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Armor, a leading global cloud security provider, reported that during 2018 it detected and neutralized over 681 million cyber attacks launched at its 1,200 cloud customers. Armor’s customers are in the Financial, Retail, Healthcare, Insurance, Software and Utility industries, and they are hosting their data in both public cloud environments and in its Virtual Private Cloud, Armor Complete.
While we hear lots of news reports about misconfigured cloud instances, we do NOT hear about the tens of thousands of “very deliberate” cyber threats being launched at cloud workloads every day. In analyzing its customers’ attack traffic, Armor’s Threat Resistance Unit (TRU) security research team found the following:
Hackers Scanned Armor’s Clients Looking for Vulnerable Apps and Systems
Armor’s intelligence analysts and security researchers believe the vast majority of the millions of attacks they neutralized were ones of opportunity, as opposed to attacks targeting a specific client, as they saw a tremendous amount of scanning of their clients’ environments.
This is no surprise as scanning activity has become part of the normal noise of the Internet. “We have seen that by analyzing the scanning activity we detect, we can break the activity into groups of normal bot activity and likely malicious scanning activity, characterizing the malicious scanning activity to determine their most likely targets, turning the noise into information.” said Corey Milligan, Senior Security Researcher with Armor’s Threat Resistance Unit (TRU).
The typical modus operandi for attacks of opportunity include: scanning the Internet for vulnerable applications or systems that can be compromised, getting an initial foothold into an organization’s IT environment and then looking for databases or other storage containers which might contain sensitive/valuable data (such as customer PII, payment card data or intellectual property).
Most Frequent Cyber Attacks Detected
Amongst the over 681 million cyber attacks, the four most frequently seen attacks were:
- Attacks against known Software Vulnerabilities
- Brute-Force Attacks /Attacks Involving Stolen Credentials
- Web Application Attacks (e.g. SQL Injection, Cross Site Scripting, Cross-Site Request Forgery Attacks, and Remote File Inclusion)
- Attacks targeting Internet of Things (IOT).
Hackers Quickly Launch Attacks Once Vulnerabilities Are Revealed: E.G. Drupal, Magento, WordPress
In analyzing the over 681 million attacks, the TRU Team found that many of the attacks were ones where the threat actors targeted known software vulnerabilities including ones in the Drupal, Magento and WordPress Content Management Systems (CMS).
“We saw the cybercriminals launch their attacks very quickly once the Drupal and Magento vulnerabilities were made public and PoC was released, knowing that it would take organizations time to test the patches and ensure that once installed the new fixes wouldn’t somehow negatively impact their business,” said Milligan.
Regarding the Drupal vulnerabilities, Armor knew their clients would also need time to patch so Armor proactively pushed out network signatures and correlation rules based on the Drupalgeddon 2.0 Proof-of-Concept (POC) code that was released publicly.
Armor Goes on the Hunt for Drupalgeddon Activity
Armor’s security analysts also initiated threat hunting activities, identifying multiple attempts by threat actors to exploit the Drupal vulnerability to deliver malware. Through analysis of the malware and continued analysis of the PoC code and other exploit techniques, Armor was able to deploy countermeasures that effectively blocked the detected payloads and vulnerability exploits before any damage was done.
Hackers Throw Brute-Force Attacks, Attacks Involving Stolen Credentials and Web Application Attacks at Armor Cloud Customers
Armor saw numerous Brute-Force Attacks and Web Application Attacks (SQL Injection(SQLi), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross Site Request Forgery(CSRF) Attacks, and Remote File Inclusion (RFI)) launched at its clients.
“Brute-Force Attacks and Web Application Attacks are certainly not the most sophisticated nor the most lethal, however, they are still commonly seen because they are “good old standbys” that continue to work and are easy to get their hands on,” explained Milligan.
A cybercriminal can simply purchase any number of password cracking tools and can rent or purchase exploit kits which contain many attack tools, including SQLi, XSS, RFI, etc. The kits are designed in such a way, making it quite trivial for an average computer user to successfully attack various vulnerabilities and then distribute malware or potentially wipe a victim’s hard drive.
Brute-Force attacks are surprisingly effective because of the simple passwords people continue to use,” continued Milligan. “Computer users will also, unknowingly, enable attackers to compromise multiple accounts by using the same or very similar passwords across their online accounts.”
Internet of Things (IOT) Attacks
Attacks targeting “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices, such as routers, cameras, DVRs, thermostats, electronic appliances, alarm clocks, etc. were also one of the most frequent attacks seen by Armor.
With IoT devices predicted to reach 20.4 billion by 2020, according to analyst firm Gartner, Milligan says he expects to see an increase in attacks in 2019 targeting IoT devices because they are such easy prey, and they are so prevalent. “When setting up and operating a home router, web-enabled appliance, DVR, many users don’t know or think to change the default password,” said Milligan.
According to a September 2018 study by anti-virus provider Kaspersky, they found that brute forcing of passwords was used in 93% of attacks launched against IoT devices. The use of poor passwords or default passwords, combined with the fact that many manufacturers of IoT gadgets are more focused on ease-of-use and getting their product out to the market as soon as possible then on securing these devices, makes them ripe for attack.
Top Cyber Threats Projected to Hit Cloud Customers in 2019
The TRU Team anticipates that the following cyber attacks will trend in 2019:
- Exploits and attacks targeting Containers and Cloud Services
- IoT attacks and DDoS campaigns
- Targeted ransomware
- Greater levels of sophistication in phishing campaigns


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Every week we partner up with BTEKT to bring you a video round-up of the week's biggest wearable tech stories. Think of it as the BBC News At 10, but on a Wednesday, at some point in the afternoon.
This week we feature research that suggests developers are ditching the Apple Watch, we reveal specs for the Samsung Gear Fit 2 and look at the latest must-have smartglasses for cyclists.
Finally, there's a goodie-bag giveaway worth more than Ā£150 for iOS users (fear not, Android lovers - your giveaway is coming soon!).

domain: news


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For more on today’s top stories and the spread of the novel coronavirus across the country, please refer to our live updates below throughout the day, as well as our COVID-19 news hub.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a second state of emergency, and a stay-at-home order that will go into effect this Thursday.
“Everyone must stay home to save lives,” Ford said.
Schools in Windsor, Peel, Toronto, York and Hamilton will remain closed for in-person learning until Feb. 10. By Jan. 20, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health will provide recommendations for in-class learning for the remaining regions.
What Ontarians can and cannot do
This stay-at-home order means everyone must stay home and only go out for essential trips to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing healthcare services, for exercise, or for essential work.
The following additional public health measures will also be put in place:
Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are restricted to a limit of five people
Individuals are required to wear a mask or face covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open
All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and close no later than 8:00 p.m. - this does not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants offering takeout or delivery
Non-essential construction restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey
Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health said the province is asking businesses to make sure any employee who can work from home, does so moving forward.
How will these new rules be enforced?
The premier said that “enforcement and inspections will increase” and that “bad actors” will get fined.
The premier spoke about large retailers, big-box stores, that have “crazy line ups.” The province will be starting an “inspection blitz” of these stores in the coming days.
“I promise you, if we find any issues there will be consequences, “ Ford said. “We’ll come down hard on these big box stores if we have to and this enforcement, it will continue for as long as necessary.”
Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, said if employees in occupational and retail settings are found to not be complying with the order, enforcement personnel have the authority to issues a fine. They also have the authority to disperse crowds, both indoors and outdoors.
“If people are found not complying with these orders they will be subject to fines and prosecution,” Jones said, adding that this may include up to a year in jail.
How are people in Ontario reacting to the new order?
People in Ontario shared their thoughts about the stay-at-home order and new measures on Twitter, many indicating that they are not satisfied with the information being provided by the provincial government.
A state of emergency & stay-at-home orders may be needed in Ontario, but we must be cautious.
Low-income racialized people (many are essential workers) have a history of being over-policed. They've also been hardest hit by #COVID19.
We can't police our way out of this pandemic.
— Naheed Dosani (@NaheedD) January 12, 2021
Telling Ontarians that we're gonna see 10k new cases of COVID a day by February while continuing to allow outdoor gatherings and asking Wal-Mart and Costco to close just half an hour earlier than they normally do kind of undermines this "Ontario is in a state of emergency" thing.
— Dead Sea Squirrel (@the_ns) January 12, 2021
Ford says he doesn't believe in a curfew because he doesn't want police harassing you for pulling out of your driveway after 8 p.m. But a stay-at-home order means police can theoretically harass you for pulling out of your driveway at 2 p.m. How does this make sense??
— Robyn Urback (@RobynUrback) January 12, 2021
So basically nothing really changes in @fordnation's newly declared "State of Emergency" except now it's a "State of Emergency" and not the State of Chill we've been in up until now? https://t.co/LJt7Q39dVX
— Tabatha Southey (@TabathaSouthey) January 12, 2021
This Tim Hortons dark roast campaign is the perfect rollout for pandemic Ontario. It's ill-timed, confusing, and involves doing the same thing that's failed badly twice already, but adding a new slogan. Could have been planned by Doug Ford himself. #onpoli #BoldestComeback
— Jeff Rybak🍁😷 (@JeffRybak) January 12, 2021
"i'm not blaming anyone" says doug ford, whose one and only move today is asking individual citizens to change their individual behaviour
— Rebecca Tucker (@RebeccaTee) January 12, 2021


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THREE months after Beston Global Food Group took official ownership of the former United Dairy Power factories at Murray Bridge and Jervois, chairman Roger Sexton has officially cut the ribbon to signify the factory as open for business.
In the quarter since the company took ownership of the factory, now named Beston Pure Foods, it has already surpassed its annual targets.
“We had budgeted to process 25 million litres in the first year,” Dr Sexton said.
“In three months we have processed 26 million litres.”
BPF has also almost doubled its projected annual cheese production and exceeded whey powder production by 160 per cent.


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Ford is working on a whole family of affordable electric vehicles (EVs) to fend off the threat of Tesla and Chinese rivals, and the first model will reportedly debut in 2026.
Bloomberg reports Ford will roll out a small ute, a compact SUV and, potentially, a vehicle to be used for ride-hailing.
The first model to go on sale will reportedly carry a base price of US$25,000 (A$38,141), undercutting the outgoing Chevrolet Bolt (US$26,500) and theoretically pitting it against Tesla’s yet-to-be revealed entry-level model.
This price would also see it undercut Ford’s own Escape and Bronco Sport crossovers, which start at US$29,495 and US$31,230, respectively, while also costing scarcely more than the Maverick ute (US$23,875).
The new EVs will reportedly use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, though a source told Bloomberg that Ford is exploring other battery technology to cut costs further.
Ford also reportedly wants its small EVs to turn a profit within a year of hitting the market.
To prioritise getting these affordable Ford EVs to market, the Blue Oval is reportedly delaying a new electric three-row SUV – likely the one teased last year ahead of a 2025 launch – which was set to be an electric counterpart to the F-150-based Expedition SUV.
Mr Farley had already confirmed the existence of a “super-talented skunkworks team” that has been working outside of the brand’s traditional framework for the past two years.
This team, based in Irvine, California, reportedly has fewer than 100 people working on it.
“They’ve developed a flexible platform that will not only deploy to several types of vehicles but will be a large install base for software and services,” Ford CEO Jim Farley told investors earlier this year.
“All of our EV teams are ruthlessly focused on cost, and efficiency, in our EV products. Because the ultimate competition is going to be the affordable Tesla and the Chinese OEMs.”
According to Mr Farley, the industry has experienced a significant transition in the past two years, from customer demand vastly overwhelming supply amid production constraints, to the market now being oversaturated with high-priced EVs.
The company is therefore pivoting to both hybrids and more affordable EVs.
Ford’s EV division has been losing money, forcing the company to make cuts. For example, it has delayed a planned US$12 billion (A$18.4bn) investment in a new EV factory due to cooling demand.
The company is projecting losses of more than US$5.5 billion (A$8.43bn) on battery-powered models this year alone.


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- PV Sindhu Enters Quarter-final of Hong Kong Open Super Series
- Padmavati cleared for Dec 1 release in Britain, SC allows advocate to file fresh plea
- Bharti family pledges Rs 7000 crore towards philanthropy
- Indian Navy gets its first woman pilot, 3 women NAI officers
- Colonel arrested for raping Lt- Colonel's daughter in Shimla
- Pradyuman murder case: Ashok was beaten, tortured and sedated to force his confession, claims wife
- Election Commission grants 'two leaves' symbol to unified AIADMK
Price deregulation only after complete addressability, says TRAI official
MUMBAI: The price of television channels cannot be deregulated unless there is complete addressability, said Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) principal advisor on broadcasting and cable services SK Gupta.
Gupta said that TRAI has no reason to remove price caps because the situation is still not congenial for such a move.
He, however, agreed that in an ideal situation, prices should be left to the market forces to decide. That can happen only when the consumers are given the option to subscribe to individual channels of their choice.
“Over-regulation is not required as it kills innovation. However, consumers still do not have choice. How many consumers have a choice of individual channels? We are still dependent on bouquets. Consumers don’t want all the channels,” Gupta lamented.
Speaking during a panel discussion at FICCI Frames, Gupta said: “Prices can be de-regulated only when there is total availability of choice to consumers. This situation is not there because of which there have to be certain broad guidelines. We need to make the industry truly addressable.”
Star India COO Sanjay Gupta, Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats and Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific EVP and GM South Asia and Southeast Asia Rahul Johri contended that price regulation was holding back the industry and it was about time that TRAI re-looked at it in a holistic manner.
Sanjay Gupta said that the broadcasters are producing 100,000 hours of content every year which they are not able to monetise.
“One big issue is that the industry has been regulated from a wrong perspective. For any industry to grow, you require capital to create innovation for the consumer and unlock value,” Gupta averred.
He also stated that market forces are capable of determining the right price. “We are running 21st century industry with pre-liberalisation mindset,” he said on a note of regret.
Vats said that there is enough competition in the industry to deregulate content price. He also said that while the industry is debating on price deregulation, the changes in technology would make the whole issue irrelevant.
Johri said that the broadcasting sector has been built by entrepreneurs and over-regulation will throttle innovation. “We want to build scale with government and regulator support,” he asserted.
With respect to regulation, Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal is on the same page as his broadcasting colleagues. “You can either have monopolies or regulation. You have regulation when you have monopolies,” Nagpal stated.
He said that there is no need for regulatory intervention when service providers are doing all they can to keep their customers happy. “The regulator must ensure that service providers get adequate infrastructure to keep providing better services,” he added.
Giving a cable TV company’s perspective, Siti Cable CEO VD Wadhwa said that consumers are willing to pay provided they get quality service. “There is no reason why ARPU can’t grow if we work together. We must co-operate in order to monetise the business better,” he stated.
Wadhwa noted that the profitability of all the stakeholders would double, provided the monetisation level within current ARPU is improved.
Earlier, in response to whether TRAI’s recommendations were not taken seriously by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), Gupta said that the observation was not correct.
He, however, agreed that in certain cases decision-making has taken longer time than one can think.
“It will not be appropriate to say that TRAI recommendations are turned down or not acted upon by the government,” he asserted.
Supporting Gupta’s contention, MIB additional secretary JS Mathur said that it is a wrong notion to say that the ministry does not pay heed to the regulator’s recommendations. He gave the example of cable TV digitisation and FM radio e-auctions where TRAI’s recommendations were taken on-board.
BBC World News COO Jim Egan said that there must be a converged approach to regulation right across telecom and media sector due to the shifting technological paradigm.


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Shares of independent ATM operator
tumbled 29 per cent on Thursday after the company issued a downbeat trading update. The company told investors that difficult market conditions hadn’t eased as it expected, with rising costs of living, higher fuel prices, and adverse weather all contributing to weak consumer confidence, reducing the demand for ATM services. Another issue facing the company is increased competition from other channels. The company now expects profit before tax for fiscal year 2011 to be between $16 million and $18 million, compared with $24.8 million in 2010. Its key growth initiatives include its platform for outsourcing ATMs to overseas financial institutions, revenues from which will begin to arrive in 2012. Customers also recently expanded into New Zealand, where its associate plans to roll out 600 ATMs ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September.


text: In a move likely to be copied by other banks, Chase has announced it will no longer allow customers to open joint credit cards -- a popular option for couples sharing the responsibility of repayment. A company spokesperson said the move was motivated by Chase's desire to "simplify" its offerings. However, it also may help the bank to dodge scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- which in 2012 ruled that card issuers no longer may reject applicants based on their income. The regulators essentially want to protect couples with a single income from having to apply for joint accounts; so simply eliminating the option of joint accounts altogether can achieve compliance. Now, rather than opening a joint credit card, customers will have to add their spouse, partner, or anyone else as an authorized user to an account.


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EV Hive, a Jakarta, Indonesia-based co-working and community operator, raised US$20m in Series A funding.
The round was led by Softbank Ventures Korea, H&CK Partners and Tigris Investment, with participation from new investors Naver, LINE Ventures and STIC Investments as well as existing investors East Ventures, SMDV, Sinar Mas Land, Insignia Venture Partners, Intudo Ventures and private tech-focused angel investor Michael Widjaya and Chris Angkasa.
The company intends to use the funds to expand to 100 locations across Southeast Asia.
Led by CEO and co-founder Carlson Lau, EV Hive currently manages more than 30,000 square meters of workspace in 21 locations across Indonesia, with eight additional locations under construction. Besides opening collaborative workspaces, the company also offers a broad suite of supporting services and a community network to support its members in starting and growing their business.


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Red Sox fans in Connecticut already know Jordan's Furniture from the "Monstah Repeat" television advertisements that promise a rebate on certain purchases if the Sox win the World Series.
Now the Massachusetts chain is bringing its first store to Connecticut.
Jordan's is sinking "way over $20 million" to convert the former New Haven Register building — on Sargent Drive in the Long Wharf area of New Haven — into a store plus an entertainment area and a restaurant, its president and chief executive, Eliot Tatelman, said Wednesday.
Tatelman said he expects the store to open this fall, employing 200.
Jordan's is known for combining its furniture business with entertainment venues such as an IMAX theaters, a three-level rope course, and a water-and-light show — making the store a destination. Each store has a different entertainment component.
Tatelman, who was visiting the New Haven site Wednesday for a ceremonial groundbreaking, said in a telephone interview that he couldn't yet reveal the details of the entertainment component planned for New Haven.
He did offer this tidbit: "Every kid anywhere close to 100-150 miles of this place is going to want to have a birthday party here."
Construction has been underway for about a month, Tatelman said.
For its first store in Connecticut, Jordan's has chosen a high-profile location, visible from I-95 just west of the 1-91 interchange and a block from IKEA. Jordan's has a long-term lease for all but 30,000 square feet of the 192,500-square-foot building. The remainder will be leased to another tenant, Tatelman said.
The store pursues an "underprice" strategy and does not run traditional sales.
Jordan's has three stores in Massachusetts — in Avon, Natick and Reading — and stores in Nashua, N.H., and Warwick, R.I.
The store's "Monstah Repeat" promotion typically offers the rebate for furniture purchases over a specific time period — this year between April 8 and May 17 — and is subject to certain conditions.


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It’s not a question of if, but when, officials with the Food and Drug Administration will show up at any given food company for an unannounced inspection, with any violations outlined in a Form 483 that is handed off to company representatives as inspectors head out the door. While the Form 483 itself is essentially only a notice outlining breaches of regulations, consequences from an incorrect response can lead to criminal charges and shuttered doors.
A quick look at FDA’s FY 2016 Inspectional Observation Summaries reveals a cool 2,196 Form 483 reports were hand delivered to food companies from October 2015 through the end of September 2016. Shawn K. Stevens, a lawyer specializing in food safety and the founder of Food Industry Counsel LLC, says to expect that tally to reach more than 2,500 during 2017 as the Food Safety Modernization Act regulations come into effect.
There are several new enforcement priorities the FDA is cracking down on, according to Stevens, which include food safety records evaluation, microbial sampling for pathogenic contamination, and broader investigations into food companies when their products are found to have caused human illness. However, he offers insight into the three-point checklist FDA can be expected to follow during its unannounced inspections.
Rough welds, cracks on surfaces and conveyer belts, holes in the roof, and condensation near exposed products are just a small sample of the types of physical compromises FDA investigators will be looking for during their visual inspection of production, packing, distribution or storage locations. Such inspections tend to last about a day as FDA investigators get oriented with the facility and determine the amount and locations of microbial samples they plan to take, Stevens said.
“The things FDA is concerned about most are microorganisms that can make people sick. As a result, when FDA comes into the facility, it’s going to be extremely intense on finding conditions that allow bacteria to grow,” Stevens said. “This includes any conditions which allow water or moisture to enter or accumulate in the facility or remain unchecked.”
This portion of an inspection should not be taken lightly, Stevens said. In 1975, a U.S. Supreme Court landmark case, United States v. Park, ruled that John Park, CEO of Acme Markets Inc., was personally and criminally liable for his company’s failings to maintain a sanitary facility after rodent droppings were discovered during an FDA inspection and not found to be rectified in a follow up inspection three months later.
“The case took place in 1975, but the doctrine is still being used by FDA today,” Stevens said. “FDA has used observations of seemingly subtle violations such as evidence of rodent droppings near packaged products to support criminal misdemeanor chargers against company employees. Any visual observation noted by FDA should be taken very seriously.”
Once the visual inspection is complete, FDA investigators will usually go on the search for pathogens via microbiological sampling. As preventive controls for food safety tighten with FSMA, this portion of the investigations, which Stevens refers to as the “swab-a-thon” takes center stage. And while each case is different, Stevens has seen an average of 100 to 150 swab samples collected by FDA during one to two days with his clients.
Extensive sampling will be conducted in so-called Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 and Zone 4 of food facilities. The zones refer to areas of facilities such as food production areas in Zone 1 and non-production areas such as employee locker rooms in Zone 4. Any pathogens found will be compared to the Center for Disease Control and Protection’s PulseNet database to see if a match is found to any of the more than 1 million human foodborne illness isolates collected in recent years.
“The agency will be intent, in most cases, in looking in the most difficult to clean and difficult to reach places where bacteria like Listeria and Salmonella like to hide,” he said. “I have seen inspections where the FDA swabbed the buttons on the coke machine in the employee break room – everything is fair game.”
If a human illness pathogen is found, the FDA can trigger a recall of any affected products. Because it can take three to four days for microbial samples to be processed, Stevens recommends a company pull anything out of production that investigators sample until results are available.
“In many cases, the agency will sample the company’s incoming raw materials,” he said. “In all cases, FDA will sample Zone 1 contact surfaces through production equipment and finished products.”
Perhaps the most crucial piece of advice Stevens has to offer a company undergoing an inspection is to not take their own samples alongside FDA investigators.
“I don’t recommend taking companion samples under any circumstances. By taking companions samples, we double the chances through lab error or otherwise, for there to be a positive. I am aware of cases where FDA’s samples were all negative and a company’s companion samples ended up testing positive, which is always uncomfortable,” he said.
“If the FDA had one positive and we had 100 negatives, our result wouldn’t change their result. A FDA positive is a positive is a positive – so really there is no benefit.”
On that note, he also recommends companies develop a microbiological sample retain policy requiring labs to discard any testing material and samples within 24 hours of being tested for its own food safety auditing program. While labs and food companies are required to maintain the final results of any testing for FDA review, the testing samples themselves need not be kept.
“If a company or its laboratory preserves retained samples after product is manufactured or tested, FDA may try to gain access to those samples and test them as part of the swab-a-thon,” Stevens said.
Mandated by FSMA, companies are required to keep at least two years of records on file to provide to investigators. Stevens said FDA will be closely analyze records and written food safety plans to make sure they are in compliance.
“In most cases, the FDA investigators will want to methodically review at least up to three months of production records,” Stevens said. “All companies will need to make sure they have the records readily available, and that their programs and monitoring documents have the look and feel FDA will expect to see.”
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)


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Several big carmakers are building North American factories for batteries that will power their electric vehicles. But right now there’s no local plant that makes cathode material for those batteries.
Redwood Materials is one of several companies that wants to fill that gap. The company says its planned cathode-material facility in Nevada will supply a battery factory Panasonic is building in Kansas.
Other projects are also advancing.BASF, Posco, and Umicore are planning billions of dollars of investment in Canadian cathode-material plants. In July, partnerships between SK On and Ford Motor, and LG Chem and General Motors, indicated interest in building North American cathode-material plants. In October, Our Next Energy and Gotion High-Tech secured tax breaks for billion-dollar cathode-material factories in Michigan.
Chinese companies now produce about 70% of the material used to make cathodes, according to the International Energy Agency. The remaining production is concentrated in Japan and South Korea; there is almost none in North America.
Michael Sanders, a battery industry analyst with Avicenne Energy, says that’s because until recently there weren’t enough North American battery factories buying cathode material. But companies have begun building dozens of them. According to Sanders, the tipping point came when battery makers announced plans for 250 GW h of battery cell production in the US .
“That’s when we started to see many of the materials move,” Sanders says. “Cathode, one of the highest-value materials in the cell . . . makes sense to localize.”
The US government is accelerating investment by offering tax breaks and grants for US-made battery materials.
Redwood isn’t specifying how much material it plans to sell to Panasonic, but Redwood has ambitions to produce enough cathode and anode material for 1 million electric vehicle batteries by 2025 and 5 million by 2030.
Sanders says one challenge for Redwood will be securing enough raw materials to produce cathode material at that scale. Redwood emphasizes its ability to recycle, but Sanders doesn’t expect recycling to be a significant source of raw materials until after 2030.


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The opportunity to consider strong sales performance vs. actual reading habits is offered by recent Gallup findings in the States.
The Association of American Publishers finds international backing for its lawsuit of Maryland’s new library digital book licensing law.
Trade sales in the USA were up 5.7 percent in November 2021, at $990.4 million, according to the Association of American Publishers’ report.
The signals are looking good for the United States’ trade, as it enters the last quarter of 2021, per the October StatShot report.
The Association of American Publishers is opening new committee-level development projects in both climate and diversity.
Raúl Figueroa Sarti, thanks AAP for helping to expose ‘the risks that freedom of expression and publication are experiencing today.’
AAP’s Maria A. Pallante praises ‘the incredible dedication and innovation of the industry’ in a remarkable year’s outcome.
Across the entire US book industry, total revenues in January-to-June 2021 came in at US$6.3 billion, up 18 percent year-to-date.
The monthly report from the Association of American Publishers sees the United States’ book industry up 23.4 percent year-to-date.
The downturns of April 2020 lead to strong comparative showings by the US industry in April 2021 in the new StatShot report from AAP.


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Austrian court refers Facebook privacy case to European court
- Record-setting rally pushes on as S&P ends week up 3 percent
- Trump's Cohn Pick Most Bullish Sign Yet for Banks - Cowen
- Unusual 11 Mid-Day Movers: (IDXG) (INVN) (EBS) Higher; (SCON) (DTEA) (DLTH) Lower (more...)
- 21st Century Fox (FOXA) offers to acquire Sky for GBP10.75/share
- Coca Cola (KO) Announces James Quincey to Succeed Muhtar Kent as CEO; Kent to Continue as Chairman
A picture shows the Facebook logo at the Facebook office in Berlin, Germany, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Stefanie Loos
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By Eric Auchard
VIENNA (Reuters) - An attempt by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems to have a data protection case against Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) heard as a class action suit moved a step ahead on Monday when Austria's Supreme Court referred the question to the European Court of Justice (CJEU).
Facebook has questioned the right of Schrems, famous for winning a case that overturned the Safe Harbour system used by thousands of companies to transfer data from the European Union to the United States, to bring a Europe-wide class action on behalf of tens of thousands of consumers..
Schrems is claiming 500 euros ($562) in damages for each of more than 25,000 signatories to his lawsuit, one of a series of European challenges to U.S. technology firms and their handling of personal data.
He challenged the Safe Harbour data exchange system with the United States on privacy grounds, resulting in a new commercial data pact between the EU and the United States taking effect in July.
"The Court of Justice (has been) rather consumer friendly when it decided over jurisdictions," Schrems said in an emailed statement.
"I hope that we will see a similar decision in this case. Filing thousands of individual lawsuits before thousands of courts would be an absurd exercise."
Facebook responded in a statement: "Mr. Schrems’s claims have twice been rejected on the grounds that they cannot proceed as 'class action' on behalf of other consumers in Austrian courts."
"We look forward to addressing the procedural questions presented to the CJEU to resolve these claims."
($1 = 0.8901 euros)
(Reporting By Shadia Nasralla and Eric Auchard; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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The topic of self-driving cars has become one of interest for the automotive industry as auto manufacturers race to create the first commercial self-driving cars.
In the upcoming September issue of Professional Carwashing & Detailing, Chase Disher and Paige Geer tackle the topic in the article, “Car care of the future.” In this article, they discuss how millennials and centennials, primarily, view the concept of self-driving cars and what it could mean for the future of the car care and professional carwashing industries.
“Approximately a quarter of millennials and centennials have trust in the complete autonomy that exists today,” Disher and Geer write. “However, when forecasting 10 years from now, more than double expect to entrust all motor operation to their vehicles. Since this is still a new concept for many consumers, it is expected that demand will continue to grow as self-driving cars become more affordable and readily available.”
Furthermore, LendEDU, a marketplace for private student loans, recently published the results of a poll it conducted highlighting the most recent automobile trends among millennials.
According to the poll, 42.1 percent of millennials would prefer to drive a self-driving car over a traditional car, but more — 50.1 percent — would rather drive a hybrid car over a traditional car.
You can see a glimpse of some of the results from the poll below:
You can also read the entirety of the report here.
Also, be sure to check out PC&D’s September issue when it becomes available for more on the topic of millennial automobile trends.


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Carnival Glory Latest Ship to Be Adorned with New Red, White and Blue Hull Design
July 8, 2021
Carnival Glory, shown here in dry dock in Marseilles, France, is the latest Carnival Cruise Line ship to be adorned with a stunning new hull design that is becoming a trademark of Carnival Cruise Line which proudly sails as America’s cruise line.
Carnival Magic received the new livery in May while Carnival Dream is next in line for the hull design when it completes its dry dock later this month.
The new livery pays homage to maritime tradition and is inspired by design which debuted on its newest ship, Mardi Gras, scheduled to enter service from Port Canaveral, Fla., July 31.
SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line
What do you think of the news that Carnival Glory receives new hull art? Do you like the new red, white, and blue hull design which first debuted on Mardi Gras? Drop us an anchor below to share if you plan to sail with Carnival Cruise Line this summer.


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By Kevin Gribble, KFYR-TV
People in the Wells County town of Bowdon are trying to raise money to buy the town`s grocery store so it can be run as a community cooperative. If the store closes, the town of 139 people would have to travel elsewhere to buy food. Meetings to raise money are being held this week. The interim cooperative board wants to raise over $62,000 to buy the store, an adjoining locker plant and the inventory. The co-op took over the store operation last month after one of its owners died.


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The $30 billion domestic U.S. air freight market almost failed to get off the ground this past year, showing a minimal gain of only 0.7%, according to a study by The Colography Group (www. colography.com). Weak returns from the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) air expedited products and the shift to ground over air services were two major factors contributing to the industry's very slight growth.
Priority Mail and Expedited Mail — two USPS products — showed the largest decline, according to the study. "The decline in Priority Mail's market share is a byproduct of the secular shift from air to surface transport in the U.S.," says Ted Scherck, president of Colography Group. "With two-to-three day transit times, Priority Mail traffic is particularly vulnerable to diversion to surface providers, especially in a market where the typical shipment travels 700 miles or less and is easily reachable by ground within that time frame."
For calendar year 2003, there was an increase in weight of an average air freight shipment, which produced a 2 cents increase in yield to $1.84 per pound. The number of shipments declined by 3.5% to almost 2.5 billion. Overall, it was a $30.9 billion market in 2003.
In terms of market share, the USPS handled 37.4% of the market, while FedEx Express at 28.3% and UPS Air at 21.4% rounded out the field of major carriers.
For 2003, UPS and DHL Express were the only two of seven companies studied that indicated gains in shipments over their 2002 figures.For the year, UPS had the largest gain, with air shipments up by 25 million to 530 million total, which represented growth of 4.8%.


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Apple has welcomed its new SVP of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts with 113,334 restricted stock units that are worth $68M beased on yesterdays closing share price, which crossed the $600 mark for the first time since 2012. The stocks will fully vest in 2018, so Ahrendts will have to wait till then to get the full payout.
Apple has added Angela Ahrendts photo and biography to its executive leadership website to reflect the beginning of her new role with the company as their new Senior Vice President of Retail And Online Stores.
The Washington Post has reported that Apple and a few other companies are planing to inform users of secret data data requests from law enforcement agencies. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all believe that users have a right to know when when their information is being targeted for government seizure.
KCBS news and traffic reporter Ron Cervi took some aerial photos of Apple’s Campus 2 construction progress.
You can see in the images bellow the outlines where Apple is planning to build its circular spaceship campus. The new building will be an all-glass structure designed by Norman Foster and will occupy 2.8 million square feet and accommodate 2,400 cars in an underground parking garage.
The Dev Center was offline for maintenance work over the weekend, but this time a security issue that leaked private information of accounts was also patched.
The Stonehenge monument is a UNESCO approved World Heritage Site and Apple has just add it to its 3D Flyover. Go to Apple Maps and type Stonehenge in the search box and tap the 3D icon at the bottom to get an aerial view of the ancient monument.
In a segment titled ‘A New Kind of Apple Farm’ Anne Thompson, NBC’s chief environmental correspondent, was given a rare look inside Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center.
Angela Ahrendts announced she was leaving Burberry last October and Apple also announced last year that she would be joining the company this spring. Tim Cook has now confirmed during the earnings conference call that Ahrendts will be joining Apple next week.
Apple is now letting anyone have access to beta builds of OS X with a new OS X Beta Seed Program, which means any one can now test out pre-release builds of the Mac software not just developers. The Developer Program cost is pretty steep at $99 per year, but now you can join the OS X Beta Seed Program for free by simply signing up with your Apple ID. If you would like to test beta releases of iTunes, iOS and other Apple related software, I would suggest you stick to the Developer Program.
Apple is now airing an iPhone 5s ad titled “Gigantic” on ABC.The ad starts out with the Pixies getting ready to play their song called “Gigantic”, which is available in iTunes, the ad continues to play the song in the background while showcasing a few things that can be done with the iPhone like creating music, playing games on a big screen, taking photos, recording videos, and tracking your health. The ad ends with a message “You’re more powerful than you think”.


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As one-half of the legendary duo Heltah Skeltah, it is no surprise fans paid homage to the rapper—known for his 2013 critically acclaimed album Mic Tyson—with a stunning mural in Crown Heights.
Now, a Twitter user is claiming the yet to open Brooklyn restaurant, Meat, is on a mission to paint over the mural.
“The owner of a newly opened Brooklyn restaurant called Meat, across the street from the Sean Price mural on Kingston Ave is trying to have the wall painted over,” the user wrote on Twitter about the restaurant that doesn’t open until next month.
“Claims the mural is disturbing attention to his business. Spread the word. We need to keep @seanprice’s legacy alive."
Shocked, many began to speculated that the accusations were proof of more gentrification.
However, the restaurant is reportedly denying the claim, according to another user who stated they reached out to Meat via Instagram.
“The building you are referring to has nothing to do with us. We do not own the building and do not paint over other people’s buildings. We are extremely disturbed by the evil rumors that are nothing but slander,” they responded via IG direct message.
Although the restaurant’s name wasn’t mentioned, a Facebook post by Sean’s widow Bernadette Price on July 10, had many distressed.
“So apparently a owner across Kingston ave wants to paint over Sean’s Mural. The Artist who painted it caught the other painter painting over the other painting that’s next to Sean’s. He stated the he was told to paint over it claiming that it’s a disturbing the attention next to his restaurant which is ACROSS the street. This can’t happen.”
With the rapper’s death anniversary less than a month away, we hope the allegations are not true.


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Skin sensors can seamlessly transmit information about a person's glucose concentration, blood pressure, heart rate and activity level from the sensor to the smartphone for further analysis. Most now communicate via embedded Bluetooth chips, which in turn are powered by small batteries. But these conventional chips and power sources are likely to be too bulky for next-generation sensors.
Now MIT engineers have developed a new kind of wearable sensor that communicates wirelessly - without needing embedded chips or batteries.
Flexible and ultra-thin "E-Skin"
This is a kind of electronic skin or "e-skin" - a flexible, semi-conductive film that hugs the skin like electronic tape. At its heart is an ultra-thin film of gallium nitride that can both generate an electrical signal in response to mechanical stress and vibrate mechanically in response to an electrical impulse.
The researchers found that they could take advantage of these properties of gallium nitride and use the material for sensing and wireless communication at the same time.
Reinforced with a conductive gold layer, the developed device became sensitive enough to vibrate in response to a person's heartbeat as well as the salt in their sweat. In addition, the vibrations of the material produced an electrical signal that could be read by a nearby receiver. "You could wear it on your body like a bandage and, in conjunction with a mobile phone, wirelessly monitor your pulse, sweat and other biological signals," said MIT professor Jeehwan Kim.
Written by: as
Photos: Courtesy of the researchers


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VOLUM3, with the support of Laufen, one of the world's leading manufacturers of sanitary ware, recently orchestrated an exclusive event for architects and interior designers.
The event, held on Friday, December 8th, took place in the charming place of the former Cinema Urania and welcomed around 50 guests.
The evening began with a presentation by the Laufen team, led by Stela Jurišić, who shared insights into the latest developments within the Roca Group, covering Royo's furniture, Sanit's solutions, and Alape's glazed steel innovations.
The journey through Laufen's history highlighted milestones such as the first hanging toilet in 1964 and the Saphirkeramik. Innovations like the SAVE! smart sanitation and the electric tunnel kiln for sanitary ceramics made us all think about biodiversity and the future, emphasizing Laufen's commitment to sustainability.
A screening of a short film showcased the world's first operational electric tunnel kiln, signaling the industry's shift towards sustainability. Laufen's commitment to achieving net-zero production set a new standard for environmental responsibility.
Stela also discussed Laufen’s successful collaboration with architects and designers through VOLUM3’s Product Catalog in the last year, presenting the brand's ten most popular products.
She introduced attendees to new collections, including Arun, Lis Ineo, Ada, and Home Collection, reflecting Laufen's commitment to aesthetic excellence and functional innovation.
The event took an interactive turn with Laufen Bespoke, unveiling tailor-made products covering the entire range and all manufacturing techniques, from laser-printed ceramics to customized colors and surface finishes.
In the second part of the event, Marko Dabrović, a partner at Studio 3LHD covered essential topics like sustainability and embodied carbon, reflecting VOLUM3’s commitment to supporting responsible architecture and decarbonisation.
The event showcased design innovation and sustainability, leaving attendees inspired and informed. Laufen Adria Team and VOLUM3's collaboration not only showcased innovative products but also paved the way for a more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing future.
As the evening concluded, it left an indelible mark on the minds of the attendees, setting the stage for future endeavors that promise to redefine the boundaries of design and sustainability.


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OnePlus is rumoured to have scrapped plans for a OnePlus 5T upgrade to its current OnePlus 5 flagship and will launch a OnePlus 6, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU, which will be launched early next year.
Specialist website Android Marvel claims that "reliable sources" indicate that OnePlus is to shake-up its release strategy, ditching plans for this year's incremental "T" upgrade and just go for another splashy launch instead with a OnePlus 6 release early in 2018.
The decision, the site claims, could be due to Qualcomm's decision to not release any new mobile processors this year. Earlier reports claimed that the chipmaker cancelled plans to launch the Snapdragon 836, which was tipped to debut inside Google's new Pixels.
Details on the so-called OnePlus 6 remain thin, but Android Marvel notes that, much like the Galaxy S8 and iPhone X, the smartphone will feature an "all screen design" with sized-down bezels at the top and bottom. This screen will reportedly measure in at 6in and will pack a 2,880x1,440 QHD+ resolution.
This bigger screen could see the phone's fingerprint sensor ending up in the same bin at the OnePlus 5T, although the report notes that it's more likely that the scanner will be moved to the rear of the phone.
Elsewhere, expect Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor - which is rumoured to also feature inside next year's Galaxy S9 - to be part of the package. The OnePlus 5 will allegedly be made available in two models, offering either 6GB or 8GB RAM, and 64GB or 128GB built-in storage. The handset is expected to ship with a microSD slot, much like the OnePlus 5 before it.
There's no word yet as to when the OnePlus 6 will launch nor how much it will cost, although talk of an early-2018 arrival hints at a Mobile World Congress unveiling.
Climate change likely forced inhabitants of Indus Valley civilisation to resettle in the Himalayan foothills
Shift in weather patterns made agriculture almost impossible in the Indus Valley region
Researchers claim that the magnetic properties of a thin-film material can be controlled by applying a small voltage
Dubbed Antlia 2, the ghost galaxy sits just 130,000 light-years away from the Milky Way
Delays to the roll-out of age verification for adult websites hasn't stopped government from considering extending them to more websites


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Panaji, December 6th (GCBusiness): The fish trade from the neighbouring States into Goa started on Thursday, following a gap of almost a month, after Wholesalers procured necessary permissions for the imports from the State government.
State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters in the morning that nine trucks laden with fish from Karnataka entered the State during wee hours. “They were allowed only after they got permission from the FDA to do so,” he said.
The import of fish in the State had stopped since the last week of October due to ban imposed by Manohar Parrikar-led government, owing to the fear of formalin being used as a preservative in the fish.
“Goa government is going to ensure that the wholesale traders follow all the rules and all the stringent measures are in place,” the minister said on Thursday.
“The mechanism is in place by State Food and Drugs Administration department to check the food safety standards of the fish that is brought in the State,” Rane stated.
He said that besides the imports, ten trucks carrying fish from Goa left for Karnataka without facing any hindrance from the neighbouring State.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumarswamy had recently written to Parrikar requesting him to withdraw the ban imposed on the import of fish in the State. Responding to the letter, Rane had said that the ban would continue till traders comply with the FDA directives.
Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association, a body representing fish importers, on Thursday said that they will abide by all the regulations of FDA.
“We will abide my all the regulations of FDA. We are requesting Goans not to politicize the issue of fish. Whatever are the queries about fish that is imported can be answered by the association,” Association President Ibrahim Maulana said.
He said that the FDA should keep stringent check at the wholesale fish markets, where it (fish) is sold. Maulana said that the wholesalers will fully cooperate with the State government in ensuring that the quality fish is provided to the Goans.


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Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will soon have three more classic games to enjoy.
One of Nintendo Switch Online's latest NES games is a special hacked version, and we didn't even know it was on the way.
Nintendo has announced when Switch Online members can play three more NES titles.
Nintendo Switch Online has a way to go to catch up to other consoles, but its cloud save features are a little better than we feared.
Modders have already figured out how to add more retro games to Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo has revealed exactly when the Nintendo Switch Online update will appear.
Switch owners will be able to pay for the online service without spending cash, but there is a downside.


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If all goes according to Mark Post’s plan, he will appear on television in October and devour a hamburger that costs about twice as much as most houses do in the United States. Yes, as Charlotte the spider might have written, that’s some burger.
“It’s not something you’d flip every day on the barbecue,” admits Post, a biologist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The burger’s price — roughly $330,000, or about 250,000 Euros — might break a record for the most expensive ever.
But that won’t be the biggest reason for its making history. The burger will look like meat, and be cooked like meat, but no animal will have been killed to make it. Under a microscope, the patty’s cells will look identical to those from animal muscles, the source of conventional meat. Post says he wants this publicity to make people think hard about food of the future.
The population of the planet is increasing, which boosts the demand for meat. The amount of land available for raising livestock probably won’t be able to meet the increasing demand for much longer.
Moreover, raising animals for food can take a toll on the environment: The practice increases pollution and boosts levels of greenhouse gases, which increase global warming. For many reasons, scientists like Post — as well as organizations that oppose the killing of animals — think it’s time to find a new source for meat in our diet.
Post uses chemistry, biology and creativity to grow meat in glass dishes. The laboratory creations are white because they don’t contain blood (which colors meat red), and Post describes them as rubbery, “sort of like a piece of squid.”
Post says he has about 20 strips of would-be meat growing at a time, each about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. The scientist estimates he’ll need 3,000 of the little gummies to build an entire burger. That means that between now and October, he’s going to be very busy.
Growing a new meat product from scratch means he must start with cells and then work his way up. It requires know-how in scientific fields like agriculture, nutrition and biology. Most of all, it requires the attention and work of scientists who tinker, experiment and create — and who believe engineered meat would improve life on Earth.
Dishing it out
Some people call the meat “lab-grown,” “engineered” or “cultured.” Others prefer the description “in vitro,” which means from a test tube or lab dish. People who dislike the idea of bypassing cattle to get their beef might refer to Post’s goal as a “Frankenburger” (as though it were created by a mad scientist like Dr. Frankenstein.)
The names may differ, but the idea is the same: a quest for less-costly and less-polluting sources of animal protein.
In 1912, French biologist Alexis Carrel removed part of a chicken heart and kept it beating in a lab dish. This demonstrated that tissue can be kept alive outside the body. Two decades later, British prime minister Winston Churchill declared his optimism for lab-grown meat: “Fifty years hence we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.”
Churchill was overconfident: No one ate engineered chicken in 1982. But if scientists today succeed, it might be a regular menu item by 2082.
NASA, the U.S. space agency, took an interest in lab-grown meat during the 1990s. Engineered meat would provide a good source of protein for astronauts (especially after they tire of freeze-dried fruit and ice cream). In 2002, NASA-funded experiments produced fish nuggets grown in a lab.
“They essentially took a filet from large goldfish” and then cultivated it to grow new tissue in a nutrient broth made from mushrooms, explains Nicholas Genovese, a biologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The goldfish filet study, he says, introduced the idea of engineered meat to a wider audience, including interested scientists.
Genovese says scientists have been creating meat in laboratories since at least the early 1990s. But they weren’t calling their first products “meat,” or talking about using them for food. Instead, those scientists established what could be done, or what’s called “proof of principle.” Since then, the science has blossomed.
The scientific pursuit of growing meat outside of an animal has been helped by an expanding interest in stem cells. These cells, found in many parts of the body, can become different types of cells and are the basis of research by scientists like Post and Genovese.
A growing awareness that livestock production can harm the environment has further encouraged interest in growing meat from stem cells. Pesticides, as well as drugs fed to animals to keep them healthy, pollute the soil. The process of growing, harvesting and eating animals contributes greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Clearing forests to make more room for animals removes trees, which naturally soak up some of the carbon dioxide.
“It’s not very environmentally friendly,” Post says of livestock production.
If diners learn to accept engineered meat, this could ease the pollution associated with meat production, argues Post. He also notes that, unlike meat from animals, engineered meat can be fine-tuned to offer improved health benefits. Studies have linked high consumption of red meat to a variety of diseases, including many types of cancer. Post hopes that in the future, scientists may be able to boost engineered meat’s nutritional content and reduce health risks by tweaking the growing process.
That’s probably far in the future. Right now, scientists are racing to get the first sample of lab-grown meat on the shelves. In order to succeed, says Genovese, scientists have to create something that’s edible, nutritious, affordable and easy to produce. That’s going to take time, and Genovese thinks success will depend on future scientists.
“Right now, in vitro meat is where computers were in the 1970s,” Genovese says. Although primitive versions exist, he points out, it may be a decade or more before people have easy access to affordable products that offer major benefits to health and the environment.
Inside the new meat
Post’s recipe for this next-generation meat sounds straightforward: Take some cells from an animal without killing it, add nutrients and put the mixture in a lab dish. Then watch the meat grow.
But you can’t use just any random cell to grow meat. Muscles, the part of an animal that’s consumed as meat, contain a wide variety of cells, including stem cells. Within muscle, stem cells can grow into muscle cells and replace those that are lost or damaged. Bone stem cells grow to become new bone cells. Some types of stem cells, called pluripotent stem cells, are like blank slates. They can grow into any type of tissue.
Biology and medicine have taken a keen interest in stem cells lately. Types of these versatile cells can play a role in both the spread and treatment of cancer. Stem cells also figure prominently in the proposed treatments for many other diseases. In the future, for instance, stem cells may be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. Other scientists think that stem cells can be coaxed to grow into entire organs outside the body, which means someone who needs a new liver might get one from a lab, not an organ donor. New medications might even be tested first on stem cells to see if the drugs are safe and effective.
Now, meat engineers have begun eyeing stem cells. When the body needs to produce new skeletal muscle cells — those long and strong cells that allow us to reach and stretch and lift and push — stem cells jump into action. They can become new skeletal muscle cells, dividing quickly and offering support to the body’s frame. Stem cells also help muscles grow larger and repair injuries. They divide quickly, creating an organized, sprawling family of new skeletal muscle cells.
In his laboratory, Post starts out with individual stem cells taken from animals at the slaughterhouse. He places them in a gel that contains nutrients, or cell food. He anchors the cells in place with off-the-shelf hook-and-loop tape (such as Velcro), sterilized to keep unwanted germs away. Then the cells start dividing, creating new tissue that grows and expands.
In order to grow and become strong, muscle has to do work, and it’s no different for engineered meat. “If you don’t use a muscle, it wastes,” Post says. He and his team have to make the cells perform labor in the culture dish, which isn’t easy. The scientists sometimes use electrical shocks to force the tissue to contract, which helps it produce more proteins and grow stronger. “If you zap them, they grow more vigorous and robust,” he explains.
“Protein is what makes muscle contract, since a muscle is basically a bag full of protein.”
Although those shocks of electricity are useful, they can also pose a problem. One argument for producing meat in the lab is that animals use a lot of energy to produce a kilogram of meat. To make one kilogram of beef, for example, a cow has to eat seven kilograms of grain — and that feed has to be grown. Using electricity to stimulate meat to grow in a lab adds energy to the process. “It’s a waste,” Post says. He’d like to find a way to grow meat without such electrical needs.
Genovese points out other limitations. For example, stem cells divide only a limited number of times before they stop. If scientists have to harvest a lot of stem cells to create engineered meat, then the process still relies heavily on real, live animals for the starter stem cells. “If for every one cell you harvest from an animal, you get 10 billion cells, maybe then it can become efficient.”
A meaty prize
Though obstacles remain, scientists like Post and Genovese are optimistic. They’re not the only people interested and invested in the future of meat products. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is an animal-rights organization. It has offered $1 million to the first scientist who creates and sells chicken meat grown in a laboratory (rather than in an actual bird). (Post can’t win: He’s creating new beef, not chicken.) The project that bags the PETA prize has to be identical to chicken in every way — including taste, texture and appearance.
Ten PETA judges will taste-test competing products, prepared according to a fried chicken recipe, to see which ones are most chicken-like. PETA has also funded Genovese ‘s research.
In the meantime, watch for Post’s televised dinner in October. It might signal the first step toward a future where engineered meat is on supermarket shelves. With a lot of work and money, and plenty of luck, future generations may eat meat not from an animal but from a specialized store, says Genovese.
“You might imagine that in 10 or 20 years from now, just like bread is produced in a bakery, and wine is produced in a winery, cultured meat will be produced in a carnery,” he says. “The word’s just not in the dictionary yet.”
Power Words (adapted from the New Oxford American Dictionary)
biology The study of living things.
greenhouse gas A gas that contributes to Earth’s greenhouse, or warming, effect by trapping and absorbing heat.
cell The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism, typically microscopic and enclosed in a membrane.
stem cell A cell of a multicellular organism that can develop more cells of the same type, sometimes indefinitely. Some stem cells can develop into almost any cell in the body.
skeletal muscle A muscle that is connected to the skeleton to form part of the mechanical system that moves the limbs and other parts of the body.
pesticide A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals.
Word Find (click here to print puzzle)


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The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) says it anticipates a continued increase in the volumes of import inspections following the introduction of the single window online clearance system of goods coming into the country.
ZABS Head of Marketing & Public Relations Hazel Zulu says the online system which was initially piloted at Chirundu, but has since been rolled out to other borders such as Nakonde and Livingstone allows the Bureau to inspect products that fall under mandatory standards.
Ms Zulu said the system allows ZABS in collaboration with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to inspect products that fall under mandatory standards online adding that the system has proved to be effective as it speeds up the clearance and inspection process hence allowing more inspections to be conducted in a shorter period of time than before.
“We are pleased to note the significant increase in the volumes of products being inspected and cleared at the mentioned borders due to the roll out of the electronic single window clearance system. This has also helped to ease congestion as products are inspected at a faster rate electronically than when is was done manually.”
“Recorded statistics from the borders indicate that between January and September this year, a total of 15,701 assorted imported products were inspected from various border entry points including Chirundu, Nakonde, Mwami and Livingstone border points. Other entry points include Chanida, Kazungula and katima Mulilo border points.
“The system has worked very well as it allows the two government institutions to effectively share vital information electronically to speed up the clearance and inspection process and thereby, reduce the turnaround time for inspection and clearance of goods to promote economic development,” she said.


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The sports wagon comes fully equipped with an impressive list of the latest safety features as standard across all its variants including Electronic Stability Control (ESC) which helps the driver stay in control of the vehicle in the event of a slide or swerve, and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) which helps to prevent nose to tail crashes.
It also has three stages of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) which means it will help to prevent a crash or reduce the speed of a crash at high speeds, low speeds and when it detects a pedestrian in the path of the vehicle.
AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says it’s rare to see a vehicle with all three stages of AEB as standard across its range.
“We’re increasingly seeing manufacturers offer AEB as a standard feature in the new cars released so far this year, something that wasn’t as common in New Zealand last year. It’s still rare to see all three AEB city, interurban and for pedestrians and vulnerable road users offered as standard. It’s great to see Subaru differentiating itself this way,” she says.
“We’re in a market now where consumers have plenty of choice and plenty of power so manufacturers do need to look at ways to set themselves apart from the rest of the market.”
The Levorg will be available for purchase in New Zealand from mid-July.


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What is mobile lifestyle? It’s not just smartphones and tablets. The mobile lifestyle encompasses all the activities that take place on the go. It’s how your device allows you to share information with friends, shop online, plan a vacation or listen to music. In today’s world, the mobile lifestyle expands every day, and the conversations of 2012 provide great insight into what topics and trends are expected to dominate in 2013.
Want to know more about what people are talking about online and what it means for 2013? Check out the exclusive infographic below from Verizon Wireless. Click on it for more
Verizon has launched a new CES news center page highlighting many of the technologies and solutions that will be on hand at the Verizon booth at CES. Check out the home page for the latest news and announcements about Verizon and its partners from the show floor.
Latest stories from CES include:
Innovation Predictions for 2013
Turn Your TV Into a Smart TV With Your Smartphone
Making Medical Identification Mobile and HIP
M2M Communications Revolutionizes Waste & Recycling Management
Click through to read more and don’t forget to follow @VZWnews twitter handle or look for the #VZCES hashtag.
On Sept. 14, Facebook hit a milestone few other Internet properties have reached: the social media site passed one billion users. The company noted that 600 million are mobile users, proof that 2012 was a turning point in the movement to use mobile technology to access the Internet.
The accelerated adoption of smartphones and tablets contributed to the growth of mobile Internet usage. Mobile devices now account for 10 percent of global Internet traffic, doubling that of 2010. Nielsen reports that more than half of mobile subscribers own smartphones and nearly two-thirds of new phones purchased in between April and June 2012 were smartphones. More than half of all cell phones sold by Verizon Wireless were smartphones in the third quarter of 2012. Countries like India and China also saw smartphone adoption and mobile Internet usage skyrocket.
Smartphone and tablet growth can be linked to the growth of 4G LTE networks, which offer the data capacity, speeds and low latency that give users a Web browsing experience comparable to that of a computer. The growth in 4G LTE coverage also means Internet access in more places. Rural areas with limited broadband choices can now access the Web through services like HomeFusion Broadband and mobile hotspots.
As we reflect on the past year, one thing is certain – 2012 was the year of mobile Internet.
The below infographic shows some key findings from a recently conducted survey on what consumers’ shopping habits would be this holiday season. Do you think they were right?
On Wednesday, Dec. 5, wireless users may not pause to celebrate that it has been two years since the launch of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, yet every day they experience how it has transformed their lives.
4G LTE wireless networks mean that what was once considered only in the realm of desktop computers – or someone’s imagination – is now seamlessly mobile. Whether it’s watching user-generated clips, favorite entertainment programs or video chatting with friends and family, the growth of 4G LTE has changed the way we watch and share video.
To learn more click here: http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/12/verizon-wireless-4G-LTE-two-year-anniversary.html
“The results of a new Tech Bargains survey were recently released, and they show that 53% of consumers will spend more than half of their holiday shopping budgets on electronic devices. Of the tech gifts people expect to buy, tablets are, not surprisingly, the most-wanted items of the year.
What is surprising is exactly which tablets customers are expecting to buy. 33% of those surveyed expect to buy Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, while only 30% expect to buy an iPad. The iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD are tied in the survey, with 24% of respondents expecting to buy each, and 12% will be buying the Microsoft Surface hybrid laptop/tablet device.
What gadgets are on your shopping list this year? Reblog this post and let us know!”
By 2020, 160 million Americans will be monitored and treated remotely for at least one chronic condition. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), mobile health technology, or “mHealth,” should be fully incorporated into the healthcare industry at every level by 2017. This includes adoption of not only mHealth, solutions, but also technologies that will improve patient care and efficiency throughout the industry. Check out the below infographic for more on “mHealth.”


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John Lewis managing director Andy Street said there had been “marvellous progress” in fashion, led by womenswear. He added that beauty “continued its great run”. Home, however, was tough and electricals “continued to reflect the challenging market”.
He said: “With four months of the year behind us, our sales progress has been trimmed back to 1.2 per cent, a clear reflection of the more challenging environment.
“This weekend we face the first half's clearance peak. We are well prepared, with our buyers having bought confidently and in depth, and markdowns well planned. Exceptional value will be on offer and, with the national mood for bargain hunting, I'm confident we will trade well.”
Waitrose retail director Tony Solomons said that trading had been affected by the mixed weather and that fuel supplies had been affected by the tanker drivers’ strike.


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Hope springs eternal: a technology-powered, SME-led, double-digit-growing India?!
It was always coming! Indian GDP growth has slumped to 5.7 percent in FY18, hitting a three-year low. The situation is so alarming that the union government, for the first time in three years, has compromised its fiscal consolidation target and made investment spending to minimise the snowballing effect of the economic downturn. There is a muted, curious silence — did we get it all wrong?
The services sector has its own challenges — slowing global demand, competition from other low-cost destinations, and the slow level of skilling in India have all contributed in equal measure and don’t scream of an immediate revival. Farmers continue to strike outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and India’s dependence on God’s magnanimity in agriculture is not changing anytime soon. The manufacturing sector, though, is at a different tipping point.
Can the SMEs be an answer?
Demonetisation and GST hit the manufacturing sector hard. Manufacturers cut production and dealers, manufacturers offered discounts on their products just to clear out the stocks. But surely the ‘Makers in India’ will learn and cope with the double strike. The question that confronts us is this — can manufacturing contribute more? Can they get us to the promised “Achhe Din”? Some signs look promising.
Manufacturing in India is the world of SMEs. Asking whether manufacturing can revive India is like asking whether the SME can revive India. SMEs form 95 percent of the total industrial units in the country. They employ more than 46 crore of us, a bulk of which is in manufacturing. The SME ‘Maker in India’ makes 8,000 quality products sold all over the globe, more than ever before. The sector seems to be growing at early double digits also. Some global threats also seem to be dwindling.
Some early signs…
The ecosystem has also started to realise it. Banks and NBFCs are developing new ways to fund them. New-age companies in several fields are looking at creating models in procurement, finance, logistics, and marketing that are beneficial to the SME manufacturer. The government has introduced more tax rebates in this year’s Budget in addition to the already prevalent soft loans. And then there is GST. The introduction of GST, though detrimental in the short term, has made the SMEs in manufacturing dream big. They have always had the capacity (both in people employment and hard assets deployed); they were just not fully utilised though. Unreal state boundaries had introduced indirect taxation and increased working capital requirements, which the SME (already reeling under heavy working capital pressure) could hitherto never afford. GST, though, has created a level playing field across these two dimensions that the SME is bound to prosper in, particularly in manufacturing. Now, the SME ‘Maker in India’ is talking, finally, about making more.
Most of these measures above are focused on enhancing the demand and streamlining operations of the SME. The critical need gap that needs immediate attention for a SME manufacturer, though, is the access to finance, particularly working capital. A manufacturing SME has three issues when it comes to working capital — it has high receivables as its anchor customer dictates terms; planning inventory is tough at low volumes and hence results in high inventory across channels; and the supplier does not provide great credit terms to an SME. Thus, SMEs have high working capital needs and since institutional finance does not reach them cost-effectively, SMEs have lent from the channels at high costs. This access to working capital finance has to be sorted for the SMEs to sky rocket, especially given the opportunity at hand. See China: SMEs are ~60 percent of GDP, India’s stays at ~45 percent. That’s an enormous white space.
Fintech at the core of it?
It’s here that new-age companies are stepping in. The advent of WhatsApp and penetration of smartphones had brought SMEs closer to the digital revolution sweeping India. The new-age fintech companies are, admittedly, building on this trend.
The first wave of fintech, both in lending and services, developed fast and nominal paperwork-oriented systems for efficient processing and disbursal of loans to SMEs. They continue to heavily leverage technology in customer interactions, extracting data through online integrations (e.g. Aadhaar), and deploying rule-based screening engines for higher efficiencies and faster decision making.
The second wave of fintech, that erupted post demonetisation, was of mobile wallet-based platforms. It promptly bridged the supply-and-demand gap by making financial transactions possible. This considerably reduced the developing stress on businesses, especially SMEs, lots of whom were traditionally dependent on cash-based transactions.
Many fintech companies have invested significantly in data sciences to build proprietary scoring approaches and databases, which enable them to generate a credit report that is more credible, contemporary, and relevant for the SME. This alternate data set could range from current cash flows, anchor transactions, and social networks to behavioural and community feedback and offers a comprehensive view with high predictability and accuracy. Several fintech startups have leveraged technology to build scalable solutions to connect SMEs to potential lenders for tailored requirements. In addition to connecting, these marketplaces provide several value-added services like primary underwriting, risk assessment, rule-based matching and seamless payment-settlement engine to enable a win-win for SMEs and the lenders. Thus, fintech startups are mushrooming across the entire gamut of financial inclusion for SMEs — acquisition, processing, underwriting, lending, or credit rating. This wave, experts believe, is the third wave and the one that will have a lasting impact. And this is just a start for the SME Maker in India, if you’ve been watching the global trends of fintech innovations.
From the mystic times till today, “inconspicuous” Indians have collectively reached the unreachable across fields — festivals like Janmashtami (the human pyramid), independence movement (civilians freeing the country through non-violence), and the Indian cricket team of today (drawn from sleepy tier- 2 towns). Its time for the ‘small, medium’ enterprises to do that, the unreachable being India’s double-digit growth rate.
I say, this one too, is coming! SMEs bring us hope, and “remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things” (ref: Andy to Red, The Shawshank Redemption, 1994)”. At this hour, we need it as a country!
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)


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Black packaging has long been a thorn in the side of recyclers. While carbon black, the colourant most commonly used, is both economical and has good visual opacity properties, it poses huge problems at sorting facilities.
The pigment interferes with the reflectance by absorbing the near-infrared (NIR) light, making it impossible to identify the polymer. Even traces of carbon black can hinder the sorting of polymer scrap, which means the waste will not be able to be recycled but instead ends up being incinerated or landfilled.
With the development of near-infrared detectable black pigments, various companies have sought to address this issue.
The latest to join the offerings available on the market is the NIR-reflective Sicopal Black K 0098 FK developed by BASF’s Color & Effects brand.
A Colors & Effects research project led by Christof Kujat, head of Global Technical Industry Management for Plastics set out to proactively tackle the industry need for recyclable black plastics that can pass through infrared sorting at materials recycling facilities.
“Building on our established Sicopal Black technology…our team has succeeded in creating a new pigment for recycling of black plastics with improved value in use,” said Kujat.
The new black pigment offers high colour strength, opacity and food contact compliance. It is suitable for all commonly used plastics materials, including high heat polymers. Due to its processing stability, multiple processing steps and closed-loop recycling pose no problem.


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Overall, the iPhone 14 models are a success. Even with Apple taking a month to release the iPhone 14 Plus, only the three available versions could outsell the entire iPhone 13 series a week after launch. That said, the iPhone 13 Pro Max was still the best-selling iPhone in September 2022, a year after its initial release.
CIRP published a comprehensive analysis of the iPhone sales data that Apple didn’t disclose. According to the publication, the report is based on a survey fielded in late September and early October, immediately after the end of Apple’s fourth fiscal quarter.
It covers consumer purchases in that quarter which included the first three weeks of sales for the new iPhone 14 models, including iPhone 14, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max. Along with these new models, Apple also announced the first Plus model in recent years, iPhone 14 Plus, but sales of that model did not commence until early October 2022, one week into the next fiscal period.
According to CIRP, the three available iPhone 14 models (14, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max) accounted for 21% of US sales. This is higher than the 16% of sales for the four iPhone 13 models launched in September 2021.
Highlighting individual models, the iPhone 13 Pro Max – released last year – had the largest share of any single model at 21% in September 2022. CIRP explains that this is due to the iPhone 13 Pro being available “for virtually the entire quarter, until the release of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.”
All four iPhone 13 models together accounted for 56% of sales in the September 2022 quarter. Older models, such as the iPhone 11, 12, 12 mini, and SE combined, accounted for 21% of sales in the quarter.
CIRP highlights that the iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini accounted for 5% of iPhone sales, showing why Apple decided to retire this form factor and bet on a Plus model. In the future, CIRP will focus on customers’ storage capacity choices.
For now, the headline is, consumers continued their long-standing tendency to upgrade from base storage. For the new iPhone 14 models and the more expensive iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, a majority of customers paid a premium for larger storage capacity phones.
More Apple Coverage: iPhone 14 Pro review: Welcome to the Dynamic Island


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Must Share News | 3 Jun 2020, 11:16 am
Over the course of the ‘Circuit Breaker’, many Singaporeans have picked up baking as their new hobby to pass the time.
Yet, getting baking supplies during the period proved to be somewhat of a challenge, thanks to long queues and higher demand, among a myriad of other reasons.
Well, if you’re planning on baking yourself some delicious bread or pastries this weekend, you might be in for some good news.
As we enter Phase 1 of reopening, popular baking supplies store Phoon Huat announced via a Facebook post on Tuesday (2 Jun) that it will be doing away with its ddd/even dates requirement.
In the Facebook post, Phoon Huat said the decision to abolish the system was due to shorter queues and the “easing up” of the current situation.
Despite the removal, they urge customers to follow other safe distancing measures so their store remains safe for everyone.
These include shopping alone, keeping shopping time to under 10 minutes and scanning of SafeEntry QR code before entering their store premises.
All of its outlets are open from 10am-7pm. Check out the nearest store near you via the website here.
Introduced entry restriction based on last digit of NRIC/FIN Earlier last month, Phoon Huat – as well as its subsidiary, Redman – introduced the ddd/even dates entry system in early May that only allowed access to shoppers according to the last digit of their NRIC/FIN.
The measure was aimed at cutting down the long lines seen outside the stores.
The removal of the Odd/Even Dates entry restriction at Phoon Huat will certainly come as great news for Circuit Bakers who picked up baking during the 2-month ‘Circuit Breaker’.
That said, please adhere to the measures put in place by the store to help keep everyone safe


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The Future of Wearable Technology is Bright!
It is something difficult to tell in one word, better let’s conclude it on its current appliance in different industry sectors, market coverage, and benefits it’s delivering. As you know, Wearables can be in the form of smartwatch, eyeglass, or fitness band, used to track physical activities or monitor health condition. Wearables are being used everywhere – from fitness, retail, healthcare, banking and insurance to travel and manufacturing. This device was first created in 1960s, but its emergence that we have been seeing from early years of the first decade of the 21st of the century.
The worldwide wearable device market was expected to hit USD 6 billion in 2014, and today the expectation is about USD 20.6 billion by 2018, which is at an annual growth rate of 36%. If it is measured in number of units sold, around 19 million units were sold in 2014 and around 485 million will be sold by 2018, according to ABI research. But without an in-depth analysis, it is somewhat difficult to believe the prediction. Better let’s look beyond the predictive report of wearables and analyse its usage and value in industry-wise.
Health and fitness
We can easily say without much evidence health and fitness is the most benefited sector of Wearables, where wearable and its applications are already into mainstream. According to a research, wearable sport and fitness-related monitoring devices will alone reach 80 million by late 2016 and the growth is not seemed to slow down any time soon. But there could be a variation in terms of what kind of devices are used more. Since the emergence of Wearables, ear-based wearables have so far been lower usage compared to eye and wrist-based ones. But recent happenings in the sector indicates that ear-based devices are gradually gaining upper hand mainly because the blood vessels in the ears allow for more accurate biometric measurements. Meanwhile, the long-awaited Apple Watch 2 is expected to increase wearables usage significantly in health and fitness sector.
Retail is another technology-embraced industry segment, which is adopting Wearables in an unprecedented rate. Wearables can impact both retailers as well as end consumers. Retailers can get an opportunity to make product and its information easily accessible to consumers via Google Glass, Wrist Gear or similar devices. By combining this with payment processing, the ultimate retail experience can be made more pleasant for consumers. Wearables has opened a set of completely new array of opportunities such as location-based sales promotions, in-store operations, inventory planning and product placements for retailers.
Banking and Insurance
Adoption of wearables is already prevalent in banking and insurance sector. Though it is said innovation has been slow in this industry segment due to regulations and inertia, many banks have apparently started customer-centric tech trials. Westpac has built a Google Glass app for checking account balances and other transactions, while CaixaBank has developed a smart watch application for following stock markets. Wearables for addressing customers’ security and privacy concerns and integrating new payments capabilities can take banks to the next level.
According to Insurance Journal, insurance companies can leverage Wearables from all possible angles, including marketing, underwriting, new product development, risk management, workers’ compensation and personal auto injury claims management.
Travel and Transportation
There are boundless opportunities for travel and transportation companies created by Wearables. Compared to any other industry, travel and transportation is on-the-move which is its primary nature. Like retail, Wearables in travel is dual-centric, both travel companies and its customers i.e. travellers. It can facilitate the way of assisting travellers by staff on-the-move, whereas travellers can search and book tickets, get flight information such as flight and boarding status most comfortably. It even can help ground crew. Recently, Spring Airlines provided flight attendants with Google Glass to analyse how it can bring improvement in customer service. The recently released Garmin D2 watch was especially designed for aviators to load flight plan information. Leading airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Iberia and Japan Airlines are working on on-the-ground traveller comfort, boarding and departure experience etc. with the best use of wearables.
It is obvious that users buy wearables and find it interesting for the first 3 to 4 months, and after enthusiasm level may gradually or suddenly drop. So it is manufacturers or solution creators’ intellectuality to keep users engaged with the wearables with the regular updates and innovations. As long as businesses focus on long-term utility of wearable solutions, they can leverage it to enrich customer experience, simply business operations and enhance workforce productivity. If it is feasible, the future of Wearables will really be bright.
Looking for Wearable Solutions?
FuGenX can help you build it. FuGenX is a global mobility company, helping enterprises solve complex business challenges with breakthrough technical innovations. FuGenX specializes in mobile application development, game development, wearable solutions, IoT solutions and mobile cloud computing.


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A man has died following a crash in Long Melford.
Suffolk: Jailed Fake DVD Sisters Fined
Two sisters from Huntingfield in Suffolk jailed for making and importing fake DVDs have been fined.
Two sisters jailed last year for making and importing fake DVDs have now been told to pay nearly £160,000.
Two family members who had previously admitted to making at least £75,000 from their illicit cottage industry, have now been ordered to pay a total of £159,535 following action taken by Suffolk Trading Standards at Ipswich Crown Court.
The court also ordered that the defendants forfeit their rights to all the seized computer equipment and discs along with associated packaging material used in the distribution of the counterfeit DVDs.
In June 2011, sisters Susan Steel, 54, and Julie-Anne Steel, 41, received prison sentences totalling 22 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud and money laundering. Susan’s son and daughter-in-law received suspended prison sentences after admitting manufacturing counterfeit DVDs and selling them on to unsuspecting consumers - primarily through eBay.
In raids carried out by Suffolk Trading Standards and Suffolk Police in 2008, over 2250 DVDs were seized along with computer equipment and large quantities of paperwork.
The court heard how the family had used multiple eBay usernames, PayPal and bank accounts to run their illegal enterprise. In total, 27 bank accounts, 34 PayPal accounts and in excess of 50 eBay usernames were eventually linked to the four family members.
Councillor Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Protection said; “This is a great result for the Trading Standards team who have worked tirelessly on this case.
“There is absolutely no doubt that this level of counterfeiting would have had a considerable impact on the trademark holders and legitimate retailers. I hope that this order will send a clear message to anyone thinking of producing and selling counterfeit goods that crime certainly does not pay.”
A third person has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of Dean Stansby in Ipswich.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested in Norfolk on suspicion of terror offences, Scotland Yard said.
Detectives investigating a murder in Ipswich have arrested a man in connection with the incident.
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Will There Be Enough Ammo To Fill Wyoming Christmas Stockings?
YEAH there is still an ammo shortage out there.
Heck most everything is running low and that means the cost of everything is getting higher. That includes ammo.
Before the pandemic Montana Tactical was selling boxes of 300 Winchester Magnum ammunition for about $30 a box.
You might want to hang on to something before you read this next sentence.
The last time they had boxes of those 300 Winchester Magnums, they were selling for $99 a box.
“I’ve never seen a shortage of ammunition like this, and at this cost,” said Aaron Hagen, who has owned Montana Tactical on Gooch Hill Road for more than 20 years.
I bet you were just hopping to fill that stocking by the fire with live rounds for that special Wyoming person in your life.
Just make sure the fireplace is not like. Bullets and that much heat probably don't mix.
Wyoming is, after all, one of the most heavily armed states in the nation. But what good is a gun if there aren't any bullets to go in it?
The shortage has been attributed to many factors, including pandemic-era supply chain disruptions, and the bankruptcy of major supplier Remington in 2020.
Add to that, more people bought guns last year. A lot more. No I mean like WOW a lot of people bought guns last years. That means they took those guns out to practice. That used up a lot of ammo.
There’s been an ammunition shortage affecting Americans for over a year now, and it continues right into November of 2021. So you bet things wont be better in December.
Hunters, gun users, and even some police departments either having trouble finding ammo. So not there are limits on how much a person or organization can buy, to prevent hoarding. They couldn't have thought of that with toilet paper?
Well, you might be happy about ammo being in short supply, but the deer and antelope LOVE IT!
HOLD ON - Do you think they have something to do with this? It could be a conspiracy.