact is really sad to me and I am thinking about how to make everyone complete the game while maintaining the current difficulty and carefully send all gamers the messages behind it.’
According to Namco Bandai, ‘This revision has been made in order to inform Miyazaki-san's true intention and what has been originally posted had a mistake because of mistranslation.’
Original Story: Dark Souls is a difficult game. So difficult, in fact, that it's turning some players away. This has caused series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki to think about possibly adding an easy mode.
"I personally want my games to be described as satisfying rather than difficult," Miyazaki said in an interview with Metro. "As a matter of fact, I am aiming at giving players sense of accomplishment in the use of difficulty.
"Having said that, however, it is true that Dark Souls is rather difficult and a number of people may hesitate to play. This fact is really sad to me and I am thinking about whether I should prepare another difficulty that everyone can complete or carefully send all gamers the messages behind our difficult games."
Miyazaki later said if the number of easy games is increasing, he thinks it's because difficulty is "not related to interesting and worthwhile game elements in many games among players."
Capcom released a new update for Dragon's Dogma that added an easy mode earlier this year.


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A soldier thought to have been captured in Gaza could be a British Israeli, according to reports.
Scotland Yard has launched a major shake-up of protection for the Royal Family, the Evening Standard can reveal.
Tuning up: Shazam creating 130 new jobs in Hammersmith after $40m investment from telecoms giant Carlos Slim
Published: 08 July 2013
Hammersmith-based smartphone app Shazam has vowed to keep its base in London and create up to 130 new jobs over the next two years after announcing a $40 million investment from Mexican telecoms billionaire Carlos Slim.
Slim has invested in Shazam, which analyses songs to tell users what they are, through his firm America Movil to help the company expand into South America and TV. As past of the deal Shazam will come automatically loaded onto America Movil smartphones, giving the business access to the firm's 246 million mobile subscribers in 18 countries.
Executive Chairman Andrew Fisher told the Standard the investment would allow the London firm to expand, saying: “We’ll be creating a very significant number of new jobs in our Hammersmith office. It’s about hiring new talent from the institutions and universities in London. We’ve already got employees from Imperial. We’ve been involved in the graduate recruitment fair for the past two years.”
Fisher said the company hopes to double the size of its London office over the next two years, which currently has around 130 staff.
Shazam, founded in London in 2002, has over 350 million users globally, with 70 million monthly users. The firm has recently made a push into TV, with audio-recognition software allowing users to ‘tag’ TV programmes and adverts, offering users related content. The firm hopes to tap into the growing 'second screen' market, with advertisers keen to offer targeted content on peoples' mobile and tablet devices relevant to what they're watching on TV.
Chief executive Rich Riley said these services would be a key part of its role out in Latin America, saying: “Shazam’s expansion into television has moved the company into an entirely new phase of growth with interactive advertising generating new sources of revenue and partnerships with broadcasters encouraging a broader group of people to use Shazam more frequently.”
Slim said: “We are excited to bring this innovation to America Movil subscribers. Shazam is defining a new category of media engagement which combines the power of mobile with traditional broadcast media and advertising."
The firm said sales of digital goods are now over $300 million a year through affiliate partners like iTunes, a figure that is doubling annually.
Fisher said a stock market floatation for the firm either here or in the US is its "stated ambition" but said it would not happen next year.
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- Pro-Palestinian campaigners hang banner from Westminster Bridge calling for end to Israel arms sales
- Will this hi-tech lorry be the key to slashing death toll of cyclists on London's streets?
- There’s room for 10,000 new homes on spare land in council estates, say Tories
- Ed Balls attacks Conservatives on falling earnings
- Secret Garden Party founder Freddie Fellowes on why it's more than just a gig in a field
- Father's 'disgust' at £200,000 in taxpayer money given to killers of Drummer Lee Rigby to cover legal costs
- Scottie dogs at Commonwealth Games ceremony were 'disrespectful' to Muslims
- Car plunges through barrier into subway at Elephant and Castle... but driver survives
- 64 Degrees, the London restaurant where the chefs double as waiters
Niki Chesworth and Laura Varnam discover portion control on Tesco’s new My Fit Lifestyle programme
Make the British 10k the beginning of a summer of keeping active and in shape.
Calling all fashionistas! Enter our film competition to win a £2,000 Westfield Gift Card plus an internship at London Live.
With Prudential RideLondon taking place on 9 and 10 August, it is worth finding out where the best places to spectate are during the weekend
Prudential RideLondon is coming this August, so get on your bike and join in the family fun on traffic-free roads, passing historic landmarks
Update your holiday wardrobe with tropical prints, the perfect pair of sandals and some seriously stylish swimwear to make a splash in. Bon voyage.
Intrigued by the latest whodunnit to hit the best seller lists? Can’t quite put your finger on what feels familiar? Here’s the lowdown on everything you need to know.
After a hard day spent sunbathing, breeze into dusk with relaxed separates and sunset hues. Polish it off with shimmering details and an Aperol spritz


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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into claims of a brake-fluid leak on 2008 Mazda CX-9 models.
Read This Article
Far and away, the Mazda3 has become the best-selling car in the Mazda portfolio, showing that a compact car can be both efficient and fun to drive in this era.
Alfa Romeo is ramping up its lineup for when it re-enters the U.S.
Our colleagues spotted a prototype for the next-gen Mazda Miata testing in our own backyard. Check out the photos here.


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- Weak customer demand amid economic headwinds hit smartphone sales during the 618 period this year (June 1-June 18).
- vivo took the biggest market share during the sales period while Huawei experienced significant growth.
- Online-centric Xiaomi increased most sequentially this year. It offered bigger discounts on select high-memory products.
- Our forecast for China’s smartphone market has been revised downwards to reflect the latest developments.
China’s smartphone sales fell 8% YoY during the 618 sales period in 2023 (June 1-June 18), indicating weak customer demand for smartphones amid economic headwinds, according to Counterpoint’s 618 Sales Period Thematic Report. In terms of the competitive landscape for smartphone brands, vivo secured the largest share in the 618 sales period this year, capturing 18.2% of the market. vivo was followed by Apple at 17.9% and HONOR at 15.4%.
Apple continued to excel in the premium segment, exhibiting an 8% YoY increase without facing any significant competition. To boost iPhone sales during the 618 period, e-commerce websites offered discounts of around 20%.
Huawei saw a substantial 52% YoY growth in sales. The company declared that it had resumed normal product launches this year, unveiling smartphones ranging from the Mate X3 to Enjoy 60 series in H1 2023, covering almost all price segments. The accelerated pace of product launches is expected to contribute to Huawei’s sustained rapid YoY growth in H2 2023.
The price cuts implemented by OEMs proved effective in helping the market recover from the significantly low smartphone sales witnessed in May and April. During the June 1-June 18 period, the total market sales increased by around 30% compared to the previous 18 days.
Online-centric Xiaomi increased most this year in sequential terms. It offered bigger discounts on select high-memory products. Xiaomi also expanded its product portfolio by introducing the K60 16GB+1TB variant at a competitive price of RMB 2,899 (~$400).
The weak sales during the 618 period also fell short of earlier expectations, despite efforts by most Android OEMs to entice consumers with price cuts. Due to the uncertain economic outlook, consumers were more cautious in their spending, including on durable goods like smartphones.
As a result, we have revised downwards our 2023 forecast for the China smartphone market, from flat growth to a low single-digit YoY decrease.


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Union leaders worked through the 7:10 p.m. Sunday deadline, when workers could have walked off the job.
The agreement, which was reached just before noon, must still be approved by union members before it can go into effect. The vote is expected to take place Saturday.
"Thanks to the unity of our members and the hard work of our negotiating team, we were successful in bargaining an agreement that grocery workers can be proud of," said union negotiators in a statement. "We have attained our most important goal, which was continuing to provide comprehensive health care to the members and their families."
A joint statement by Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons was released Monday afternoon:
"We are pleased to have reached a tentative settlement agreement with the union that continues to preserve good wages, secure pensions and access to quality, affordable health care - while allowing us to be competitive in the marketplace. We appreciate the hard work, support and patience that everyone has shown during the past seven months, and particularly the past few weeks."
Workers could have gone on strike as early at 12:01 a.m., which is when the notice period expired. Sunday night, grocery store workers held a candlelight vigil and a march to show their resolve.
Grocery workers have been working without a contract since March. The main sticking point between stores and unions has been health insurance benefits.
Under a recent offer from supermarkets rejected by union members, workers would pay $9 a week for individual health insurance coverage and $23 a week for a family. For the individual, that's an increase of $2 each week.
It may not sound like much, but it's significant for some workers like Yesleni Avila of the Ralphs store in Riverside.
"I started here making 40 hours a week and then it went down to 25 and now it's 16," she said. "I have a family and a daughter. I've been here since '07, still making minimum wage."
"These stores are doing great, the markets are doing great," said Mike Shimpock from UFCW Local 770. "All we are asking is that they help the people that are helping make those profits. We don't want to inconvenience consumers. We don't want to inconvenience our workers. All we want to do is go to work, pay our rent, take our kids to the doctor if they get sick."
If a strike occurred, many customers would have had to find another place to shop as supermarket executives had planned to close hundreds of stores if there had been a strike. Ralphs announced it would close all of its stores in the event of a strike. Albertsons said it would close about 100 stores, while Vons said its stores would remain open.
"The consumers want to make sure that they can shop where they've gone to on a regular basis," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who had urged both sides to come to an agreement. "My hope is that both sides - management and labor - will sit down and work this out."
A strike in 2003 lasted 141 days and cost stores and estimated $2 billion. Both sides have said that a strike is not ideal and they hope a compromise is reached.


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Fewer and fewer people are using multiple social networking - in 2014 only 8 percent. 5 Internet users used the social services per month, while in 2013, 18 percent did so. - According to a report IRCenter research firm. The most popular sites in this category are in Poland, Facebook and YouTube.
Every sixth surfer on the Vistula uses Facebook daily, YouTube visit several times a week (33 percent.). Members of the other channels use them several times during the month. Despite constantly high popularity of the main social media, more and more Poles decide to abandon the active use of multiple services at the same time - mostly young people drop out of blogs and Twitter.
Blogs to rest?
In traditional social media generational change occurs gradually. Place the young (18-24 years) population major cities occupy young adults (24-34 years), living in the cities to 200 thousand. residents. This is a group of persons to which critical when making purchasing decisions are recommendations of friends.
Compared to last year, up by 11 percent. Less active Internet users read blogs declares min. once a month. The vast majority of them are young women (18-24 years), living in major urban centers in the country. Their place is taken by the older men (10 percent.).
Young surfers who abandon traditional social platform, declare an increased frequency of use of the mobile internet (20 percent.) Also grows Snapchatem interest, as well as Whatsapp and Vine.
The paradox Instagrama
Despite a slight decline in popularity (-1 percent) service Instagram increasingly involved every fourth Internet user in Poland (+2.5 per cent. More content than in 2013). Those who benefit from Instagrama at least once a month can be characterized as active and extremely well-oriented in social media. Virtually every of them use YouTube and Facebook, every 8 read blogs every 7 visits Twitter, and every 6 uses LinkedIn.
Despite the attraction of such a committed group of customers, service not entirely to the liking of young people and students (-9%). Their place is taken by a segment of "young adults" and the oldest Internet users (55+). The social media profiles more often involve people 55+.
The data come from a survey carried out by IRCenter "Social Media in Poland. 2014 ". The study is cyclical and is intended to measure trends in digital media consumption in Poland. Quantitative data were collected through CAWI research panel on a representative sample of 1,200 Internet users. Some data on the expression of users has been provided by SentiOne.


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On a beautiful sunny, Saturday morning, people from all over flocked to Haven Market.
Haven Market boasted all sorts of good to enjoy.
The Horsham City Lions were selling raffle tickets and snags, and celebrating International Lions Day.
There was live music from brass band, Key Change who were luckily shaded from the sun which steadily got warmer as the day heated up.
IN OTHER NEWS:
There were lots of young families out for a morning stroll at the market. The market proved to be a good spot to met up with friends and catch up.
Shoppers could find all sorts of treats to buy, such as locally produced honey and fudge. There were also plenty of young entrepreneurs selling their handmade goods.
Mates Ruby Spasier aged 16 and Ebony Hart aged 15 were running side by side stalls.
Ruby's Handmade Clay Earrings and Ebony's Succulents are businesses the young women established on their own.
Ruby has been making the earrings for two months and had spent two weeks getting ready for her market debut.
Ebony said she started collecting succulent clippings from her family's garden during lockdown last year.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:


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When reports surfaced regarding Office Depot merging with OfficeMax, the first thing which may have occurred to many, is regulators wouldn’t let this approximately $2 billion happen because the resulting store would be too large and create antitrust concerns. Much of these worries in retail however have decreased as of late because of the strength of Wal-Mart, Costco and of course Amazon. Let’s also remember that Staples is a major player in the space. It’s worth pointing out that Amazon in particular can be used by just about all retailers to justify industry consolidation.
If Internet radio was deemed enough of a threat to allow the only two satellite radio players Sirius and XM to merge, exactly what is the limit in retail when the threat is ecommerce? As pressure increases, can we can expect wave after wave of small retailers being forced to seek others to combine with.
Of course it is a bit soon to declare retail dead. Let’s take a look at the state of brick and mortar and e-tail.
Although Wal-Mart seems to be in the midst of a disastrous quarter, this may be due primarily to the elimination of the payroll tax holiday. Still, these tax breaks don’t seem to be coming back and Amazon’s strong sales seem to show they are more resistant to woes at the low-end of the consumer market. At least they were in Q4, we’ll see what happens in the next quarter. It seems the high-end of the mall market is doing fairly well according to Simon Property’s earnings – the low to mid-tier retailers however are expected to continue struggling.
It’s worth pointing out flash-sale sites like Ideeli may be in trouble as retailers have deployed a good deal of technology to combat the excess inventory which is the lifeblood of this market.
Best Buy for its part has decided to keep its price-match policies allowing it to compete with Amazon more effectively on the topline if not the bottom. I think there is more the company can do to increase profits but this is still a big step in the right direction.
No one expects Amazon’s e-commerce sales to get weaker and if anything they will continue to be a serious threat to just about every retailer in the world. And this will give the entire retail market cover to seek mergers with companies regulators wouldn’t even let them consider a decade ago.


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Chancellor gives few clues on business rates rise
Jeremy Hunt has given few hints that he will delay an uprating of business rates or offer an extension of relief on the tax.
There are expectations that Mr Hunt will take a hard line on rates and also reject calls by the CBI to extend the super deduction tax break on capital spending beyond next March.
The CBI and retail organisations have urged the Chancellor to delay plans to raise business rates by the consumer prices index measure of inflation, which as of September stood at 10.1%.
Chief executives from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Greggs are among the signatories to a letter from the Retail Jobs Alliance, which warned that business rates were putting retailers at “breaking point”.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Hunt said: “I can’t tell you what I’m going to do on business rates, but what I can say is that I think businesses want certainty about what the government’s going to do so they understand where they stand.
“When there’s so much other instability around, the more certainty I can create the better.”
His decision will affect rates in England but will influence the Scottish interim Finance Secretary John Swinney who has devolved power over business rates. Mr Swinney is also being urged to delay increases in rates.
There is also a plan to revalue business rates, which will see bills altered to reflect changes in the rental market. The next review will be based on rental prices in April 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Research by CBI Economics, supported by the Scottish Retail Consortium, last week suggested that the retail sector faces increases of up to 25% over the next two years.
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “A growing cross-section of Scottish commerce and industry is voicing serious doubts about the wisdom of hiking up the business rate next April, something which was ominously mooted in the Scottish Government’s recent spending review.
“The business rate is already at a 23-year high and any uplift next Spring would set alarm bells ringing across retail and other sectors with a significant property footprint in Scotland. If the increase matched the current inflation rate it could add £60-65 million just to retailers’ rates bills alone next April.
“Such a hike would be gruelling for stores to absorb; and make rejuvenating high streets and retail destinations even harder. It would be putting rocks in the retail industry’s rucksack as it seeks to recover and climb out from some of the worst trading conditions seen in decades.”


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Significant duty reductions on imported materials have been issued to textile and garment manufacturers, by the government.
Garment manufacturers will now pay 20pc duty for imported textiles, down from 35pc, starting Friday, December 28, 2012, announced the Ministry of Finance & Economic Development (MoFED). Both textile and garment manufacturers will also no longer pay any duty for imported spare parts.
The reduction was announced by Sufian Ahmed, minister of the MoFED, in a meeting attended by Mekonnen Manyazewal, minister of the Ministry of Industry (MoI), at the MoFED, according to sources. Senior officials of the Ethiopian Revenues & Customs Authority (ERCA), Ethiopian Textile & Garment Association (ETGAMA), MoI and Textile Development Institute (TIDI) also attended the meeting.
Dampening the joy of the garment manufacturers attending the meeting was the government's decision to not scrap the 10pc excise tax it charges upon production. Sufian said that they would now pay it as a sales tax, after selling their products.
The reductions were a result of a long negotiation that the ETGAMA has been conducting with the government, since December, 2010. The Association hired a consultant to conduct research, in order to analyse the constraints of the sector and to provide recommendations for improvement.
The Association said that high tax rate in the sector had negatively affected its competitiveness and proposed for the removal of excise tax and reduction of customs duty, on fabrics and textiles, from 35pc to 15pc.
The Association complained that the old duty was disadvantageous to manufacturers, as traders who imported finished materials were charged the same duty. The duty was also high compared to other east African countries, where the maximum duty levied is 25pc, the Association said.
The research was first presented to the MoI, which forwarded it to the MoFED for a decision, convinced by the findings. The MoFED thus composed a committee, comprised of experts from the MoI and TIDI, in order to discuss the issue in detail.
The committee did not accept the removal of excise taxes, but Sufian promised the Association that the tariff rate would be reduced, from 10pc, when shifted to sales tax, according to sources.
The customs duty on machineries is also reduced, only if the spare parts and accessories cannot be manufactured locally. The committee has already identified items that will be exempt from duty fees, sources said.
Sufian warned investors that if they misused the privileges, they could lose them altogether.
In order to control this, the garment factories are expected to add at least a 30pc increase when selling imported fabric. This will be checked using an input and output coefficient standard, which will be developed by the TIDI, according to the committee. The Institute will also certify the garment companies that are eligible for the privilege.
There are around 25 companies involved in the textile industry, with a capacity of 46,249tn of textile products, annually; a little over half of the demand, which is set at 87,348tn. Out of these, 11 have their own garment factories.
"We are pleased that such a decision that will change the gear of the textile industry is made, as their production cost will be reduced," said Fasil Tadesse, president of Ethiopian Manufacturers Association.
The government is expecting one billion dollars in revenues, from the sector, at the end of the GTP. The performance of the sector, however, is sluggish, as it only registered 84.6 million dollars, in the last fiscal year.
The Association says that the revenue the government loses, by reducing and scrapping duties, will be regained through increased profit taxes.


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Vladimir Lisin wants to buy 25 percent of rail firm Freight One from Russian Railways for 45 billion rubles ($1.37 billion) to take full control of the company, Freight One head Oleg Bukin said.
"The price that we proposed is 45 billion rubles," he said Thursday.
Bukin added that the company will be prepared to carry out an initial public offering in the second half of next year. Lisin won an auction for 75 percent of the firm when Russian Railways sold it in 2011. A source familiar with the results said he bid nearly 126 billion rubles for the stake, equal to $4.2 billion at the time.


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Yesterday we reported that the production of recently unveiled Mercedes CLA sedan has commenced in Europe and now, we have a video which shows us the price of the baby CLS for US markets.
The Mercedes CLA will go on sale in US with a starting price of $29,900. This figure is for the petrol powered 122bhp CLA 180 entry level variant which has good chances of making it to Indian shores. The CLA will come to us via CKD route and will share a range of petrol and diesel motors with the A Class, which too will be in India by then.
The CLA will be considerably cheaper than the C Class and will take the fight straight to the Skoda Superb, VW Passat and the likes.
The CLA will come loaded with high end equipment and safety features. The new car will be one of the more potent weapons in Mercedes India’s arsenal and will help the manufacturer to reclaim the territory it has lost to BMW and Audi.


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Brunello di Montalcino
Auction house Sotheby’s is to offer a “treasure trove” of “iconic” labels worth over $2 million in New York later this month.
As other Italian fine wines make gains in the secondary market, Brunello di Montalcino is held back by a lack of understanding thinks Tancredi Biondi Santi.
The premium Italian estate, Castiglion del Bosco, has released its limited production 2010 Zodiac Rooster Brunello DOCG in a bid to charm Chinese wine consumers ahead of Chinese New Year.
France’s Descours family, the owner of the Piper and Charles Heidsieck brands, has taken a majority stake in Brunello’s Biondi-Santi.


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Rebranding Hero: Building an Indian brand out of a foreign joint venture
The 2011 demerger of Hero Honda, one of the best-known names in India's auto industry, has been one of the biggest branding stories in India over the past year. Originally launched in 1984, the joint venture between Japan's Honda Motors and India's Hero Group had become the leading name in the country's huge two-wheeler segment.
Hero Honda had also proved itself to be a forward-looking marketer. It had been the sponsor of India's hockey team, and developed a campaign to revive hockey's fortunes in the country (and cement its status as a leading brand in the process). (See full case study)
The demerger required Hero to relaunch under its own brand. How, then, did it set about this task?


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The Star Wars fandom is divided as never before.
The negative reaction to Episode 8 was so virulent and vocal that many believe it was one of the major reasons Solo: A Star Wars Story hit the box office rocks in such a disastrous fashion.
Before then, Johsnon had been given the green light for a trilogy of Star Wars movies with no existing plot or characters and set in a new galaxy with no connection to the main franchise.
It seemed hard to see how this could even be classified as a Star Wars story, but then the issue suddenly became moot with reports Disney had pulled the brakes on the project overthe mounting problems.
Long-term Star Wars art director Neil Lamont told Cinemablend this month that work on the next generation Lucasfilm projects had begun before Disney suddenly called a major halt.
He said: “We were just starting our work on another Star Wars spinoff and yeah. We were actually just making our mark on Tatooine, which would have been interesting, and some other new galaxies.”
The new galaxies could only be Johnson’s trilogy.
Yesterday, a fan directly asked the director what was going on.
Fan Matt Allen tweeted Johnson: “Are you still working on your Star Wars trilogy? I’m waiting for it.”
Johnson replied with one word: “Yup.” Oh yes, and the emoji for a fistbump.
His economical response gave a swift knock out to the vocal opponents to his ongoing involvement in the Star Wars universe.
However, those fans could take comfort from reports that his freedom and carte blanche to do whatever he wants have been seriously curtailed.
Talking about his plans back in December, Johnson revealed his only pitch to Disney consisted of: “A new trilogy, one story told over three movies. Go new places, meet new folks, come up with a new story to tell in the Star Wars universe. The sky’s the limit.”
Unsurprisingly an increasingly concerned Disney may have now imposed some new controls and restrictions.
Commentator Mike Zeroh said: “We did hear a lot of things about Disney and Lucasfilm changing the format of Rian Johnson’s trilogy and how it would actually tie in with the sequel trilogy instead of making it completely new. Hitting the reset button and doing something completely different is what Rian Johsnon wanted to do. Apparently that was changed to something more along the lines of what we are already familiar with.”


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Because Facebook is clearly concerned with user privacy, it’s partnered up with crowdsourced reputation management service Web Of Trust today in order give its population of almost 700 million users protection from links deemed “risky” by the Web Of Trust community.
As of today, if a user clicks on a link with a poor Web of Trust reputation rating, they will see the above warning telling them that the link has been classified as abusive. And then they can either circumvent the link, learn more about the Web of Trust rating or continue browsing.
“Facebook users are passing around links that can disrupt the system, and Facebook is very aware that users are experiencing the effect of opening spammy links, stuff like ‘You just won a prize.’ We are the first of a number of security companies that Facebook is partnering with because people are much more aware of [and concerned about] their privacy these days,” Web Of Trust marketing manager Deborah Salmi told me.
Through the multi browser Web of Trust extension, the Web of Trust community has now classified five million sites as untrustworthy, fraudulent, responsible for phishing or other unsavory behavior. Users who want to see the Web of Trust reputation rating off of Facebook, on Google search results, Twitter links and shortened URLs can download the Web of Trust extension here.


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Great news for us Facebookers the social networking giant is now expanding the tools to its mobile platform where Facebook mobile users can now access a detailed overview of the data they’ve shared across various apps and websites as well as tweak their settings on the go. Giving Facebook users the same privacy control as found on the Facebook.com website. Controls include limiting access to basic profile data, photos and videos and friends’ information. Facebook ads it will roll out the new privacy features over the next few weeks.
More than 200 million consumers worldwide are now actively using Facebook’s mobile products across all platforms, up from just 65 million a year ago. According to Nielsen Company data published in mid September 2010, Facebook is the most popular application across most operating systems: 50% of iOS users have accessed the app within the last 30 days, compared with the 45% of BlackBerry users and 32% of Window Phone users. Facebook is the second most popular app among Android users (45%), only Google Maps rank higher, and just barely at 46%.


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The Covid-19 pandemic was on the eve at the beginning of March, and with other travel restrictions, it also hit the business jet marketplace. But now as the situations are getting better business jets currently witnessing a considerable rise in demand. People now prefer to fly privately to avoid crowded airbuses and airports.
The domain of the business jet/private jet is another sector of the aviation industry. It is currently beholding a great demand in the industry. The wealthy community favors this sector, and that’s why its demand is flourishing when the COVID-19 pandemic engulfs the whole industry.
People prefer business jets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They don’t want to travel with people having unknown travel history. While on the other hand, the private jets usually have clear immigration and customs separate from the crowded airport terminals.
Airlines are cutting flights up to 90% for the foreseeable future. There is still uncertainty about when networks and frequency will high to normal. Post COVID-19 pandemic, those flights took millions of dollars daily for important business meetings, vacations, or family visits.
The aviation sector will take longer than anticipated to fully recover from the disturbance caused by COVID-19. Although operations are starting somehow, airports and airlines are still under severe limitations to ensure control on COVID-19. This has also pushed up the ticket prices, and business jets are on board now.
If we talk about the current situation of the world regarding COVID-19, the private aviation companies have reported the increase of queries and booking by 400%. The massive explosion can be attributed to social distancing and travel restrictions recommended by WHO and other health officials.
Why choose business jets?
Health authorities around the world are suggesting social distancing and practicing it to be safe from COVID-19. People are also turning to book private jets to help them relocate their parents or travel freely without subjecting to the government bans on airlines.
According to the Globe air report, business/private jets are 30 times less risky than commercial flights. Business jets have the minimum risk of infection, and they also can fly long distances. Therefore, it has proven to be a reliable choice for elite class to business and government officials.
The profits in Business jets revenue
The growing MRO services demand for business jets is increasing. The massive growth is predicted to result in a growth of MRO services. According to estimates, the revenue of the private business jets will have the US $4.36 billion by 2024. But, the upcoming new wave of new business jet operators requires high MROs. It may surpass the 5 billion dollars now.
Post COVID-19 effects on business jets
Many analysts are predicting V-shaped recovery instead of U-shaped recovery for the business aviation sector. Yet, there are many uncertainties about the world’s connectivity recovering to the pre-crisis state.
Business jet companies are already reporting a huge number of new clients who have never flown private before. Therefore, business aviation is becoming more and more popular among working-class people. It is because of the limited number of contacts with people during the flight. Business jet companies are now set to continue its growth and support the post-crisis recovery of the aviation sector.
Increasing demand for business jets
Unlike the commercial flights, chartering a business jet allows you to travel at your flexible schedule. You can schedule your flight anytime according to your ease and needs. Also, there are hundreds of dedicated business jets terminals around to choose from.
In this way, people can travel with ease without a lengthy check-in process and security lines at public airports. With business jets, there will be less chance of physical contact with people, and it is easy to avoid COVID-19 infections. Moreover, no early checkups are needed, just 15 minutes before departure is more than enough.
By taking a business jet, people can also skip the custom and immigration queues. As soon as the jet lands, they can climb their ride directly from the plane. Besides, business jets tend to move faster than commercial flights. It is because business jets are not tied to specific schedules and routes. The operators can plan your routes, and the business jets mostly fly much higher than the commercial airbuses to avoid air traffic.
Business jets on the ground
The other best thing about private business jets is that they are not bound to the same hubs and spoke networks used by airlines. If the business jet has enough fuel, it can fly directly until it reaches the final destination.
Commercial jets fly at 35,000 feet while smaller jets fly much higher, so they are above the air traffic. It will minimize the time to reach the destination without any fear of getting infected with COVID-19.
How to fly on a private business jet and quit airlines?
Smaller business jets don’t require the vast runways and staff offered by the key airports to enable them to fly out of smaller spots. There are many smaller airports available than major ones to board the small jets. When you get off, your bags will be moved right into your car, so you don’t have to spend time at the baggage carousel.
How to fly on a private business jet and quit airlines?
To start flying in a business jet, you need to do a little legwork. It is crucial to figure out which flying providers and mode would be best for you. If you are a new client to the business jet, you may want to opt for an ad hoc charter before buying a membership or business jet card.
You may also consider fractional or full aircraft ownership later if you are satisfied with the business jet services. Well, it all depends on your business/personal needs and budget.
The aggressive pandemic of COVID-19 has heavily impacted many industries and populations, but business aviation is an exception. Therefore, it is a good time for business jets, and they have the chance to get new potential clients.


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Another brewery — La Quinta Brewing Co. — has opened in the Coachella Valley.
You can currently find the brewery’s beers at dozens of area locations, and the tasting room has been open for about a week now, but the brewery will be celebrating its grand opening on Friday (November 22).
The event kicks off at 4 p.m. and is scheduled to last ’til 8 p.m. Guests will get 20% off beer and merchandise.
Despite the name, La Quinta Brewing is actually in Palm Desert, at 77917 Wildcat Drive.
Click here for more on the grand opening celebration.


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Updated: June 10, 2014 11:48:29 am
As an elite footballer, would you pay to swap your jersey with a fellow player — say, Lionel Messi? That’s the question Iran’s footballers have been pondering before boarding the plane to Brazil. Befuddled yet?
Ali Kaffashian, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, who has been on a cost-cutting spree, created a firestorm when he spoke of players being economical with their kits. “We are not giving the players a shirt for every game,” Kaffashian said. “The players have to be economical with the shirts.”
That’s going to be a bit of a let-down. While their assymmetrical white home jersey may not set pulses racing, their eye-catching red away jersey just might. What’s more, both have a mean-looking Asiatic cheetah graphic on the front to boot.
Soon after Kaffashian’s statement, the Iranian team had left for a three-week training camp in South Africa with a single kit for each player. It’s summer in South Africa but the players were already sweating before they left. When reserve goalie Ali-Resa Haghighi spoke of his jersey shrinking, Kaffashian, with the speed of a cheetah, put the blame on washing it at the wrong temperature. Though they are elite athletes, Iran’s players, not used to showing the agility of deer, the cheetah’s natural play, were caught tongue-tied.
Kaffashian’s dictats on economy have left Team Melli, as the Iranian football team is called, fuming and feeling blue. Supporters have taken to social media, blogs and discussion forums to vent their anger at what they perceive to be ridiculous strictures on what the players — fully grown adults they are too — can or cannot do.
The traditional swap of shirts, though optional, has not witnessed a blanket ban on economic grounds yet. Queiroz’s men might set a precedent if they are forced to follow these orders. Unlike their jerseys, expect more comments to fly. Iran is set to receive $8m to participate, with $1.5m paid to them as advance — both mandated by FIFA for countries that qualify. As a fan commented on TeamMelli.com, “even if they wish to wipe out their debts, how much can a jersey cost?”
There is also a rumour that Kaffashian has offered Diego Maradona $1,00,000 to wear an Iran jersey and sit in the stadium during their match against Argentina — quite a coup! If this happens, the chief of the federation might face a coup himself.
Even as Iranian federation’s goodwill shrinks, much like the jerseys they asked for, the real losers, who will be left empty-handed, will be Iran’s own players as the promise of a Messi or Aguero or any opponent’s jersey will remain just that — a promise. While Iran are tipped to return without any points, their opponents may also have to go back without the mean graphic of a cheetah for company.
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Summary: Brazil shipped 1.36 MMT of soybeans this past week (Feb 10). That was up 570,000 MT from the previous week. There were no Argentine exports last week. US exports are estimated to be 1.92 MMT. The lineup indicates that Brazil’s February shipments could be 10.15 MMT. Total Brazilian export commitments are 12.07 MMT, the 4th highest for this week but 25% less than a year ago. In the February WASDE, the USDA left their projection for Brazil’s new-crop exports unchanged at a record 96.50 MMT. For now, ARC’s projection is also 96.50 MMT.
Last week Brazil exported 1.36 MT of soybeans. That’s up 570,000 MT from the previous week. Cumulative export “commitments” were estimated to be 12.17 MMT, which is 1.23 MMT MORE than a week ago, Commitments are 25% BELOW a year ago (see red line). USDA projects final exports will be 25% ABOVE last year.
There was 10.18 MMT in the lineup that was waiting to load or scheduled to arrive vs 12.13 MMT last year.
Brazil’s cumulative export commitments, for the local marketing year (begins Feb 1), have accounted for 12.5% of USDA’s projection vs last year’s ratio of 20.6% and the 5-year average of 15.6% (range 12.1% – 20.6%).
The ship lineup indicates that February shipments could be 10.15 MMT. Last year’s February shipments were 9.68 MMT but SESEX exports were 6.27 MMT. ARC expect final February exports will end up between 8.00-9.00 MMT. There was 3.18 MMT scheduled to ship in March.


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Trade ministers from 29 countries are meeting in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheik for informal talks aimed at resolving problems facing the World Trade Organization ahead of a WTO meeting in Mexico in September.
The trade ministers are concentrating on agriculture subsidies policies, hoping to end the rift in the so-called Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, launched in Doha, Qatar in November 2001. It aims at a more equitable approach to international trade for developing countries.
But the nations which launched the round have run into disputes over farm exports, cheap medicines and and rules on investment, as they seek to honor the pledge to tear down trade barriers by 2004.
Negotiations appear to be deadlocked for a reduction in farm subsidies paid out by the European Union. WTO chief Supachai Panitchpakdi warned that, unless the European subsidy question is resolved, it will cast doubt on the rest of the Doha Round ever succeeding.
Major farm exporters, such as Australia and Canada, as well as developing countries like Egypt and Brazil, want massive cuts in the European Union's $50 billion farm subsidy program, which developing nations say distorts world trade and makes it impossible for their own farmers to compete.
The European Union insists that many of its subsidies are necessary to ensure animal welfare, consumer safety and protection of the environment and rural communities.
Also being discussed at Sharm el Sheik are ways of ensuring that developing nations can afford patented drugs to treat diseases such as HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis.
Poor countries want an exception to the World Trade Organization's intellectual property regulations they say would allow them to fight such epidemics by importing generic drugs, rather than having to buy expensive medications produced by Western pharmaceutical giants.


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Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has launched a new mid-range device in the Indian market. The Oppo Mirror 3 smartphone has been launched in India at a price tag of Rs 16,990.
In terms of specifications, the Oppo Mirror 3 features a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display with a 312ppi pixel density. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU (MSM8916) along with Adreno306 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of internal storage expandable up to128GB via micro-SD card.
The dual-SIM device runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box with the company's proprietary ColorOS 2.0.1 UI on top. It sports an 8MP rear camera with Sony IMX179 sensor and a 5MP front-facing snapper. The device is backed by a 2000mAh battery.
"The Mirror 3 comes with phenomenal camera quality. No matter day or night, the image quality taken from a Mirror 3 smartphone is greatly enhanced as a result of increased CMOS sensitivity, higher resolution, and effective filtering for infrared light." Tom Lu, CEO, Oppo mobiles India said.
Meanwhile, Oppo has launched another 64-bit capable smartphone in China. The Oppo 3000 is another mid-ranger from the company and has been priced at CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs.16,000). It comes with a 4.7-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.2 GHz 64-bit Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and has 4G LTE capabilities.


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In August 2018, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) approved a 1.5% effective retail rate increase for all of their 154 power distributors, which includes Hopkinsville Electric System. This pass through to HES customers amounts to an additional $1.60 on the electric bill of the average HES residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month.
TVA President and CEO Bill Johnson said the rate increase is needed to help implement the agency’s long-term debt reduction plan which will reduce TVA’s overall cost of power. TVA said its residential power rates are among the 25 percent lowest in the country and its industrial rates are in the cheapest 10 percent of all utilities. “Both our residential and industrial rates have become more competitive,” said Johnson, who predicted that rates should remain fairly stable over the next decade, as well.
“HES never likes to see a rate increase by our power supplier TVA, but it is necessary to continue our mission of providing safe, reliable and economical electric service to our customers,” says HES/EnergyNet General Manager Jeff Hurd.
This rate change will become effective October 1, 2018. Complete details on HES electric rate schedules can be found on our website at www.hop-electric.com or by calling 270-887-4200.


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As Apple goes up, Research In Motion goes down
Coincidence or scientific proof that people are trading in their BlackBerry's for iPhones?
But as you can see by comparing the stock price performance over the past year, the BlackBerry maker has been dropping much faster than Apple is growing. This suggests that Apple isn't the sole cause of RIM's problems. Google (GOOG) Android could be a significant factor as well.
However, I suspect it's even worse than that. I'm betting that, in addition to the customers Apple and Google took from RIM, there are several customers who were going to leave the brand anyway. This is essentially what has happened to Nokia (NOK). When is the last time you met someone that had a Nokia phone? Soon, you'll be asking yourself that question about RIM.
While RIM execs may have lost confidence in the brand (all the while making foolish announcements that won't carry the firm to victory), BlackBerry is still a fairly strong brand. Not even a worldwide outage will kill off the ailing phones. Not yet, at least.
Going forward, however, things aren't looking good for RIM. When Google chose to acquire one of its dying competitors, it could have easily looked for a company with a strong brand of phones. Instead, Google chose Motorola (MMI), the once-great phone, cable box and random device manufacturer. Granted, RIM wouldn't come packaged with the same quality of patents that Motorola provided. RIM wouldn't have come with a way for Google to enter the cable box market. It does, however, currently manufacture a more popular line of phones.
But we know how fickle popularity can be, right?
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(Co-authored with V. Ramya Rajasri Kumar)
On Monday, 12th of December 2022, founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas. FTX crashed almost overnight after failing to meet a run on deposits, throwing the crypto industry into its latest crisis. Earlier in October, Singapore-based Chainalysis published the third edition of the Global Crypto Adoption Index, in which India ranked fourth. The Index ranks countries on five sub-indices, each weighted by their purchasing power parity per capita, thus favouring countries where the amount of cryptocurrency trading is more crucial based on the wealth of the average person. India’s performance, therefore, is more significant in light of the country’s low per capita purchasing power.
The need of the hour is to introduce regulations commensurate with this level of crypto adoption and to protect the markets from such episodes.
Currently in India, the regulations govern three aspects of crypto-related activities. First, in 2021, RBI necessitated banks and regulated entities to carry out due diligence in line with KYC norms, and establish standards on anti-money laundering and combating of financing terrorism. Second, Budget 2022-23 introduced a 30 per cent tax on income from the transfer of any virtual digital asset, without allowing for set off of losses. Third, the Advertising Standards Council of India released guidelines in February that directed that advertisements in the sector should carry a disclaimer stating the risk of loss from such transactions with no regulatory recourse.
However, there is a lack of independent prudential regulations and robust consumer protection for crypto assets. For this, India can seek guidance from legal frameworks proposed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), an international standard-setting body established by the G20, and the EU and Singapore.
The FSB released a framework on regulation, supervision and oversight of crypto assets and markets for public consultation this October. It made nine recommendations broadly covering regulations in line with the principle of “same activity, same risk and same regulation”, governance and risk management proportionate to risk and complexity, adequate disclosures; and framework for data collection, recording and reporting. FSB also recommended addressing financial instability and systemic risks arising out of spillovers from interconnections between the crypto asset ecosystem and the wider financial market.
The EU’s major crypto-related legislation titled “Markets in Crypto Assets Regulations (MiCA)” is pending the EU Parliament’s approval and is expected to come into effect in 2024. MiCA seeks to govern issuance, intermediation and trading in crypto assets to preserve financial stability, and prevent market abuse while protecting investors. MiCA introduces licences for crypto assets issuers and service providers, calls for disclosures of the environmental impact of crypto assets, ensures traceability of crypto asset transfers, requires maintaining liquidity to meet investor’s redemption requests and places liability of loss of crypto assets on service providers.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore in October released a consultation paper on the Proposed Regulatory Measures for Digital Payment Token (DPT) Services dealing with mitigating associated risks of cryptocurrency trading. The proposal introduces provisions on consumer protection including, disclosing relevant risks; undertaking a risk awareness assessment of consumers; and restricting incentives that can unduly influence the decision of retail consumers. The business conduct provisions address conflicts of interest arising from multiple roles performed by DPT providers; and require DPT providers to establish grievance redressal processes. The proposal attempts to mitigate technological risks with a requirement to maintain the high availability and recoverability of critical systems.
In India, the RBI Concept note on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) has presented the digital rupee as a replacement for cryptocurrencies. However, Indian crypto firms have criticised this and argued that cryptocurrencies and CBDC can co-exist.
Even if the RBI’s proposition is considered valid, CBDCs are still at a pilot stage. Meanwhile, the uptake of cryptocurrency in India remains high. India has called for international co-operation on the regulation of private virtual currencies and hinted at crypto regulation as a “working priority” at the G20. In the backdrop of the country assuming the G20 Presidency and the FSB’s proposed framework, a comprehensive crypto regulation framework should be of critical importance to India. It should be at the forefront of voicing the concerns of the Global South, particularly those related to capital flight issues.
This article was first appreared in 'Indian Express', December 14, 2022.
Kriti Wattal and V. Ramya Rajasri kumar are consultants at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi.
The views expressed in the post are those of the authors only. No responsibility for them should be attributed to NIPFP.


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A digest of important news from sources selected by our local editors. Delivered weekday mornings.
State officials have signed off on $50,000 in grants headed to companies looking to expand in Central Ohio and add a combined 58 jobs.
The state Controlling Board approved $25,000 Rapid Outreach Grants for:
• Telamon Corp., an information technology contractor for the telecommunications industry. The Carmel, Ind.-based company is looking to buy new machinery and equipment for a $195,000 expansion in Columbus expected to add 38 full-time jobs.
• Touch Bionics Inc., a Scottish developer of bionic prosthetics and medical devices. The state grant will go toward a $230,000 expansion in Hilliard that could add 20 full-time jobs. Touch Bionics’ key product is the I-Limb prosthetic hand, sales of which have exceeded the company’s expectations and made the U.S. the biggest market for product, according to state documents.
The Central Ohio grants approved this week were among more than $3 million the Controlling Board approved for a dozen projects statewide expected to create more than 400 jobs.
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CNN’s Freedom Project followed a small group who came up with a bright idea to help former sex slaves - and the people who helped them realize their dream.
Their idea – ship unwanted bras from the U.S. to Mozambique where they can be sold in markets and help provide the rescued slaves with a wage.
Across the U.S. women have discarded bras in bedroom draws. In Mozambique the same item is a luxury. As the idea took off and the group hit problems shipping their cargo, others stepped in to help.
Now you can watch the entire “Mozambique or Bust” documentary, narrated by Mira Sorvino, an Oscar winner and goodwill ambassador to combat human trafficking for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime online here in three parts.


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Trezor and Hardbit Hardware Bitcoin Wallets Will Launch Within Days
Two new wallets that store their bitcoins on dedicated hardware are about to start shipping.
Hardware bitcoin wallets are like buses, it seems. You wait ages for one to come along and then two arrive at once.
Firstly, in aluminium and plastic flavours comes the Trezor from SatoshiLabs. Secondly, is Harbit's plastic-only offering, albeit a rather rugged looking one. Both devices will be on the market shortly, offering bitcoiners a more secure way to store their coins.
While most bitcoin wallets are software-based and exist either online or on a computer or mobile device, hardware wallets (as the name implies) are dedicated devices aimed to more securely store a user's bitcoins.
The advantage of these wallets stems from the fact that, since they don't connect to the Internet, they offer greatly reduced exposure to potential hackers or malware.
Trezor hardware wallet
SatoshiLabs started accepting pre-orders of its hardware wallet last summer, with the devices originally scheduled to ship in October. However, that date was pushed back to January and then had to be further extended.
Now the company says the aluminium-bodied versions will start shipping next week, although bitcoiners desiring the 'classic' plastic model will have to wait a couple more months.
In its latest blog post, SatoshiLabs apologized for the delays, which were the result of a disagreement with the original hardware vendor, it said.
The team then decided to take up an offer from an outside investor and find a new hardware supplier to manufacture the plastic model, they said, adding:
Effectively, the first plastic wallets should ship two to three months from now, more than a year after the campaign was launched and more than six months after the original shipping date came and went.
The Trezor hardware wallet is the result of a crowdfunded campaign launched on Kickstarter last June.
The campaign got a lot of traction and the team behind Trezor – Pavol Rusnak and Marek Palatinus – managed to raise enough money to cover most of the initial cost of developing the wallet.
The only problem was the pricing of pledges. A plastic wallet was priced at 1 BTC, while the aluminium version was 3 BTC.
At the time, bitcoin was hovering around the $100 mark, but a few months later it peaked and reached the $1,000-plus territory. The huge gains that resulted prompted some early adopters to complain about the pricing and ask for their bitcoin back. The team eventually decided to end the crowdfunding campaign.
Hardbit hardware wallet
Trezor is not alone in taking a hardware wallet onto the market – an alternative device called the Hardbit should be on sale within a day or two.
The Hardbit device is already launched in China and is planned to be on sale internationally on 10th May. Hardbit says it will only sell in-stock units, with no pre-orders.
The company has not revealed the price or the full spec of the unit, but says it plans to do so shortly.
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Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) remained unchanged for the third consecutive month in October, according to the latest data released by Statistics Canada.
While some sectors edged upward and others fell, the economy as a whole neither grew nor shrank. In fact, according to Friday’s The Daily report, the 20 industrial sectors included in the report were split evenly between increases and decreases.
Buy/sell, rent/lease residential &
commercials real estate properties.
The biggest contractions were in real estate, wholesale trade and manufacturing.
Activity at the offices of real estate agents and brokers was down 6.8 per cent in October, representing the sector’s fourth consecutive decline and the largest monthly decrease since April 2022, as activity in most of Canada’s largest real estate markets continued to cool off.
Wholesale trade of machinery, equipment and building material and supplies shrank 0.7 per cent in October, decreasing for the second consecutive month.
The manufacturing sector — which includes durable and non-durable goods, machinery and transportation equipment manufacturing — contracted 0.6 per cent, marking the fourth drop in five months.
Most of October’s sector specific increases were in retail trade and extractive industries.
Retail experienced its highest growth rate since January when it grew 1.2 per cent. Most of that increase was in clothing and clothing accessory stores, which rose by 3.2 per cent, and general merchandise stores, where activity increased by 2.5 per cent.
Activity in mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction increased one per cent in October, following two months of decline.
Mining and quarrying activity was up for the third time in four months, expanding 2.4 per cent, and oil and gas extraction rose 0.4 per cent.
The only extractive industry that didn’t grow in October was oil sands operations, which shrunk 2.2 per cent “as turnarounds at some oil sands upgraders continued to impact the operations into the month,” StatCan reported.


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Apple was quick on the draw to put forth their request for an injunction on eight Samsung phones following their recent court victory and the original schedule would have seen them bring those requests to bear sometime in September.
Tagged #Lucy Koh
According to an anonymous source, Apple’s Tim Cook and Samsung’s Kwon Oh Hyun are expected to talk today about possible settlement agreements over the Apple versus Samsung lawsuit. Both sides have rested their cases and are expected to begin closing arguments on Tuesday with jury deliberation scheduled to begin on Wednesday. The outcome of the phone call between Tim Cook and Samsung’s Kwon Oh ... Read More »


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Moo & Brew pairs cheese and beer for a cause
In celebration of National Dairy Month, the Milwaukee Public Market will be rolling out the beer barrels and the cheese wheels for a beer and tasting event that you won't want to miss.
The event, aptly named Moo & Brew, will take place on Thursday, June 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event, which will be on the market's second floor mezzanine, will be donated to Hunger Task Force.
West Allis Cheese & Sausage will feature award-winning cheeses from cheese makers like Sartori, Henning's, Holland's Family Cheese, Red Barn Family Farms and The Artisan Cheese Exchange.
Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased online.
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