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The UK has finally unveiled its alternative to the GDPR, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDIB). The bill, which was introduced to Congress last week, aims to promote economic growth while protecting privacy.
Proposed rule We promise to reduce paperwork, reduce costs, facilitate transactions, and (please Lord) reduce cookie pop-ups. They also claim that over ten years he generated over £4 billion in savings (more on this later).
The UK’s exit from the EU casts a heavy shadow on the plan. In the bill pitch, the government promises to unlock the elusive Brexit dividend.
“Our system will be easier to understand and comply with, allowing us to take advantage of Britain’s many opportunities post-Brexit,” Technology Secretary Michelle Donnellan said in a statement. “Our businesses and citizens no longer need to be caught up in a barrier-based European GDPR.”
At least that’s the plan, but it’s already proven to be divisive.
cut the red tape
Data-driven trade is making a significant contribution to the UK’s coffers. In 2021, it will generate an estimated £259bn and 85% of UK services exports.
DPDIB envisions further rewards from simplified legal requirements.
“Our new legislation will free UK businesses from unnecessary bureaucracy, unlock new discoveries, drive next-generation technology, create jobs and boost the economy,” Donnellan said. increase.
All data regulation must balance protecting people and fostering innovation. Under GDPR, many businesses have become frustrated with the bureaucratic burden. DPDIB aims to bring scale back to business benefit.
“It was imperative to clarify the confusion and simplify the administrative burden.
Chris Combemale, CEO of the Data and Marketing Association (DMA), has worked with the government on the new regulations. He hopes the bill will provide a “catalyst for innovation” privacy Necessary protection for consumer trust.
“It was essential that this bill would protect important ethical principles in existing legislation while also clarifying areas of confusion and simplifying the burdensome administrative burden for small businesses,” Combemale said. told TNW in an email.
Writer Regulatory loads have proven to be common.Businesses welcome simplification the requirements of Record keeping, personal data processing and automated decision-making as the ability to Deny “annoying or excessive” data access requests.The new work has also received rave reviews. A framework for digital identities, additional resources for the UK data watchdog, and Increased fines for spam calls and text messages.
Chris Vaughan taniumEndpoint security company says the new rules are simpler than the GDPR.
“One of the main benefits of the new legislation is the business cost savings that GDPR will create, which is even more welcome as organizations continue to struggle in the current economic climate,” Vaughan told TNW. I’m talking
However, relaxing the rules can also increase risk.
Critics warn that the new law puts citizens at risk. More than 30 civil society groups are calling for the bill to be withdrawn over concerns that it will undermine data protections and harm marginalized groups.
Colin Hayhurst Mozik,privacy-Based search engines have been particularly plagued by declining accountability for “low-risk” data processing. He is also concerned that the bill enacts too many complex issues at once.
“My concern is that critical issues around innovation like AI are not receiving enough scrutiny and consideration,” says Hayhurst. “It is worth noting that the EU sees AI regulation as a very complex and important issue. completely separate invoice concentrate on this issue. ”
Hayhurst, in particular, AI Researching. The new bill gives commercial organizations the same freedoms as academics for any purpose. data Processing for research that is “reasonably described as being scientific”.
This could present huge opportunities for companies building AI on data collection. But larger companies with research arm such as Google’s DeepMind and Meta’s FAIR could offer even more power.
“Large technology companies with research groups can continue to collect and use all personal data in their possession to train AI in their research efforts,” says Hayhurst. “This all comes with risks. Unfortunately, this risk is overwhelmingly borne by the people whose data is fed to the machines, not the companies themselves.”
To mitigate risk, rules around responding to data access requests can be tightened, especially if the data is profitable. A one-month response deadline may be fine for a small company, but it’s not a good fit for a global company with warehouses full of supercomputers.
“The irony is that while companies can easily collect data about individuals themselves, they make it very difficult for data owners to find the data they hold,” Hayhurst says. . “This is one area where he can’t serve consumers with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.”
Despite the concerns, Hayhurst acknowledges the government has acted on the feedback. In particular, the proposal to remove the Balance His test for “a limited, general but exhaustive list of activities” is not included in the final text. However, concerns remain that companies will be held to lower ethical standards.
Critics are particularly wary of the relaxed requirements for monitoring, recording and user control over data processing. There is also room for processing data without the individual’s consent. These changes may leave the public more at risk and less confident in the digital economy.
“Governments are selling out individual privacy for business gain.
“If businesses are unaware of the amount of data collected, its purpose, and the implications of its use, how can we expect consumers to trust businesses with such information?” CEO Angel Maldonado asks: sympathy.
Michael Quinan, CEO and Co-Founder Nephos Technologiestakes the criticism one step further.
“The government has decided to sell personal data privacy for business benefit and innovation,” Queenan told TNW. “Is there any other reason to remove critical, already-in-place, global data protection procedures?”
One motivation may be potential savings. As previously mentioned, the reform is projected to bring her £4.7bn in profits to the UK economy. However, evidence for this claim is difficult to find.
The government is referring to the numbers with linkhas been broken since the first time I saw the announcement.Origin can find Via the Wayback Machine, but the quote it links to was published in July 2022. Different versions of invoices was introduced.critic I suspect the £4.7bn estimate is largely unfounded.
“As opposed to saving businesses billions of dollars, this bill could result in higher compliance costs and administrative burdens for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions.” , said Sean Hurst, Principal Regulatory Advisor at RegTech Firms. smash.
Deviations from the GDPR are DPDIB. Governments have emphasized the benefits of these deviations, but they also threaten data transfers with the EU.
The UK now has EU data adequacy status, which protects the flow of data between both jurisdictions. However, MEPs are regarded as a problem In Britain’s planned reforms. If they decide the new bill does not meet the required standards, the sufficiency agreement could be lost.
As a result, companies selling both in the UK and the EU cWith only two sets of laws. Tech giants may be reluctant to develop product and policy variations for the new regime, while domestic firms may consider moving to unions.
“It would be an advantage to be relieved of red tape only if businesses could continue to deal with European citizens and their data across borders, using the adequacy ruling that has been in force in the UK since Brexit. It will be. Amanda Bullock CEO Open UKis a non-profit organization representing open technology.
However, governments have publicly stressed the importance of maintaining data validity. Some privacy experts believe the new measures will meet EU requirements.nevertheless The UK holds data validity and companies doing business in the EU must meet GDPR standards. As a result, the main beneficiaries of the new regime are: Companies operating exclusively in the UK market.
“I think these so-called ‘savings’ will never materialize for most businesses. Founder of Fahad Dibecha acura casta digital marketing agency based in London. “Even if you have visitors from Europe or are doing business with Europe, you still need to comply with the GDPR. It will be.”
That said, moving away from GDPR could have positive consequences globally. Security company founder Ilya Korochenko Immuniweb A member of Europol’s network of data protection experts, he hopes the bill will influence EU rules.
He worries that businesses are suffering from GDPR fatigue, inconsistent enforcement across member states, and the rising cost of formal compliance.
“European businesses will have a significant competitive advantage in the global market if the European GDPR goes through a similar series of improvements and simplifications,” says Korotchenko.
“If the trend of over-regulation continues, the costs and penalties for non-serious breaches will likely outweigh the costs of the overall implementation of the burgeoning EU cybersecurity regulations and directives, so large-scale and deliberate You will see non-compliance.”
This is a brave call to balance, but like all data protection debates, consensus approval is unlikely. There is at least one thing we can agree on.DPDIB” is a horrible acronym.
https://thenextweb.com/news/uk-plans-replace-gdpr-data-protection-unleash-savings-cut-red-tape New plans to replace GDPR split UK tech


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The OnePlus 5T is expected to be an evolutionary upgrade rather than a revolutionary one.
A brand new OnePlus smartphone is possibly called OnePlus 5T – is likely coming soon. we may now have what could be the first trustworthy image of the upcoming handset.
The leaked images show the front of the phone, which gives a better look at the display, bezels, and frame.there won’t be a front-facing fingerprint sensor below the display.
OnePlus 5T is expected to feature a larger 6.0-inch 2,160 x 1,080 resolution display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Powered by Snapdragon 835 Processor,6GB or 8GB of RAM and 64/128GB of internal storage.
Aside from the display and the smaller bezels, we can see an aluminum frame and a bottom-firing speaker on the left side. OnePlus 5T will likely feature a similar chassis to that of the OnePlus 5. OnePlus 5T is expected to be similar in Design as Oppo R11.
Overall, the OnePlus 5T, for now, will feature a 6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen, dual selfie camera, and there might be a bigger battery as well. All said, OnePlus is yet to confirm the existence of the OnePlus 5T, but the unavailability of the OnePlus 5 in several countries is an indirect hint from the company about the OnePlus 5T arrival.

domain: news


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Several stores will be open during Thanksgiving this year, forcing their employees to neglect their families over the holiday. But one brave Pizza Hut store manager took a stand for his employees and decided to opt out of opening the store. He was immediately fired.
Tony Rohr has been with the company for ten years and has worked his way up from cook to general manager at a Pizza Hut branch in Elkhart, Indiana. But, after deciding to refuse to open on Thanksgiving, he lost his job.
“I said why can’t we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees and they can have the day off,” he told local CBS affiliate WSBT.
According to Rohr, the store, owned by the franchise giant Franchise Management Investors US, usually closes on Thanksgiving to allow employees time off to spend with their families. Rohr sent his bosses a letter of protest in regards to either open the store or sign a letter of resignation.
“I am not quitting. I do not resign however I accept that the refusal to comply with this greedy, immoral request means the end of my tenure with this company,” Rohr wrote in his letter. “I hope you realize that it’s the people at the bottom of the totem pole that make your life possible.”
The franchisee’s director of operations stated that the decision to stay open on Thanksgiving was a direct order from corporate in response to other companies doing the same.
Pizza Hut’s corporate offices have remained quiet on the issue, but several of angry citizens have posted many concerns on the company’s Facebook page expressing their anger over Rohr’s termination. After we witnessed a Pizza Hut in Elm Grove, WV provide open support for a Tea Party rally, we thought there were no surprises left. Apparently we were wrong!


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The price of food and catering services in HCM City went up 0.6 per cent in August month on month. — Photo cafef.vn
Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — The consumer price index (CPI) in the largest southern economic hub of HCM City in August rose 0.5 per cent from the previous month and 3.63 per cent over the same period last year, the municipal Statistics Office reported on August 29.
According to the office, the prices of six out of 11 surveyed goods groups witnessed month-on-month increases, with the highest surge of 2.53 per cent seen in transport.
The price of food and catering services went up 0.6 per cent, while the price of culture, entertainment and tourism services increased by 0.3 per cent.
The price of housing, electricity, water, fuel and construction materials rose 0.28 per cent, education was up 0.12 per cent and other goods and services increased 0.04 per cent from July.
According to the municipal Statistics Office, the prices of home appliances dropped 0.12 per cent and drinks and cigarettes fell by 0.08 per cent month-on-month.
The prices of medicine and healthcare services, telecommunication, garments, hats and footwear remained unchanged.
In August, gold price increased 0.08 per cent, while the US dollar declined 0.11 per cent month-on-month. — VNS


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Impact of 1Q16
In part one of this series, we mentioned the ~13% appreciation in Monster Beverage’s stock on April 29 to $144.22 in response to the company’s strong earnings and sales in 1Q16 ended March 31, 2016. Also, on April 29, the company’s 12-month forward PE (price-to-earnings) ratio increased by ~12% to 35.4x.
Valuation compared to peers
Monster Beverage’s valuation multiple is higher than its nonalcoholic beverage peers Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), and Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS). As of April 29, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper Snapple were trading at forward PE multiples of 22.8x, 21.4x, and 20.6x, respectively.
Monster Beverage’s premium valuation compared to its peers is justified by the strong demand for energy drinks and higher expectations from the company’s sales and earnings in 2016. Analysts expect Monster Beverage’s full-year 2016 sales and adjusted EPS to grow by 11% and 30%, respectively. Analysts expect the adjusted EPS of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper Snapple to grow by -3%, 3%, and 8%, respectively, in 2016.
Monster Beverage continues to expand the reach of its products internationally. In 1Q16, the company started the distribution of its Ultra brand in an additional eight markets in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (or EMEA). The company plans to launch Ultra in ten additional markets in EMEA in 2Q16.
The new products launched in 1Q16 include Monster Beverage’s new Gronk energy drink and Salted Caramel Java Monster. The company is planning to launch its new beverage Mutant in 3Q16.
The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) has 1.2% exposure to Monster Beverage.
Monster Beverage is also planning to launch its Monster Energy drink in China later this year. The company has received product approval and manufacturing license in Shanghai. In Beijing, the company has received the required product approval and is awaiting the manufacturing license. Monster Beverage has commenced the required approval process in Xiamen in Southeast China.
The company is also planning to relaunch Monster energy drinks in India in late 2016 and is moving ahead with its plans for local production in India.
For more updates, visit our Nonalcoholic Beverages page.


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- Klarna announced the US launch of a physical card that allows customers to use BNPL.
- The Swedish fintech is looking to rebound from recent layoffs and reports of a potential down round.
- Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has said that the company plans to focus more on existing users.
Swedish buy now, pay later fintech Klarna is expanding its offerings in the US even further with a new physical card that will allow customers to use the BNPL service almost anywhere they shop, Insider can exclusively report.
Shoppers will be able to use the card, which launched Wednesday, anywhere Visa cards are accepted. Customers can split their purchases into four interest-free installments, which are paid off via biweekly statements available in the Klarna app.
"By putting the Klarna experience that consumers know and love in their pockets, we increase the ubiquity of our offering in consumers' lives," David Fock, Klarna's chief product officer, told Insider via email.
Klarna said that over one million customers in the US had signed up for the card's waitlist since late February. The company also said that it expected the card's launch to be even stronger than the January launch of a similar card product in the UK, where over 300,000 cardholders joined in the first month after the launch.
The card is free to use for the first 12 months, costing $3.99 a month after the first year.
The card's launch may provide a boost for Klarna's business as macro factors such as rising interest rates and mounting inflation cast doubts across the market and have led to layoffs and hiring freezes at fintechs.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in mid-May that Klarna was attempting to raise new funds at a valuation that was almost a third less than the $45.6 billion figure it was valued at around a year ago. The BNPL giant was targeting a valuation over $50 billion earlier this year, according to the WSJ, but potential investors had backed off due to concerns about the state of the market.
On May 23, Klarna's CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced to employees that the company would lay off around 10% of its staff, citing the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, volatility in the stock market, and an impending recession as key reasons for the cuts in a memo sent to employees.
"When we set our business plans for 2022 in the autumn of last year, it was a very different world than the one we are in today." Siemiatkowski wrote.
In a May 26 article in the Financial Times, Siemiatkowski said that he was "not convinced" by the reports that Klarna would need to raise funds at a lower valuation. Meanwhile, an investor told the FT they expected the company's valuation could be cut by as much as 50%.
Klarna isn't the only BNPL player to stumble recently — Affirm has seen its stock price fall nearly 70% this year, despite a stronger-than-expected earnings release earlier this month. After BNPL provider Zip announced plans in February to acquire competitor Sezzle for $356 million, shares of both companies, which are listed on the Australian stock exchange, have slumped.
Bringing buy now, pay later offline
Klarna's US card launch arrives at a time when many buy now, pay later providers are diversifying their offerings, attempting to increase customer loyalty and make their platforms a go-to place for shopping and discovery.
In the interview with the FT, Siemiatkowski also said the company would double down on growth in the United States, but would do so by focusing on existing customers rather than new users. The card could be a helpful tool for deepening engagement: the company said that cardholders in Sweden and Germany have a higher purchase frequency and are more loyal consumers than non-cardholders.
The launch of BNPL cards is part of a larger shift in providers' strategies. With the use of cards, providers no longer have to rely on cutting deals with individual retailers and can accelerate their push to bring BNPL offline.
Affirm's Debit+ card allows shoppers the option to split purchases over $100 into four interest-free payments, and UK-based fintech Zilch uses a virtual Mastercard to offer customers the choice between paying in full and using BNPL wherever they shop. Zilch launched in the United States earlier this month and counts more than 2.5 million users in its home country.
Klarna recently announced a deal with Brookfield Properties to bring its BNPL services to retailers like H&M, Sephora, and Abercrombie & Fitch in over 150 US malls, but it isn't the only player bringing its services offline.
Afterpay is now available as a payment option online for Square sellers, after the acquisition of Afterpay by Block, Square's parent company, closed in late January. Square sellers in the US and Australia are now able to offer Afterpay as an in-person payment option as well.
Klarna's card intensifies the super app race, as providers aim to become users' primary financial and shopping destinations
The card's launch also intensifies the race to build a financial super app in the US. Super apps bring multiple digital activities that would normally occur across several apps — like banking, budgeting, shopping, and stock and crypto trading together — in one place.
In tandem with the card launch, Klarna announced the release of its Financial Overview dashboard in its app. The feature will allow users to set a monthly spending allowance, view categorized spending breakdowns, and track spending history and patterns over time.
"Klarna is already far more than just a payment provider," Fock said. 'It's a financial companion for consumers with the promise to help them save time and money whenever and wherever they shop and take active control over their finances."
The dashboard feature adds more capability to the revamped app Klarna first revealed in November, allowing users to shop anywhere with Klarna through the app's browser and use new features, including budgeting tools, delivery tracking, and return management. The company has said it plans to develop other features for the app like loyalty programs, social features such as livestream shopping events, and product data including price history, reviews, and store availability. Klarna markets the app as "the only shopping app consumers need."
Other BNPL providers are hot on Klarna's heels, however. Block executives detailed their plans to use Afterpay to help transform Cash App into a super app by enhancing its shopping features at an investor presentation earlier this month.
BNPL players' push to diversify comes as their core offering gets commoditized by larger financial firms.
At a recent investor event, JPMorgan Chase announced plans to launch a "Pay in 4" installment lending tool that will allow consumer banking customers to split up their payments wherever their Chase debit cards are accepted.
"We may not be a first mover in buy now, pay later, but we have the full suite of payment lending and commerce capabilities," said Marianne Lake, JP Morgan's co-CEO of consumer and community banking, at an industry conference last year. "Over the longer term, I think that's the bigger picture."
Legacy players from other parts of the payments industry want in on the BNPL game as well. Bread Financial, formerly known as Alliance Data Systems, helped pioneer the store credit card model when it was founded nearly 40 years ago. Following its acquisition of the fintech Bread in 2020, the company invested $1 billion in its digital capabilities, including the development of white-label BNPL and lending options retailers can offer customers.
Bread CEO Ralph Andretta told Insider earlier this year that he thinks Bread's history as a public company gives it an edge over newer players.
"They've never been through a downturn. They've never been through a bad economy," Andretta said of his fintech competitors. "We know how to manage through a recession. We know how to manage through good times. We know how to manage regulation. Those are things that the startups have to learn, and it's expensive and it takes your mind off the marketplace."


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Recorded Future analysts have noticed that hackers are using Google Tag Manager (GTM) containers to inject electronic skimmers that then steal bank card details and personal information from shoppers on e-commerce sites.
Let me remind you that we also talked about the E-Commerce Software Developer FishPig Hacked in a Massive Supply Chain Attack.
In total, the researchers found 569 e-commerce domains infected with web skimmers. According to the report, 314 of them were confirmed to be infected with GTM skimmers, while another 255 sent stolen data to malicious domains linked to GTM abuse.
As of August 25, 2022, almost 90 of those domains were still infected, and researchers say it takes administrators, on average, more than three months to fix a breach.
At the same time, experts note that, judging by the discussions on the darknet, the abuse of GTM began in 2018, and was already used by various hack groups then.
Recorded Future began tracking the use of three variants of GTM skimmers back in March 2021 and notes that new infected domains have been added every month since then.
The first and third versions of the skimmers have a certain similarity, which suggests that the same hackers are behind their creation and that they regularly update their tools to avoid detection.
At the same time, it is known that hackers are not only targeting “expensive” domains, which have more than a million visitors a month. Some of the sites that were attacked had only about 10,000 visitors.
Most of the affected sites are based in the US, accounting for more than 66% of infections. The rest have been found in Canada, Great Britain, Argentina, India, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Greece, Indonesia and other countries.


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Chalet Hotels Ltd on Tuesday reported a narrowing of consolidated net loss at Rs 11.45 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2022.
The company had posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 25.98 crore in the same quarter of the preceding fiscal, Chalet Hotels Ltd said in a regulatory filing.
Consolidated revenue from operations in the quarter under review stood at Rs 148.01 crore compared to Rs 94.9 crore in the year-ago period, it added.
Total expenses in the quarter were higher at Rs 116.59 crore against Rs 92.88 crore a year ago, the company said.
For the fiscal ended March 2022, consolidated net loss was Rs 81.47 crore. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 139.13 crore in FY21.
Consolidated revenue from operations in FY22 was at Rs 507.8 crore compared to Rs 285.57 crore in FY21, the company said.
In 2021-22, the company said its total expenses surged to Rs 409.33 crore from Rs 278.52 crore in 2020-21.
The company said while the COVID-19 outbreak has had an impact on almost all entities either directly or indirectly, the tourism and hospitality industry has been adversely impacted with widespread lockdowns being enforced across the world.
As of March 31, 2022, the group faced significant economic uncertainties due to COVID-19 which impacted the operations of the group adversely, particularly by way of a reduction in occupancy of hotels and average realisation rate per room and a fall in revenue of other assets, it said. PTI RKL BAL BAL
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Founders and brothers-in-law Andre Eikmeier and Justin Dry began the venture as a wine blog from an Adelaide garage five years ago. Today, the business is run out of Cremorne, Victoria, employs 100 people and has more than 400,000 customers with turnover close to $50 million a year.
Eikmeier says the funding will enable rapid scale for the business upon a proven and robust model, both locally and abroad. “Vinomofo wants everyone to be able to experience good wine – that’s our mission. From what we’ve seen across the past five years in Australia, we believe that a lot of people all over the world need Vinomofo – wine lovers and makers alike, and this investment is going to help us bring our vision to life.
“Vinomofo has achieved 100 per cent YoY growth for the past 12 months, we’re on track this financial year to surpass $50 million in annual revenue, and now it’s time to take our offer to the next level in Australia, and to the world,” Eikmeier said.
But things haven’t always been easy for the Aussie entrepreneurs. In 2012, they sold most of their business to the Catch Group, but when things weren’t working out, bought it back just over a year later.
So when it came to finding the right funding partner this time around, Eikmeier said Blue Sky Venture Capital was a good fit because of a good track record and a strong human culture.
“We certainly haven’t rushed into this decision to raise. We’ve valued our independence, and our culture is at the heart of what we’ve built. When it became clear to Justin and I that a raise was the right thing to do strategically, finding the right partner was paramount, and Blue Sky emerged as a clear fit.
“We’re also really proud the entire raise was funded here in Australia, with an Australian partner. It’s a good sign for the future of our start-up and growth company eco-system,” Eikmeier said.
Dr Elaine Stead, investment director at Blue Sky Venture Capital, says Vinomofo demonstrates the performance qualities at quantum and stage sought by the fund.
“Vinomofo is a great expression of the quality of deals that come through our doors. In just five years, Andre and Justin have built a cracking business with huge scope to scale globally, which is where we come in. This is why we have started fundraising for a $200 million fund, as we are now coming across companies that need at least $20 million to execute on their expansion plans,” Dr Stead said.


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Infiniti is looking to muscle in on the city's crowded luxury sector after becoming the first carmaker to open its global headquarters in Hong Kong.Friday, 7 September, 2012, 10:57am
Several luxury cars, including the top-selling Mercedes-Benz C-Class, scored poorly in a new frontal crash test designed to mimic what happens when a car hits another vehicle, power pole or tree.16 Aug 2012 - 3:52am
Smaller blocks again took the main honours at last month's car boffins' 'Oscars', the 2012 International Engine of the Year Awards, in Stuttgart.
The best of last year's show was Fiat's 875cc TwinAir two-cylinder turbocharged unit in the Fiat 500.27 Jul 2012 - 12:00am
Alfa Romeo has a long tradition of making stylish, racy cars.
Founded in 1910 as A.L.F.A (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), the marque began at the Portello factory in Milan and, in the following year, entered a car in the Targa Florio, an open road endurance race.6 Jul 2012 - 12:00am
The Lexus GS mid-range executive saloons are popular on airport or cross-border runs. The new GS hybrid version, the GS450h, updates the comfort and may cut the cost of driving on business.15 Jun 2012 - 12:00am
Hong Kong is still a key car market in Asia. Recession-hit marques might unveil their latest cars in booming Beijing or Shanghai, but they also know Hong Kong owners have developed brand loyalties for generations and are arguably more discerning.1 Jun 2012 - 12:00am
The Volkswagen CC was launched at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show as the world's first four-door coupe in the US$30,000 to US$40,000 class. The CC (for Comfort Coupe) was sold to nearly 270,000 people around the globe, Volkswagen says, because it had the luxury and drive of luxury makes, but at a more competitive price.27 Apr 2012 - 12:00am
Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is setting up a production base in China through its joint-venture partner Dongfeng.21 Apr 2012 - 12:00am
Hyundai has built a strong following in Hong Kong. A decade ago, the South Korean marque was regarded as 'cheap', but then the Santa Fe and Tucson sports utility vehicles became worldwide hits on account of their mechanics, durability and economy.6 Apr 2012 - 12:00am
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class seems a car for many tastes - a hatchback with almost van-like space.
First launched in 2005, the Compact Sports Tourer has been a success, thanks to its build safety and smoothness of its front-wheel-drive ride.
The latest B-Class is more agile and efficient, and with lots of updates.16 Mar 2012 - 12:00am
Subaru's popularity in Hong Kong grew with no-nonsense Imprezas, functional Forester wagons and brutish, rally-tested WRX STI, with rear spoilers as big as bookcases.
In recent years, the Japanese marque has refined its designs and shown how its saloons can be speedy safety cars at the Macau Grand Prix, and still be sufficiently comfortable for school and supermarket runs.2 Mar 2012 - 12:00am
Peugeot has built a solid reputation for functional cars in Hong Kong.
The RCZ Coupe shows the French marque has stepped up its styling.
Assembled at Magna Steyr in Austria, and launched in 2010, the 1.6-litre RCZ Coupe has aerodynamic aluminium roof arches, prominent front and curvy rear wings on 18-inch wheels.24 Feb 2012 - 12:00am
Two years ago, on a visit to a General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, US President Barack Obama dubbed the Chevrolet Cruze the 'car of the future'.
Indeed, the model has proved one of GM's biggest post-bankruptcy successes and is on track this year to overtake the Toyota Corolla as the best-selling compact car in the US.28 Nov 2011 - 12:00am
The BMW M5 has always offered the comfort of a prestigious luxury saloon and the exhilaration of a sports car. When it was first launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1989, the BMW M5 was the fastest production sedan in the world, and proved so popular that the Bavarian marque launched more versions in 1989, 1998 and the popular five-litre, 500hp E60 version in 2005.25 Nov 2011 - 12:00am
Audi has stretched the comfort zones of its latest A8 long-wheelbase limousine. The Bavarian marque has given its top-of-the-range luxury saloon an extra 130mm on its 3.122-metre wheelbase to extend legroom inside.11 Nov 2011 - 12:00am


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The unreleased, and much awaited GeForce GTX 980 Ti has been making rounds through the internet, specifically when it comes about its specifications and initial performance, as reported by a Korean based tech site Hardware Battle.
Based on the leaks, which should be not taken 100% credible as always, the GTX 980 Ti will feature 2816 CUDA Cores, 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface with 6GB VRAM, and will feature a 1000MHz core clock. Boost clock is a healthy 1075MHz.
Now compared to the GTX 980, the GTX 980 Ti received a buff of +768 CUDA Cores, which is just 256 CUDA Cores away from the recently released Titan X. Not too shabby but be reminded that the GTX Titan X is still a 12GB card. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is set to be revealed at Computex 2015 based on reports, and should be a contender to the yet to be released AMD R9 390X.
AWESOME SAUCE: HWBattle / Videocardz


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The two exotic supercars that were jumped and spat on by a Townsville teenager have arrived in Cairns.
The McLaren 570S and Ferrari California T, along with a Maserati and Mercedes G Wagon, will be on show in Smithfield Shopping Centre from tomorrow until Sunday.
A video of the teen vandalising the supercars in Townsville went viral this week before it was removed from social media.
The cars, worth more than half a million dollars, suffered minor denting in the bonnets after being jumped on in Stockland Townsville.
Phillip Moravcik from Attention To Detail, a Townsville auto detailing business, later contacted the team from Gold Coast-based Super Car Rides and offered to fix the damages for free.
"This incident happened on their first night in Townsville ... having cars like these visit is quite rare and so exciting to see," Moravcik wrote on Facebook.
"The footage was sickening and made me embarrassed that again, our town was put into the spotlight for such pathetic behavior.
"After not being able to get it out of my mind one evening I reached out to the guys with the cars ... I didn’t want any payment, this was purely just to show them that this is a good city and we try our best to look after one another the best we can."
A spokesperson for Super Car Rides told Tropic Now there would be an increased security presence during their Cairns showing.
While he was disappointed by the Townsville incident, he said the support he received from Attention To Detail and others in the community made up for it.
“Obviously it wasn’t great to see that happen to the cars, but the community response was awesome – we received so many messages,” he said.
“Phillip actually did a really good job on fixing them too.”


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There was more than just talk of freeing captive journalists when Bill Clinton went to North Korea…and trust me, it didn’t include Paula Abdul’s exit from American Idol, or the Chappaqua real estate market! Plus, Southwest lands at Logan, mechanics sour on “cash for clunkers”, and coffee shops clamp down on laptop loiterers.
For Thursday August 6, 2009…
4:14 – While discussing the release of two American journalists held captive in North Korea, President Clinton and Kim Jong Il managed to touch on a few other weighty subjects like nuclear weapons, and the release of captives from South Korea and Japan. Meanwhile, a wealthy Hollywood producer is found to be responsible for supplying the plane used to transport the delegation.
8:01 – Young adults, fearing that the economic downturn will make them a burden on society, are lobbying for some help from Congress, says WSJ’s Sara Murray.
12:38 – Gina reports that I’ll spend upwards of $200,000 raising my son through the age of 17 (not including his eventual therapy). Gordon, who has two costly kids of his own, wonders whether a “cash for clunkers” style program for kids may be in order?
13:35- Well, it couldn’t be all champagne pops and economic recovery with “cash for clunkers” now, could it? There’s one very large segment of the auto industry that counts on clunkers for their livelihood…auto mechanics. WSJ’s Gary Fields says that the effect on repair shops is already being felt.
20:04 – Southwest (and other low-cost carriers) are invading major airports, such as Boston’s Logan International Airport. WSJ’s Scott McCartney, uncharacteristically, can’t say anything bad about this trend that could lead to expanded service, and lower costs for us!
23:28 – Getting an app approved for Apple’s App Store can be a long and maddening process, says tech guru Rob Enderle. He also says that 90% of the apps that are approved are garbage, which leads us to the Fortune Magazine list of the dumbest iPhone apps!
30:31- Offering up free Wi-Fi to customers seemed like a good idea at the time, but some coffee shops, suffering under the weight of laptop loiterers who nurse their lattes for the better part of the day, are fighting back. WSJ’s Erica Alini joins us with the subtle (and not-so-subtle) hints that coffee shop owners are dropping to freeloaders.
Thanks for listening!


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Fridaaaaaay. It was a short week, but it still dragged on a bit.
We have some exciting Twitter Live action coming up on September 13th, so mark your calendars! At 8:00 AM PDT / 11:00 AM EDT we are talking with Andrew Chan on why Gen Z VCs are trash, and at 12:00 PM PDT / 3:00 AM EDT, we talk to partner M13 Anna Barber on what today’s founders can learn from the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
TechCrunch’s Top 3
- More abbreviations: Patreon, a company that allows content creators to offer monthly subscriptions to paying customers, has confirmed that it has let go of five people from its security team. Zak reports that there aren’t many details about the layoffs, but there was some information about how Patreon will manage its security going forward.
- Thank you, Mr. Roboto: Amazon has announced that it is acquiring Cloostermans, a mechatronics company based in Belgium. The e-commerce giant’s focus on robotics has Ingrid writing that Amazon is “taking an interesting turn in this strategy as it expands its industrial warehouse capabilities.”
- We like a startup with a funny name: Cryptocurrency is a hot market in Africa and Tage writes about a blockchain payments startup called Bitmama that raised $2 million in pre-funding to show what it can do in new markets.
Startups and VCs
For our episode of Chain Reaction this week, our trusty crypto desk discussed the latest drama surrounding crypto mega exchange Binance, which is shaking up the stablecoin ecosystem as it strives to make its way to supremacy. This is a fantastic episode and well worth a listen.
Over the past decade, startups have migrated north from Silicon Valley to make San Francisco the hottest tech hub in the country. The the streets of the city swarmed with crowds of workerswrite Mary Ann. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and things ground to a halt. Now, more than two years and several shots later, San Francisco’s office scene has yet to recover, and the city’s streets remain eerily quiet.
Let’s do a few more, huh:
- Everything on the cards: Famous founders Brian Lee and baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter have a new sports card business where collectors can trade and verify their cards, reports Horses.
- That’s a lot of giggling bytes: A new enterprise fiber network, Vorboss, is poised to deliver up to 100 Gbps high-speed internet to London businesses, as part of a $290 million investment in the city’s infrastructure. The company promises a minimum 10 Gbps corporate fiber to the nation’s capital, gender reports.
- Documents please, without the documents: Jobbatical — which specializes in relocating workers and whose business has seen a boom in the post-pandemic work environment as many workers become “digital nomads” — raised 11.6 million euros to make everything paperless, Mike reports.
- Flying look: Flight tracking is coming to an iOS 16 lock screen near you, like Flighty app will bring flight tracking and much morereports Sarah.
- Straight from California: The Minneapolis-based branch was founded in 2015 and Anita reports why the company’s founder moved to Minneapolis to build his B2B fintech startup.
Use DORA metrics to support the next generation of telecommuting models
Non-technical CEOs often rely on someone else’s assessment to know how good their developers are. Without data, it’s a pretty subjective process.
Startups that don’t use DORA (DevOps Research and Evaluation) metrics have a harder time measuring the performance of their software delivery team. For example, a group that has a high failure rate can cover its shortcomings (for a while) by rapidly deploying.
Remote work is the new normal, especially for engineers, says Alex Chirtzei, CEO and co-founder of development analytics tool Waydev. Using DORA’s metrics, CTOs, CEOs and HR managers can “get back on the same page to support their technical teams and business results.”
(TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can register here.)
Big Tech Inc.
India takes more control which lending applications are permitted in the app stores. Manish and Jagmeet keep us posted on the efforts of the country to bring more disclosure and transparency to the world of digital lending, which they write is full of “scheming and unethical lenders.”


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July 27, 2010 |
NEW DELHI: Indians' romance with their old cars seems eternal. Despite a crowd of new models, around 30 at the last count, tried and tested old war horses such as Suzuki Alto, M800, Ford Ikon , Wagon R , which sells around 11,000-12,000 units every month. What's more, Maruti's oldest model, the M800, despite being phased out of 13 cities due to emission norms, still sells around 2,000 units a month, and is on wait list in markets such as Srinagar. ...
March 20, 2002 |
new delhi: in a major exports initiative, india's largest car maker maruti udyog will start shipping 16,000 'alto vx' cars worth about 80 million dollars to western europe from this month. in the first phase, the 1100cc premium small car would be sold in switzerland, netherlands, ireland, germany, belgium, austria, finland and greece. the car would also be exported to uk, italy and france by july-september this year, company officials told pti here on...
November 15, 2002
I am a owner of a Suzuki Alto 1.1 MPFI. I purchased the car on 5th October '00 from RNS Motors, Bangalore. I have clocked 28,128 km (on this vehicle). The free services were done at RNS. Now for paid services, the service at RNS wants to replace the following items: brake pads, transmission oil, spark plugs, and engine oil filter and air filter. Is it because the 4th service is a paid service that they want to replace the above parts? Satish Laksh satissh@hotmail.
March 8, 2009 |
Small is beautiful ? and imperative ? in these cash-strapped times. Is that why Tata group chairman Ratan Tata was first off the block in announcing a cheap, fuel-efficient car at last week's Geneva Auto Show? Industry experts say small does spell success in the car sector. They have the figures to prove it. Car sales dropped by 9% in Europe last year, compared to 2007. Sales between August and December 2008 were 17% lower than in the same period in 2007. But that was overall sales...
January 12, 2009 |
MUNDRA PORT (GUJARAT): India's largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) has re-started its small car exports to Europe after a gap of 4-years and hopes to export 1,50,000 cars in FY11, a top company official said here on Sunday. "We have restarted exports with the first shipment of AStar christened as Suzuki Alto in Europe. This represents Suzuki's re-entry into the European small-car market and much effort and investments have been put in by...


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Renesas Electronics Corp., the world’s largest microcontroller maker, rose the most in three weeks in Tokyo trading after two people familiar with the matter said it may be acquired for 200 billion yen ($2.5 billion).
The chip supplier to companies including Apple Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. climbed 14 percent, the biggest gain since Sept. 24, to 302 yen, as of the close of trading in Tokyo. Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, a state-backed fund, may be joined by private companies to take over Renesas as early as next month, the two people said Oct. 13, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.
Renesas has rebounded 48 percent after dropping to a record low of 204 yen on May 29, boosted by funding from shareholders and reports that it may be acquired. The chipmaker has recorded cumulative losses of 472 billion yen in the seven years through March 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, hurt by a slowdown in global chip demand.
Renesas isn’t the source of information on the reported acquisition, Yoichi Kobayashi, a spokesman for Renesas, said by telephone today.
Innovation Network will inject 150 billion yen in return for two-thirds of Renesas’s shares, and a group of about 10 companies will invest about 50 billion yen in total, the Nikkei newspaper said Oct. 13.
Renesas, projecting a 156 billion yen net loss this fiscal year, has cut 7,500 jobs, or about 17 percent of its workforce, to reduce costs. It may also close or sell plants as demand declines for its system LSI chips, used for functions including processing images for televisions.
Toyota, Panasonic Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Denso Corp. are among those involved with Innovation Network’s possible bid, according to one of the people familiar with the talks.
Joichi Tachikawa, a Toyota spokesman, today declined to comment on the reported acquisition of Renesas, saying it is based on speculation.
Renesas held a 27 percent share of the global microcontroller market last year, making it the world’s largest supplier of the devices used in automobiles and televisions.
The company in its current form was established in 2010 through the merger of money-losing chipmakers NEC Electronics Corp. and Renesas Technology Corp., a venture between Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric.


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UK INFLATION has been steadily on the increase over the last year, and many people will undoubtedly be starting to see the impact on their wallets, particularly when sluggish wage growth is taken into account. It comes as no surprise then that consumers are becoming more and more concerned, with research from Lloyds Bank revealing that inflation concerns have hit their highest level since January 2014.
The research found that 65 per cent of UK adults surveyed felt negative about current levels of inflation in July, up from 60 per cent in June’s survey and just 41 per cent in July 2016. Confidence in the country’s financial situation has also deteriorated, with those feeling negative up 2 per cent month-on-month in July and 7 per cent over the last 12 months, with the figure now standing at 69 per cent.
At the moment, this isn’t yet filtering through into people’s personal finances, with 64 per cent of those taking part in the survey feeling positive about their own financial situation in July, unchanged from June, and just 3 per cent below the reading in July 2016. A further 79 per cent reported feeling positive about their job security, only 1 per cent down on a monthly basis and an increase of 2 per cent year-on-year.
Robin Bulloch, managing director of Lloyds Bank, comments:
“Despite a slight slowdown in the rate of essential spending growth over the summer, concerns around inflation have continued to build, which has an impact on future intentions. With the rate of savings already at a record low, significantly fewer people now expect to be putting more money aside in six months’ time. While the pressure on disposable income makes this understandable, it does mean consumers are less able to absorb any further squeeze on their finances.”


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On the 10th of April this year the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham once again played host to the third annual Gadget Show Live where technology and generally geeky companies gather from all over the world to show off their newest gadgets and gizmos ranging from the latest gaming computer set-ups to high-tech cat litter trays!
This year I attended on behalf of ItsKindaCool.com to take a look at the most exciting available and upcoming gadgets and to have more than a few plays on some rather cool gaming simulators, but that part was mainly for my own pleasure!
One of the first stands that caught my eye was a small company with their new iPad gaming peripherals called ‘Pieces’, essential the products are pieces of material that are the same conductivity as a human finger which come in the shape of for example, air hockey bats which can then be played against an opponent on your iPad via the free ‘Pieces’ app. Although you could simply play such games with your hands the physicality of having something so simple in your hands just gave the game an extra sense of enjoyment and realism.
Of course the Gadget Show Live wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the numerous gaming companies showing off their newest games and the best ways to play them, in this section of the show the highlight would have to be the hydraulic piston controlled driving simulators scattered around the exhibition which created an unparalleled driving experience with the gamer physically feeling every bump in the road and each sloppy gear change (partly my fault!) with the crowed king of these being the new ‘TL1 Racing, Flight, and First-Person Shooter Simulator’ released by Motion Simulation, which offers complete gaming immersion via a 2 metre wide, 180 degree wrap-around screen powered by up to three high definition projectors allowing the player to drive, fly or shoot their way through the most seamless and realistic gaming environments they have ever been in.
And finally, The Gadget Show Live is also an excellent opportunity to check out new advancements in consumer technology and to see what companies have been working on for the coming year. On display this year were a variety of technologies but I believe that some of the most exciting include the availability of new larger and more importantly cheaper OLED TVs due to the mass production and marketing of them by corporations such as LG and Sony and the development of motion-sensing technology for gaming since game developers have now had a chance to work with the technology’s full potential over the last year.


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Alaska’s largest telecommunications provider, GCI, has been acquired by an even larger company.
Colorado-based Liberty Interactive is reportedly buying GCI for $1.12 billion. The larger conglomerate has holdings in other telecommunications companies under the name Liberty Ventures, as well as home shopping cable channels HSN and QVC under the name QVC Group Inc.
GCI said little will change for Alaskans who use its cable, phone and internet services.
“We will continue to run the company with our focus on providing the best value for Alaska customers, offering opportunities for our employees and investing wisely in the Alaska market,” GCI CEO Ron Duncan said in a written statement.
According to GCI, it will keep its leadership and other employees intact in Alaska. The written statement outlining the deal said GCI — soon to be GCI Liberty — will remain an Alaska-based company as of the deal’s closing, but a special shareholder meeting will soon be called to vote on incorporating in Delaware.
GCI Chief Financial Officer Pete Pounds said the deal announced Tuesday represents the joining of some $5 billion in assets.
“That’s a real nice ballast to have there to weather what we think are some challenging economic times,” Pounds said. “We’ve got a much bigger set of resources to draw upon as we move together through these challenging times.”
Pounds said the challenging times include a bleak financial outlook for Alaska and continued job losses.
For its part, GCI said its thousands of employees aren’t going anywhere and its customers won’t see a difference. The company employs 2,310 people, mostly in Alaska, and has 140,800 high-speed Internet customers and 222,500 wireless subscribers.
“The situation in Alaska changes not one bit,” Pounds said. “This is a financial company that is buying an operating company. And so they’re not looking to be involved in our day-to-day business.”
What Liberty Ventures wants is an Alaska-grown company that started small — in an Anchorage apartment — and grew to span the entire state, Pounds said.
If the deal checks out with regulatory agencies, GCI expects the acquisition to close in about nine months.
The company’s new name will be GCI Liberty and will be held under the subsidiary Liberty Interactive, which owns stakes in other telecommunications companies as well as familiar names such as FTD, the flower delivery service, and EVite, the online invitation service.
GCI stock jumped more than 60 percent Tuesday following the acquisition announcement.
Note: This story was updated to reflect newer information and quotes from GCI officials.


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Bharti Infratel Q4 net profit jumps 64 percent
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Telecommunications tower operator Bharti Infratel Ltd(BHRI.NS) reported a 64 percent jump in its quarterly profit, beating estimates on higher revenue from leasing mobile phone masts to phone carriers.
Bharti Infratel, just under 80 percent owned by top Indian phone carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd (BRTI.NS), said consolidated net profit rose to 4.72 billion rupees ($77.5 million) for its fourth quarter ended March, from 2.87 billion rupees a year earlier.
Revenue rose 4 percent from a year earlier to 27.9 billion rupees.
Analysts on average had expected the company to report a net profit of 3.99 billion rupees on revenue of 27.88 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. ($1 = 60.8850 Indian Rupees)
(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Tommy Wilkes and Anand Basu)
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- Pakistani family sentenced to death over "honour killing" outside court
- Alumnus dead after opening fire at Florida State University, wounding 3 |
- Mike Nichols, award-winning American director, dies at 83
- UPDATE 2-Doctor who treated source of second Mali Ebola outbreak dies
- Mike Nichols, award-winning American director, dies at 83 |
Kotak Mahindra Bank has agreed to buy ING Vysya in an all-share deal valuing its smaller rival at $2.4 billion, bulking up as analysts predict the start of long-awaited consolidation in a crowded banking sector. Full Article
U.S. court overturns bid by Ranbaxy to block launch of rival generic drugs. Full Article
Tech Mahindra to buy U.S.-based network services operator for $240 million Full Article
Infosys unit's overbilling Apple led to exit of top execs - sources. Full Article


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Reserve Bank of India Looking Into Creating a Digital Currency
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI), has confirmed the establishment of a group, which will focus on the usefulness of creating a rupee-backed central bank digital currency. RBI notes that the producing fiat paper/metallic money gets expensive and that led them to investigate fiat digital currencies and their risks.
Russian Government Makes Cryptocurrency Tracker
The Federal Financial Monitoring Service’s (Rosfinmonitoring) new system will focus on Bitcoin at the start. Rosfinmonitoring already uses a Unified Information System, which will be upgraded by Moscow Institute of Security and Information Analysis (SPI) by the end of 2018. Russia strongly believes that cryptocurrency is actively used “in the trade in drugs, weapons, counterfeit documents and other criminal activities”.
Venezuela Shocks Bitcoin Trading Records with New Currency
Trading between Bitcoin and the Venezuelan Bolivar (VES) has beaten all records to pass 500 million last week. P2P platform Localbitcoins processed 506.3 million VES, in Bitcoin terms at 1143 BTC. However, The Venezuelan government is still under great criticism for creating this project, which is tied to its national cryptocurrency Petro. Some analysts are describing VES as a “scam on top of another scam”.
CBOE is Looking to Launch futures for Ethereum
Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), one of the world’s largest exchange holding companies, is planning to launch Ethereum (ETH) futures by the end of 2018. Reportedly, it will be based on Gemini’s market, and now the futures and options exchange is waiting on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to give the project the permission to launch.
California Passes Bill to Create Blockchain Group
The bill that will establish a working group on blockchain technology has passed both houses of the state legislature and will now be in hands of the state’s governor. The bill would define blockchain as “a mathematically secured, chronological, and decentralized ledger or database”. The group will consist of technology and non-technology industries’ specialists, and representatives of privacy and consumer organizations.
European Union Will Further Discuss Digital Assets
Economic and financial affairs ministers from the European Union’s 28 member states will hold an informal meeting and discuss a general lack of transparency and the potential for cryptocurrency to be used for tax evasion, terrorist financing and money laundering at a September 7 meeting in Vienna, Austria.
OECD has Announced a Blockchain Policy Forum
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development states that the event will be held in Paris on September 4-5. It will be the first major international event of its kind, dedicated to blockchain technology. More than 400 “senior decision makers” are visiting the forum. Top blockchain company’ executives will also participate in the event.


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Following Bahrain and India's threats of legal action against RIM earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates is claiming BlackBerry phones are a threat to national security due to the fact that all of the data is stored overseas, thus making it more difficult for the UAE to spy on its citizens' communication - or monitor worrying mentions of national security. [Yahoo]
BlackBerry Seen As Major Security Threat In United Arab Emirates
Trending Stories Right Now
Yesterday, Google announced it would rename its four-year-old smartwatch operating system from Android Wear to Wear OS. Ostensibly, the purpose of this rebranding is to prevent scaring off iPhone owners from purchasing smartwatches running Android Wear, which for a long time has supported pairing with both Android and iOS devices. As Google puts it, Wear OS is "a wearables operating system for everyone".
The people of Plattsburgh, New York have had enough. Yesterday, the city council approved an 18-month moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining operations. The temporary ban will be used to figure out what to do with these ding dong miners using up all the electricity.


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According to the recent report of “State Of Broadband 2016” there exists a fundamental division between connected and unconnected world. United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says this division is indeed a point of worry. ITU’s “Connect 2020” Targets to Connect 60% of Population Across the Globe.
More than half of the population is unable to avail internet opportunity due to high broadband cost and inaccessibility. The report also lightens the point that out of total, 3.5 billion people don’t have domestic or mobile internet. This problem is basically common in women, aged lot and uneducated people.
ITU’s “Connect 2020” Targets to Connect 60% of Population Across the Globe
ITU emphasizes to bring all people together on one internet platform to promote equal opportunity regarding usage of technology. In this way more number of people will be able to participate in digital economy and access to internet at work place and education sectors etc.
The ITU’s “Connect 2020” targets to connect 60 percent of total population to be online which is actually increase of 1.2 billion people within four years. There are certain hurdles in achieving these goals which includes high rates of internet broadband packages. Cost of fixed broadband has lowered in past years but still its near to unaffordable for poor countries.
According to revealed stats in 2008 average price for basic broadband connection around world was $80 which decreased to $25 within an year. In poor countries fixed broadband package with one giga byte of data costs more than half of average annual salary. Another alternate of Internet broadband is Mobile broadband which is the only solution available.
According to the report:
In 2016 people no longer go online, they are online, Yet many people are still not using the internet, and many users do not fully benefit from its potential.
3.9 billion people offline is a large number. Underdeveloped countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria collectively contributing to 55% of the world’s offline population.
Steps To Increase Internet Usage:
Tech giant Facebook has collaborated with French satellite Eutelsat to expand connectivity with Africa. They have goals of powering satellite technologies to get more Africans online. According to agreement, the capacity will be shared between Eutelsat and Facebook. They will each deploy internet services designed to meet rising demand for connectivity for most of users in Africa.
Facebook is building solar-powered drones which will fly for months at a time above remote regions, beaming down an internet connection. To incorporate this Facebook has purchased British business called Ascenta. It specializes in solar powered drones.


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MultiChoice Launches New ARRIS HD PVR with HEVC for Enhanced Streaming Services
|HEVC technology to improve quality and value of MultiChoice's on-demand streaming experiences in Africa
SUWANEE, Ga., Nov. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- South African pay television provider MultiChoice recently launched the new DStv Explora 2 decoder from ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) to customers in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The flagship decoder is the fourth generation of HD PVR devices that ARRIS and MultiChoice have launched together and makes it easier for customers t... |
ARRIS Names Dan Whalen President, Network & Cloud
|SUWANEE, Ga., Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) today announced the promotion of Dan Whalen to President, Network & Cloud, effective immediately. Whalen will oversee the development and delivery of the company's leading portfolio of broadband and video network infrastructure technologies and cloud-based software solutions. He will report to ARRIS CEO Bruce McClelland.
Whalen brings extensive technology leadership experience. Since 2013, he served as AR... |
ARRIS To Present At RBC Capital Markets 2016 Technology, Internet, Media And Telecommunications Conference
|November 1, 2016 - Suwanee, GA: ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) a global telecommunications technology leader, today announced that Bruce McClelland, ARRIS Chief Executive Officer, will be speaking at the upcoming RBC Capital Markets 2016 Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Conference on Thursday, November 10 at approximately 11:50am/EDT. Investors may listen to the webcast live by logging on to http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/rbc/technology2016/83208141218.cfm Th... |
ARRIS Announces Preliminary and Unaudited Third Quarter 2016 Results
|SUWANEE, Ga., Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) today announced preliminary and unaudited financial results for the third quarter 2016.
Third Quarter 2016 Financial Highlights
GAAP revenues were $1.725 billion
Adjusted revenues (a non-GAAP measure) were $1.735 billion
GAAP net income was $0.25 per diluted share
Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $0.77 per diluted share
End-of-quarter cash resources were $1.110 billion
Cash from opera... |


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Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis unveiled a new tool to help monitor transactions and tokens across DeFi protocols and multiple blockchains.
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis has launched a new tool to track transactions across decentralised finance (DeFi) protocols and various blockchains.
Chainalysis this week launched a beta version of its Storyline software. Billed as a “Web3-native blockchain analytics tool”, Storyline aims to track and visualise smart contract transactions with a focus on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and DeFi platforms. This is in line with the growing popularity and prevalence of NFTs and DeFi in the cryptocurrency space over the past year.
Chainalysis provides blockchain analytics and annual reports on cryptocurrency crime trends and other analysis. The ever-changing landscape has seen DeFi and NFTs become important cogs in the ecosystem, with Chainalysis estimating that both sectors account for more than half of global cryptocurrency transactions.
An unfortunate downside of this evolution is the growing amount of cryptocurrency-based crime that makes use of industry-changing protocols. In 2021, DeFi protocols processed an increasing amount of value from illicit addresses, while hackers also began targeting these platforms in their efforts to mine and steal funds.
The amount cannot be underestimated either, with Chainalysis estimating that DeFi protocols account for 97% of the USD 1.68 billion in cryptocurrencies stolen in 2022. The firm also noted that a significant percentage of DeFi hacks were carried out by North Korean hacking groups last year.
The challenge for cryptocurrency exchanges, DeFi protocols and researchers is to track illicit transactions through DeFi protocols. The nature of these platforms is complex, with automated smart contracts creating complex transactions, often across multiple blockchains.
A key function of DeFi protocols is the ability to perform blockchain hopping, giving users the ability to exchange or move cryptocurrencies in a single transaction. The process of buying an NFT also involves a number of moving parts, including different smart contracts across different marketplaces.
Storyline will allow users to build their own history of the path of a transaction, starting with the hash of the transaction. From there, a timeline can be built with highlighted token transactions and interactions.
An automated feature allows the software to interpret smart contracts and tag the most common transaction types, such as NFT purchases or token swaps. Users can add related transactions and relevant addresses across the blockchain that can help monitor specific addresses, tokens and transactions.


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Small Business Saturday is a great way to support local business
According to the United States Small Business Administration, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, and they represent 99.9% of all firms with paid employees in the country. They employ 47.1% of all private sector workers, and 62% of U.S. small businesses have reported they need to see consumer spending to return to pre-COVID levels by the end of the year in order to remain in business.
To better support these businesses, Small Business Saturday was founded in 2010 and takes place each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. These businesses are looking forward to Small Business Saturday more than ever before to help make up some of the revenue lost during the coronavirus shutdowns earlier in the year and the reduction in customers due to more people staying home to avoid exposure to the virus.
Ardmore Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mita Bates said that small businesses not only create jobs, they also support the community in a variety of other ways.
“Shopping at local small businesses creates jobs,” Bates said. “If you shop at our local entities, they will need more people on staff. We also know from studies that local business owners support their community and community projects, and I know from experience that the support from our local businesses is absolutely amazing. So, when their businesses are being well supported, they are then able to help out with all kinds of local projects.”
She also noted that small businesses tend to have a level of expertise that often cannot be found at big box stores.
“Most of the time, they have a pretty sophisticated sense of expertise, and they are able to help you if you are looking for a particular item like a specific piece of clothing or a piece of jewelry,” Bates said. “These people are very well versed on their inventory and know what they have and where to find it.”
Ardmore Main Street Authority General Manager Jeff DiMiceli encouraged everyone to come check out the shops in the Depot District to explore the wide range of items and unique gifts that are available right here in town.
“I’m not saying to buy things you don’t need or want, but I’m saying to come downtown and look around,” DiMiceli said. “You never know what you’re going to find, and if you’re looking for something specific, they’re happy to help you find it.”
In addition to the stores that are open year-round, Small Business Saturday is bringing a few pop-up shops that will only be open for a short amount of time. One of these is Ginger and Daisies Specialty Goods which will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 106 W. Main Suite 106 Saturday only.
“I specialize in eco-friendly and low-waste products for the home,” owner Sarah Corbell said. “I have plastic alternatives such as beeswax wraps, and I have reusable paper towels and other reusable items for the kitchen.”
The shop will also have items for the home such as reusable grocery bags and bamboo toothbrushes.
Corbell said she decided to open an eco-friendly business in Ardmore after struggling to find those types of products locally.
“All I could find were online shops that were from out of state, so I thought that I could help fill that need here locally,” she said. “Our recycling options are also really bad here, so it’s especially important to have items that you don’t have to throw away or recycle.”


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Eight hours ago, @SonyPlayStation tweeted that they’re aware that most PS users are having problems connecting to the Play Station Network.
The problem was confirmed, and it is being narrowed down to restore the service. It’s still unclear exactly what is really going on.
These problems for PS3 systems include a 8001050F error codes, game crashes, corrupted trophy info, and inability to launch certain titles.
Update1: The “slim” units (120/250 GB models) are already connecting normally according to a tweet from SPS.
Update2: Published on PlayStation Blog, Sony PS3 systems are now up. An update says:
We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year. Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally.
Play Station users can also be updated by following @SonyPlayStation on Twitter.


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Expect the auto auction lanes to be fuller this year, but that won't mean used car values will take a nosedive.
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8:49 p.m. | Updated
Zynga is still the king of gaming on Facebook, but its dazzling growth is starting to fade.
The online game maker of hits like FarmVille and CityVille issued its fourth-quarter earnings report on Tuesday, its first since its initial public offering in December. Zynga recorded a profit of $37.2 million, or 5 cents a share, on an adjusted basis, a drop from the year-earlier period. While its revenue totaled $311.2 million, a 59 percent increase from the year-earlier period, it was a mere 1.4 percent gain from the previous quarter. Still, on both metrics, the company managed to beat analysts’ expectations.
“We saw great momentum in mobile and advertising and ended the year with a strong pipeline of new games,” Zynga’s chief executive and founder, Mark Pincus, said in a statement. “We are excited about the opportunities in front of us to continue delighting our current players and to bring play to millions of new people.”
On an unadjusted basis, Zynga did report a net loss of $435 million, mainly because of $510 million in stock-based compensation to employees that was booked after the company’s I.P.O.
Investors moved cautiously after the late-day announcement. Shares of Zynga fell in after-hours trading after rising nearly 7 percent to close at $14.35.
“It was a little softer than what we were expecting,” Ken Sena, an Evercore Partners analyst said in an interview late Tuesday, referring to the company’s revenue. “It’s early days, but based on our view we do feel the stock price is ahead of itself.”
Zynga, which still makes the vast majority of its money on Facebook’s platform, is trying to become less dependent on the world’s largest social network and its original stable of hits. In the last few months, it has introduced two major franchises, CastleVille and Hidden Chronicles, and increased its investments in mobile platforms. The San Francisco-based company is also preparing to introduce Project Z, its independent gaming platform that uses Facebook Connect, which is currently being tested internally.
In its earnings conference call with investors, Zynga said it was closely tracking the online gambling industry and would be well positioned to develop new projects in that category, based on the success of Zynga Poker, one of its earlier franchises.
“We’ve been investing heavily to build out our product pipeline,” said John Schappert, Zynga’s chief operating officer, in an interview. “The more fun, accessible and social a game is, the more players become payers.”
Zynga’s mobile platform had 15 million daily active users by the end of 2011, Mr. Schappert added.
Converting more users into paying customers will be crucial to Zynga’s future. Although it attracts about 240 million active users a month, the company’s profitability is largely dependent on a fraction of its users that spend money on Zynga’s virtual goods.
The number of monthly unique payers increased about 13 percent to 2.9 million in the fourth quarter from the prior quarter.
Some analysts cautioned Tuesday that Wall Street might have to adjust its expectations for Zynga, since it is a blend of a technology company and a hits-driven entertainment company.
Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Securities analyst, who considers himself to be fairly bullish on the stock, believes Zynga could double its revenue within three years, but he warned that earnings will fluctuate depending on the popularity of its games.
“The problem with this business is that they invented it,” Mr. Pachter said. “In many ways, I see them as an entertainment network and users will rise and fall based on their content.”


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“Visa reports 23% fall in quarterly profit on COVID spending stall – Reuters UK” – Reuters
Visa Inc reported a 23% decline in quarterly profit on Tuesday after spending over the world’s largest payment network stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- The health crisis has triggered a massive shift in consumer spending towards e-commerce and brought a greater share of transactions to payment companies.
- Visa’s results marked the first year-over-year decline in quarterly revenue and adjusted net income since the company went public in 2008 and became the world’s largest payment network.
- Net revenue fell 17% to $4.84 billion, compared with an estimate of $4.83 billion from analysts.
Reduced by 73%
|Test||Raw Score||Grade Level|
|Flesch Reading Ease||-188.03||Graduate|
|Smog Index||0.0||1st grade (or lower)|
|Coleman Liau Index||14.13||College|
|Dale–Chall Readability||20.26||College (or above)|
|Automated Readability Index||135.9||Post-graduate|
Composite grade level is “1st grade (or lower)” with a raw score of grade 0.0.
Author: Reuters Editorial


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The C64 emulator that was pulled from the App Store by Apple for leaving a BASIC interpreter intact has now returned, though we presume it's minus the Apple-offending code. But while it will no longer run your own code, it will run some old-school C64 games, including eight for free with the app, ...
Deals of the Daymore deals
Software Updatesmore updates
- Agile Partners releases Lick of the Day 2.0
- Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Update 14.3.4
- Pixelmator 2.2 available with over 100 new features and improvements
- DabKick for iPhone lets you share photos, watch videos and now listen to music in real-time
- Google Now added to search app on iPhone, iPad
- GateGuru for iPhone has been updated and greatly improved
Featured Storiesmore stories
I'm never leaving home without my pogo connect again. Love this thing.


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Walmart Will Have A Sale To Rival Amazon’s “Prime Day”
Walmart has announced a mega sale on Wednesday that will include “more than 2,000 online exclusive ‘rollbacks,'” USA Today reports. Discounted items will include everything from toys to electronics and remain at the “rollback” price for 90 days. And as of today, the minimum purchase total to qualify for free shipping drops from $50 to $35 for at least the next 30 days.
The new discounts come hot on the heels of Amazon’s announced Prime Day. To celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, Amazon is offering discounts to Prime members this Wednesday, a sale the company says will rival Black Friday, the official kick off to the holiday season. It’s also a good way to encourage people to become Prime members. A membership costs $99.
In a blog post published today, Walmart said:
If you’ve shopped Walmart.com, you’ll know that every day is a special day where everyone has access to the same low prices we offer. We mean everyone: you, your neighbor, your boss, your best friend … all of whom are looking for the best price on the things they want and need. We’ve heard some retailers are charging $100 to get access to a sale. But the idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn’t add up for us.
USA Today points out that Walmart has been playing catch up with Amazon with respect to e-commerce. So this is an opportunity for them to hit Amazon. Target also has a “Black Friday in July” sale that ends today.
This is great for consumers, but also begs the question of whether Black Friday will be as big this year as it has been in past years if it’s being outdone by summer sales. Thoughts?


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Pre-tax profits rose £6m to £228m for the year ended March, before one-offs, in line with City forecasts. But Pilkington said the market was likely to be challenging for most of the current year. There had been improvements in its US and automotive business, but its key building products business was set to deteriorate.
Shares in the company fell earlier this month on news that Paolo Scaroni, credited with rescuing the group five years ago, was quitting to become boss of Italy's state-controlled Enel.
His successor, Stuart Chambers, said prices for float glass had stabilised but were down 10-12% in Europe and North America on this time last year. 'Our task is just to be as efficient as possible and actually maintain supply and demand by taking a responsible approach to capacity,' he added.Reuse content


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But today’s not the only day we visited the resort this week. To make sure you’re up to date on all the news in Disneyland Resort, we’re bringing you an update on ALL the latest news from earlier this week too. Take a look!
We’re covering a LOT of changes in Disneyland right now as we explore the park for the first time in over a year!
We’ve been reporting LIVE from the park today. Now, we’re bringing you some Disneyland food news that might not be the best thing you hear today. You may need to sit down for this one.
Disneyland’s theme parks are officially set to reopen on April 30th, and we can’t wait!
While we have been enjoying the popular eats in Walt Disney World, we truly can’t explain our excitement to eat some iconic Disneyland food again! We got a little taste of Disneyland eats at some of the food booths at A Touch of Disney, like churros and Dole Whip, but we’ve noticed a HUGE menu change at a classic Disneyland restaurant!
We’re exploring the all-new A Touch of Disney event at Disney California Adventure.
Today is the first time that guests have been able to FULLY enter a Disneyland theme park since last March and there has been a LOT to see and do — and EAT. We’ve been reviewing LOTS of the spots around the fest and now we’re stopping in at one of the Food and Wine Booths that’s graced the event — Cluck a Doodle Moo!
We’re getting excited for the limited-time ticketed event coming to Disney California Adventure!
“A Touch of Disney” will kick off March 18th. We’ve already learned about some of the music and characters that will be at the event — and we even got a list of all the food spots that guests can enjoy. But now, we’re bringing you ALL the info on what snacks will be up for grabs!
You guys — SO much information was announced for the A Touch of Disney event coming to Disney California Adventure!
This event will feature classic Disneyland food, including Dole Whips and churros, but will also see the reopening of some restaurants, such as Lamplight Lounge. So what eats can you expect? We’ve put a list together with every food spot that has been confirmed for the event so far!
Today, however, we’re all about Disneyland and their famous Monte Cristo Sandwich. Fans come from all over the world to Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou for this signature dish, and we want to share with YOU how easy it is to recreate it at home!
Ahhhh… the Mickey Beignet — one of the most perfect foods ON EARTH! We know how much you love ’em — and want to EAT ’em every time you visit Disneyland. In the past, you could only find these Mickey-shaped babies at Cafe Orleans or the Mint Julep Bar over at New Orleans Square!
But guess what? Such is no longer the case! Now you can get these bad little doughboys at a NEW SPOT in Disneyland!
In case you missed it, The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland celebrated its 50th anniversary on Friday, August 9th.
Disneyland has introduced a variety of limited-time treats and eats to celebrate the momentous occasion, like the Dead-Cadent Funnel Cake and The Ghost Mariner’s Seafood Boil. Today, we want to tell you about ANOTHER themed treat — the Swinging Wake Cake from Café Orleans!
Welcome foodie mortals! In case you didn’t know, the Haunted Mansion will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on August 9th.


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The fearful predictions some were touting that cannabis legalization would cause a huge increase in the usage of cannabis among young people have proven to be false. It turns out, the age group with the highest increase in medical cannabis use is the same group that remains the most strongly opposed to cannabis law reform – seniors!
Cannabis usage in the United States by those over 55 years of age has increased 53 percent. Between 2013 and 2014, the number increased from 2.8 million to 4.3 million.
Many who grew up with propaganda such as the movie Reefer Madness and strong anti-marijuana legislation are still swayed by what they learned as children. But this is the same group that, although they account for only 14 percent of our population, use more than 30 percent of all prescription drugs including some highly-addictive painkillers. The side effects of these medications, well-known by the pharmaceutical companies and our government, are causing seniors to turn to cannabis to address conditions that come with aging.
As Steve DeAngelo, well-known cannabis activist and owner of one of California’s largest medical dispensaries, said:
“There’s [an] ironic, almost tragic phenomenon, which is that seniors, who are one of the groups who can most benefit from use of cannabis, are the single group which remains most opposed to reforming cannabis laws.”
There are many forms of cannabis available today that are convenient and easy to consume. No longer does one have to smoke cannabis flower from a pipe or bong. Edibles, milk, a water soluble CBD fluid and tinctures are options for those who want to try cannabis without the stigma that comes with smoking.
The most recent statistic I could find regarding how many prescription medications per person is average for a U.S. senior comes from 2013. Unbelievably, patients between 65 and 79 years had an average of 27.3 prescriptions per person! And for those over 80 the number was even higher!
Hopefully we’ll see that number decrease as the number who use cannabis increase.


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A press render claiming to be LG’s unannounced V60 ThinQ has been published by Android Headlines, showing a handset with a small teardrop notch, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and a gold frame. Although not confirmed by the leak, the phone was expected to be announced at the now-cancelled Mobile World Congress. Text on the phone’s display reads February 24th, the day MWC 2020 was originally scheduled to begin.
Although the image doesn’t show the rear of the device, a previous leak suggested that the LG V60 ThinQ will be equipped with a quad-camera array, four microphones, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, making LG one of the few manufacturers to still offer it on a flagship device (LG does love a good DAC). The leak also claimed the phone will have a 5,000mAh battery, up from the 4,000mAh battery found in last year’s 5G-ready LG V50 ThinQ. Separate leaks have claimed the Android 10 phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 865 processor and 8GB of RAM.
There’s no sign of LG’s dual-screen accessory for the V60 ThinQ, which Yonhap reported in December would be announced at MWC. LG announced a similar accessory with its previous G8X handset, which could be used to give you enough screen real estate to do two things on the device, such as watching YouTube on one screen while browsing the web on the other.
With MWC now cancelled, it’s unclear when LG might announce its V60 ThinQ, or when the phone might be released. When LG initially withdrew from the trade show, it said that it would be “holding separate events in the near future to announce its 2020 mobile products.” With the device presumably ready for a late February reveal, these “separate events” can’t be too far away.


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Costa Rican exports up 2.2 percent in last year
A Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) report released Monday shows that Costa Rican exports totaled $11.5 billion in the last 12 months, representing an increase of 2.2 percent.
The report also states that sales of goods for the first quarter of 2014 accounted for $2.8 billion. Of that amount, $1.3 billion corresponded to traditional production sectors, and the remaining amount was a result of exports from free trade zone industries.
Frozen fruit, milk, yuca and medical supplies showed the most significant increases during the first quarter of this year. Agricultural exports, however, dropped, mostly due to a 28.5 percent decrease in coffee sales.
“PROCOMER has made significant efforts to increase and diversify Costa Rican exports, which has allowed us to sell abroad more than 4,400 products last year, particularly in the manufacturing sub-sector,” PROCOMER General Manager Jorge Sequeira said.
The main market for Tico products is North America with 42.1 percent of total sales, followed by the European Union at 18.6 percent, Central America at 13.9 percent and Asia at 12.6 percent.
The PROCOMER report includes export data from April 2013 to March 2014.
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Funding Circle plans to focus on embedded finance this year, after announcing its exit from retail peer-to-peer lending.
Lisa Jacobs (pictured), chief executive of Funding Circle UK, told Peer2Peer Finance News that the company is now transitioning away from single products to become a multi-product platform.
She said Funding Circle is planning to launch more products and focus on embedded finance through its partners, as well as its FlexiPay loan, a buy-now-pay-later flexible payment facility launched in September, and its API lending as a service in the US.
Jacobs said the lender will continue to refer small businesses it cannot help to its panel of around 25 third-party lenders it calls ‘marketplace lenders’.
“I think what we’ve done in the last decade has been remarkable and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved there, but looking forward I get more excited,” Jacobs said.
“What I laid out today is our new medium-term plan, which is focused on three things, firstly attracting new borrowers through direct marketing, making the most of the tailwinds in terms of the digitisation we’ve seen in the pandemic, but also from embedding with partners.
“We have two partners and we’ll continue to grow that, we see that as a really important distribution channel going forward. In the US we’re working with partners to build more integrated partnerships so that’s lending as a service with regional banks, there’s thousands in the US, which is very different from the UK.
“Or businesses with a very large small- and medium-sized enterprise customer base will partner with us so they can offer their customers the same slick process we offer and they can utilise our technology and underwriting capabilities to do that.
“The second pillar is saying yes to more small businesses, in that we will be maximising the opportunities from our new originations platform to create much more personalised journeys and we will be working with more of our marketplace lenders. Where we can’t support small businesses, we will refer to third parties to make integrations even better.
“And we will also be expanding our product range we offer. Today we have our first super prime loan in the US business.
“And the one I get the most excited about is being number one in new products, we will launch new products where we have great capabilities and think where we can build market leading positions.”
Jacobs put Funding Circle’s increasing profits down to growing loans under management, being tight on costs, its loanbook performing better than expected and rising revenue, which was driven by higher demand due to the government loan schemes.


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Prices for popular foreign holiday destinations have gone up by 16 per cent in some cases.
The Irish Travel Agents Association says holidays to the Canaries, Portugal and Spain are more expensive this summer, compared to 2019.
The average price for a holiday to Lanzarote was €746 before the pandemic, but that's now risen by 11 per cent.
For those looking to jet away to the Algarve in Portugal this July or August, prices have risen by €118.
The prices quoted are for a 7-night stay.
Paul Hackett, President of the Irish Travel Agents Association, says it all boils down to energy costs.
"We have higher fuel costs and that's having an affect on air travel just like it is for everything else."
He recommends booking in off-peak times where he promises "exceptional value" is still available.


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Our Latest Online Backup Reviews:Vembu SyncBlaze
Industry LinksTools and Graphs
21 Mar 2012
Again, World Backup Day is March 31st.
Washington, DC, March 21, 2012 –/BackupReview.info/– March 31st has been declared World Backup Day. With so much of our lives, photos, and videos being stored in digital form, it is imperative that we begin to make backups of our precious data. Backing up your data is one of those easy to do procedures that many people ignore.
People now create and generate over 1.8 zettabytes of data per year. That’s over 57 billion iPads! Hard drives fail at an annual rate of 3 percent and this rate gets higher as the drive gets older. With a three year-old hard drive, the annual failure rate hovers around six percent. Backing up your data will protect your life’s work if that hard drive fails. World Backup Day is here to make sure that people actually start backing up.
World Backup Day can easily be observed by spreading the word of data integrity and automatic backup. Share World Backup Day with all your friends and family. The virtues of both local and offsite data backup sites should be extolled. People should relay the dreadful tales of devastating data disasters like the loss of an entire season of a children’s television series or the near complete loss of customer data by Microsoft’s & T-Mobile’s Sidekick. So sad, all they needed was a simple backup strategy.
There will also be a giveaway on World Backup Day with backup related prizes like free hard drives, online backup accounts, and awesome swag like World Backup Day t-shirts and magnets.
And to all the IT professionals saying “Hoho! I’m good. I already got backups.” March 31st just happens to be a great day to check and recheck your backup restores to see if they actually work. Wouldn’t want a nasty prank to bring your backup drives down, would we? After all, a backup plan that doesn’t work isn’t much of a backup plan.
These tales, backup information, and exclusive discounts & offers from sponsors can be found on http://www.WorldBackupDay.com on March 31st, 2012!
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Google Fiber (Nasdaq: GOOG) has told residents who live in Provo, Utah, that they can now sign up for its new 1 Gbps Fiber to the Home (FTTH) service.
The company will give consumers three service options to choose: the Gigabit Internet plan, a dual play Gigabit Internet and TV plan and the Free Internet plan.
Each of these options comes with its own price points.
The Gigabit Internet plan offers a 1 Gbps-based Internet connection for $70 a month, while the Gigabit + TV plan is $120 a month. Finally, the Free Internet plan offers up to 5/1 Mbps broadband speeds for a one-time $30 installation fee with no monthly cost for about seven years.
John Richards, head of Operations for Google Fiber in Provo, said in a blog post that if you're a customer who lives in "Grandview, North Provo, Southeast Provo or the Foothills fiberhoods, we're planning to bring Fiber to your area later this spring and summer."
Existing Veracity customers who missed the early-access opportunity to get the FTTH service are being told to go to the company's website to sign up for service. These customers have until Feb. 28 to choose their Google Fiber plan.
Provo is a unique market for Google Fiber. Unlike its buildout in Kansas City and its impending move in Austin, Texas, Provo is the first city where it purchased another provider to establish a FTTH foothold. It struck a deal with the city to buy the struggling iProvo fiber network and update the existing network.
In November, the service provider began installing its first FTTH customers in Provo.
While Google Fiber is just really getting underway in Provo, industry watchers will be eyeing how its competitors, particularly CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and Comcast, (Nasdaq: CMCSA) respond.
While not identifying Provo as a possible destination, CenturyLink has publicly stated that given the positive results it saw in its Omaha, Neb., and Las Vegas trials, it would consider other markets to deploy FTTH.
- see this blog post
Google Fiber begins lighting up customers in Provo
Report: Google Fiber threat prompts Comcast to slash prices in Provo
Google closes deal to acquire iProvo
Google's iProvo purchase draws fire from Utah-based XMission
Google Fiber goes to Provo on the cheap


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Date: Thursday 14 Jun 2012
'Imperial Leather' maker PZ Cussons made no attempt to soft-soap the market as it confirmed profits are expected to be down a chunk on last year.
The group's performance since its profit warning at the end of March has been in line with expectations, which means that, as...
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