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Deliveroo chooses the7stars agency for planning and buying | Restaurant delivery service Deliveroo has handed the contract for its media planning and buying in the UK and Ireland to the7stars. The independent media agency counts Gumtree, Wagamama and Squarespace among its clients. The deal follows a period of swift growth for Deliveroo, which also recently partnered with Tripadv... | http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/12/13/deliveroo-awards-uk-ireland-media-account-the7stars | 2017-12-13 15:29:41.760000 | Deliveroo has appointed independent media agency the7stars to handle media planning and buying on its behalf within the UK and Ireland.
Deliveroo delivers UK & Ireland media account to the7stars
The appointment caps a period of rapacious growth for the British company which specializes in delivering restaurant food d... |
Simility wins $17.5m backing for AI-powered anti-fraud system | A company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in its fraud detection system has received a $17.5m funding injection from investors including online payment platform PayPal. Simility, which was founded in 2014, uses machine learning software to assist with analysing user data and help spot suspicious activity that mi... | https://venturebeat.com/2017/12/12/fraud-detection-startup-simility-raises-17-5-million-from-accel-paypal-others/ | 2017-12-13 15:23:26.767000 | Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.
Simility, which develops a fraud detection platform that uses machine learning, has announced a $17.5 million round of funding led by Accel, with participation from new strategic investor PayPal. Existi... |
California looks to launch entirely online community college | California Governor Jerry Brown is looking to launch an all-online community college aimed at "stranded workers". According to California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the college will target residents who have received an incomplete college education, have never been to college, or whose jobs are ge... | http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/12/online-only-california-community-college-to-target-stranded-workers/ | 2017-12-13 14:59:53.943000 | By Louis Freedberg, EdSource
With time running out on his governorship, Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing California’s 114-campus community college system to create one more college: a new fully online college that would have been unimaginable during his first term as governor.
To that end, he met recently with California ... |
ZoomDoc looks to expand its UK doctors-on-demand service | UK start-up ZoomDoc has launched a £500,000 ($672,000) crowdsourcing campaign as it seeks to expand its GP-on-demand service. The app is a paid service which lets users in London book a National Health Service-registered GP to come to their home. It has been downloaded 5,000 times since soft-launching in May. ZoomDoc F... | https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/12/zoomdoc-crowd-funding-campaign/ | 2017-12-13 14:53:30.827000 | A GP on demand service has launched a crowd-funding campaign to try and raise £500,000 so it can expand.
ZoomDoc, which was founded by Dr Kenny Livingstone, is a paid-for service which allows users to book an NHS-registered GP to come to their home.
The app, which promises a GP will see you within one hour, was soft-... |
AI healthcare start-up Prognos secures $20.5m | New York City start-up Prognos has raised $20.5m towards using artificial intelligence (AI) to help predict and prevent disease. The company has built a lab connectivity network in the US that processes more than 13 billion lab records for over 180 million patients. It has also developed more than a 1,000 machine-learn... | http://www.alleywatch.com/2017/12/prognos-just-raised-30m-use-ai-predict-disease/ | 2017-12-13 14:01:58.950000 | Detection can be the difference between getting cured or succumbing to disease in many cases. As health records and diagnostics all go digital, a wealth of data is being created and recorded that can be used to prevent disease. Prognos sits at the center of this growing market and application. Leveraging AI and a numbe... |
CBA to make 'tap-on-phone' contactless payments a reality | Small retailers in Australia will soon be able to accept card payments from customers using just a mobile phone. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has signed a deal to allow its customers use the "tap-on-phone" SoftPOS system developed by Canadian tech firm Mobeewave, which enables customers to pay by simply tapping... | https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/31453/cba-to-roll-out-tap-on-phone-contactless-payments?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=finextrafeed | 2017-12-13 13:42:36.610000 | Commonwealth Bank of Australia business customers will soon be able to accept a payment by simply tapping their phone with a contactless card or mobile wallet.
Commonwealth Bank will use a white label version of Mobeewave's SoftPOS technology and Digital Enablement from Idemia to deliver the service, which will me mad... |
Driverless cars given human-like view of the world | AEye, a company founded by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and NASA veteran Luis Dussan, is aiming to produce solid-state LIDAR sensors, which it says work more like a human eye, by focusing on what is most important, depending on the driving conditions present at any given time. | https://futurism.com/new-sensor-gives-driverless-cars-human-like-view-world/ | 2017-12-13 13:36:25.607000 | Eyes on the Road
We're closer to making self-driving cars a reality than ever before, but at the moment the best options available to the public are along the lines of Tesla's Autopilot system, which are assistive, rather than all-out, autonomy. To get to the next stage, many would agree that we need better sensors.
... |
China's Xiaomi may still enter India's car market | Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi says it may build and sell cars in India at some point, but has no immediate plans to do so. The company has prioritised the world's second most populous market and plans to invest $1bn in 100 Indian start-ups over the next five years to create an ecosystem of apps for Xiaomi phones, fou... | http://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/2124125/chinas-xiaomi-leaves-door-open-entering-car-market-india | 2017-12-13 13:23:08.670000 | Company says regulatory filing was not an application to sell cars and related components in India, though it considers the country its top market |
Tesco could face law suit over ‘fake farm’ branding | UK supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Lidl and Tesco, have been accused of misleading the public through their controversial use of “fake farm” branding on meat products, by food waste charity Feedback. The charity is supporting the owner of the real Woodside Farm, a name which Tesco has used on pork products since 201... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/13/tesco-faces-legal-threat-over-marketing-its-food-with-fake-farm-names | 2017-12-13 13:10:40.540000 | Major UK supermarkets including Tesco, Aldi, Asda and Lidl are being urged to stop using controversial “fake farm” branding on own-brand meat products, with a food charity claiming they are misleading shoppers.
The Feedback charity is backing the owner of a genuine farm called Woodside Farm – a name Tesco has also use... |
English rivers experiencing chronic insecticide contamination | English rivers are contaminated with neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used insecticides, according to 2016 tests carried out under European Union (EU) regulations and obtained by the Buglife charity. The tests show that of the 23 UK rivers tested, just six were free of neonicotinoids, with around half of the 16 ... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/13/english-rivers-polluted-by-powerful-insecticides-first-tests-reveal | 2017-12-13 12:48:31.300000 | Rivers in England are contaminated with powerful insecticides, new testing has revealed, increasing concerns over the impact of the toxic chemicals on fish and birds.
Neonicotinoids were banned from use on flowering crops in the European Union in 2013 due to the harm they cause to bees and other vital pollinators. Fol... |
Redrow Application granted for 158 houses and flats in Warrington | Redrow has been granted planning permission for 158 hours and flats at the Omega South development in Warrington. The scheme will be the second phase of development on the land, where Miller Homes have already begun construction of 200 homes. Up to 1,100 properties are set to be built by multiple developers at the site... | https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/next-phase-of-omega-housing-clears-planning/ | 2017-12-13 12:35:33.797000 | Redrow Homes is to build 158 houses and flats on Omega South, Warrington following the granting of reserved matters consent. The application was submitted by Redrow and Omega Warrington Ltd.
Plans for a further 86 Redrow homes on neighbouring land are still under consideration.
With construction of 200 homes already ... |
US healthcare industry on the brink of major tech disruption | The US healthcare industry is likely to be the next sector to face major disruption, argues management consultant Helen Leis. Regulatory changes, new ways of using data and improved diagnostic capabilities all enable more individualised care, just as the public is growing to expect the standard of service and personali... | http://www.brinknews.com/health-care-is-ripe-for-disruption-are-we-ready-for-the-tipping-point/?utm_source=BRINK+Subscribers&utm_campaign=c093920625-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_12_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c3639d7c98-c093920625-110036825 | 2017-12-13 12:18:12.323000 | Photo: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images
Health care, like many other industries, has undergone a massive transformation over the past decade, with huge changes in social norms and consumer behaviors. Ten years ago, it was unheard of to rent a stranger’s apartment instead of booking a hotel room, to publicly post your ... |
AIG introduces cyber risk score for clients | US insurer AIG is introducing a cyber score for its clients, allowing them to assess their readiness to face cyber threats while offering comparisons with peers. The score is calculated by assessing a client's response to 10 typical cyber attack patterns across 11 types of device. The firm is also launching a new cyber... | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171212005720/en/AIG-Launches-New-Cyber-Model-Scores-Client | 2017-12-13 10:47:56.033000 | NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) today announced a new cyber benchmarking model that quantifies and scores client cyber risk.
The AIG model evaluates a client’s cyber security maturity against 10 common attack patterns across 11 commonly used technology devices. The model incor... |
London insurtech Quantemplate raises $3.3m in funding | Insurtech Quantemplate has raised $3.3m in funding to help it expand in the UK, US and Europe. Targeted at insurers and reinsurers, the London-based fintech uses machine learning to unify and analyse the disparate types of data processed by these companies. Quantemplate has raised $13.4m since being founded five years ... | https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2017/12/12/173929.htm | 2017-12-13 10:42:14.160000 | Quantemplate, an InsurTech firm specializing in machine learning data transformation and analytics, raised $3.3 million in new funding to fuel its expansion plans in the UK, US. and European markets.
The London, UK-based startup has also appointed David Lundgren as CEO and board director.
Columbia Lake Partners parti... |
China adds DNA database to scrutiny of restive minority region | Chinese officials are collecting DNA samples and building a database of iris scans and blood types from everyone aged between 12 and 65 in Xinjiang, a restive region that is home to more than 11 million minority muslim Uighurs. Human Rights Watch said the additional scrutiny in the far-western region amounts to buildin... | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/13/chinese-authorities-collecting-dna-residents-xinjiang | 2017-12-13 09:35:02.050000 | Chinese authorities are collecting DNA samples, fingerprints and other biometric data from every resident in a far western region, Human Rights Watch has said.
Officials are also building a database of iris scans and blood types of everyone aged between 12 and 65 in Xinjiang, adding to controls in a place some exper... |
AI's inexperience may worsen the next stock-market crash | Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms used to make investment decisions may exacerbate the next stock-market crash because they are not experienced enough to handle crises. AI systems perform badly in situations they don't recognise and they'll be ill-prepared to manage a crash because the data they use is culled from... | https://qz.com/1151664/ai-does-not-have-enough-experience-to-handle-the-next-market-crash/?mc_cid=9f8de02646&mc_eid=a37072368a | 2017-12-13 08:08:12.903000 | Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to make decisions in financial markets. Fund managers empower AI to make trading decisions, frequently by identifying patterns in financial data. The more data that AI has, the more it learns. And with the financial world producing data at an ever-increasing rate, AI should ... |
Climate change tripled likelihood of Hurricane Harvey rains | Hurricane Harvey’s intense rainfall, which led to extreme flooding in Houston earlier this year, was made three times more likely and 15% more intense due to climate change, according to research by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative. The hurricane, which killed 80 people and left 800,000 needing help, is b... | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/13/global-warming-made-hurricane-harvey-deadly-rains-three-times-more-likely-research-shows | 2017-12-13 00:00:00 | Hurricane Harvey’s unprecedented deluge, which caused catastrophic flooding in Houston in August, was made three times more likely by climate change, new research has found.
Such a downpour was a very rare event, scientists said, but global warming meant it was 15% more intense. The storm left 80 people dead and 800... |
Social media firms should be be liable for abuse: UK committee | Social media firms should be made liable for illegal content and there should be a new electoral law to counter the intimidation of MPs during elections, according to the UK’s independent Committee on Standards in Public Life. The body, which provides ethical advice to the prime minister, has recommended the changes, w... | https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/13/make-facebook-liable-for-content-says-report-on-uk-election-intimidation | 2017-12-13 00:00:00 | Theresa May should consider the introduction of two new laws to deter the intimidation of MPs during elections and force social media firms to monitor illegal content, an influential committee has said.
The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, which advises the prime minister on ethics, has called for th... |
Social media firms should be be liable for abuse: UK committee | Social media firms should be made liable for illegal content and there should be a new electoral law to counter the intimidation of MPs during elections, according to the UK’s independent Committee on Standards in Public Life. The body, which provides ethical advice to the prime minister, has recommended the changes, w... | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intimidation-in-public-life-a-review-by-the-committee-on-standards-in-public-life | 2017-12-13 00:00:00 | In recent years, the intimidation experienced by Parliamentary candidates, and others in public life, has become a threat to the diversity, integrity, and vibrancy of representative democracy in the UK.
The Committee reports on its review of intimidation in public life, including Parliamentary candidates and others.
... |
Private equity circles RIA industry in search for new investments | The registered investment advisory (RIA) space is becoming a key area for private investment, with interest peaking amid a growth of independent firms even as the industry consolidates. Private equity funds are also sitting on a large amount of unused cash. Around 75% of RIA firms manage less than $100m, but its pace o... | http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20171209/FREE/171209933/why-private-equity-wants-a-piece-of-the-ria-market?platform=hootsuite | 2017-12-12 18:25:26.097000 | The secret is out: The independent financial advisory space is the hottest growth-investment strategy for deep-pocketed private investors.
“We’ve seen private equity money ebb and flow over the years, but over the last few years we’ve seen a surge and a change in the way PE firms are investing in the RIA space,” said ... |
Redrow Redrow to develop 295 apartments in Newham | Housing association Peabody will work alongside housebuilders Berkeley Homes and Redrow Homes to create almost 1,800 properties in London. Berkeley Homes will establish 1,500 properties in west Thamesmead, the former site of Arsenal FC until 1913, while FTSE-250 firm Redrow will develop 295 apartment homes, offering a ... | https://www.standard.co.uk/business/berkeley-and-redrow-to-build-homes-on-old-arsenal-fc-and-newham-sites-a3715736.html | 2017-12-12 16:54:30.980000 | H ousing association giant Peabody on Monday named two builders it will partner to deliver nearly 1800 homes in London, kicking off at one of Arsenal FC’s former homes.
It said listed Berkeley Homes will create 1500 properties in west Thamesmead on a site that was home to the Premier League club until 1913 before it h... |
Collaboration between EMS and primary care physicians could reduce unnecessary emergency transport for fallen seniors | Researchers from the Wake County Emergency Medical Services have found that utilizing a protocol that unites paramedic assessments of patients with primary care physician consultations significantly lowered the need for unnecessary ambulance transport for senior patients in assisted living facilities who had fallen fro... | https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-collaboration-ems-primary-physicians-unnecessary.html | 2017-12-12 16:45:36.060000 | A protocol that couples paramedic assessment with primary care physician consultation and timely follow up significantly reduced unnecessary ambulance transport for fallen elderly residents of assisted living facilities. The findings of a prospective cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Unintenti... |
Under New Tax Plan, the Cost of Aging Could Rise | The US government’s House of Representatives and Senate are currently debating two tax bills that could significantly affect the cost of aging. The revised tax bills could potentially erase a deduction for medical expenses, removing thousands of dollars in support for the sick and elderly. The medical deductions are pe... | https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/08/your-money/tax-plan-medical-deduction.html | 2017-12-12 16:33:04.933000 | Imagine two couples, both alike in incomes, in a state without income tax where we lay our scenario. They have $150,000 in income and $100,000 in medical expenses and take no other itemized deductions.
Now imagine that one gets a deduction for medical expenses and one does not. Using the 2017 tax brackets and a rule t... |
Subway consolidates US, Canadian creative teams with Dentsu Aegis | Sandwich chain Subway is consolidating its North American media and creative advertising accounts following a review of its marketing strategy. The company selected Dentsu Aegis Network North America, a network of agencies that includes existing Subway media agency Carat, Mcgarrybowen and DentsuBos, to look after its s... | http://www.adweek.com/agencies/subway-consolidates-north-america-media-and-creative-with-dentsu-aegis-network/ | 2017-12-12 15:52:57.163000 | Subway announced today it will consolidate its entire U.S. and Canadian (North American) media and creative business with Dentsu Aegis Network after a review launched in July.
Beginning in early 2018, the Franchise at Dentsu Aegis Network North America—which includes Carat New York, mcgarrybowen New York, Carat Canada... |
UK undersold Green Investment Bank: National Audit Office | The UK’s Green Investment Bank (GIB) was sold too cheaply, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Australian bank Macquarie paid £1.6bn ($2bn) in cash for the GIB in August and agreed an additional £500m to honour the bank’s existing commitments. The NAO said that this amount was at the lower end of valuations f... | https://www.nao.org.uk/report/the-green-investment-bank/ | 2017-12-12 14:00:53.720000 | This examines whether the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has achieved the objectives of the UK Green Investment Bank intervention, and whether UK Government Investments has achieved value for money in the subsequent sale of the Bank.
A report by the National Audit Office on the Green Investment ... |
UK undersold Green Investment Bank: National Audit Office | The UK’s Green Investment Bank (GIB) was sold too cheaply, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Australian bank Macquarie paid £1.6bn ($2bn) in cash for the GIB in August and agreed an additional £500m to honour the bank’s existing commitments. The NAO said that this amount was at the lower end of valuations f... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/green-investment-bank-sold-too-cheaply-watchdog-says | 2017-12-12 14:00:53.720000 | Ministers missed out on tens of millions extra on the sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in August, according to the spending watchdog.
The National Audit Office said the £1.6bn paid in cash by the Australian bank Macquarie came in at the low end of the government’s valuation. Macquarie agreed to spend a further ... |
Scientists develop 'black box' to track surgeons' ability | US company Intuitive Surgical has developed a "black box" technology that can evaluate a human surgeon's performance while undertaking robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery. A study published in the Journal of Urology revealed the dVLogger was able to capture data on a surgeon's movements and their duration, enabling ... | http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/this-black-box-recorder-can-measure-surgeons-proficiency-117121101008_1.html | 2017-12-12 13:48:54.607000 | Scientists have developed a novel recorder similar in concept to a flight recorder on an airplane that can be used to objectively measure surgeons' proficiency in robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgery.
The recorder, called the dVLogger developed by the US-based Intuitive Surgical, similar to the "black box" in flig... |
Chilean solar plant to provide power at night | Spain's Cox Energía will build a solar power plant that will supply 140 GWh of electricity to Chile’s grid, 24 hours a day. The Madrid-based utility secured the project with a winning bid of $34.40 per MWh. Analysts predict the company will turn to power storage in order to keep the electricity flowing day and night. C... | https://qz.com/1147953/a-new-project-will-supply-chile-with-solar-power-even-at-night/ | 2017-12-12 13:48:03.300000 | A new solar power plant in Chile will to supply electricity to the country’s power grid even when the sun doesn’t shine.
With a bid of $34.40 per megawatt-hour (MWh), Cox Energía of Spain won the rights to supply 140 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the Chilean grid during day and night, through foul weather and fair,... |
Chilean solar plant to provide power at night | Spain's Cox Energía will build a solar power plant that will supply 140 GWh of electricity to Chile’s grid, 24 hours a day. The Madrid-based utility secured the project with a winning bid of $34.40 per MWh. Analysts predict the company will turn to power storage in order to keep the electricity flowing day and night. C... | https://futurism.com/new-solar-plant-provide-power-13000-homes-year/ | 2017-12-12 13:48:03.300000 | Solar panels have been a hot topic of conversation for sustainably-minded people for decades, but it's taken a long time for them to become a viable option for the average person. Government subsidies have made it less expensive to outfit the roof of your home with solar panels, while tech companies have sprung up to d... |
Graduway raises $12.7m to connect university alumni | UK-based software company Graduway has raised $12.7m in a series B funding round led by Susquehanna Growth Equity, bringing the company's total investment to $15.8m. Graduway has developed a platform for university alumni around the world to connect and share work opportunities, while also offering institutions a way t... | https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-11-software-company-raises-12-7m-to-expand-alumni-engagement-platform | 2017-12-12 13:46:34.007000 | SAAS-Y ALUMS: Graduway, a software company that offers a platform for college alumni management, has raised $12.7 million from Susquehanna Growth Equity in a Series B funding round. The company previously raised $3.1 million from existing investors Gigi Levy, Massa Innovations and SaaS Capital, according to Crunchbase,... |
Google bidding glitch causes advertisers to pause ads, go manual | Google is compensating advertisers after a recent glitch saw bid costs skyrocket from a few cents to a several dollars. The hitch involved campaigns on the search giant's Shopping channel that use present return on ad spend settings. Google blamed the issue on an "engineering problem", which it said it had resolved the... | https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/311412/google-automation-hits-media-bidding-glitch-plans.html | 2017-12-12 13:24:09.507000 | by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 11, 2017
Advertisers and their agency partners using a smart bidding tool to run campaigns in Google Shopping that match to a preset return on ad spend (ROAS) were hit with cost per clicks (CPCs) and ad spend that were higher than usual for a few hours on December 6.
The i... |
ZhongAn to track chickens with blockchain and facial recognition | A Chinese tech company is planning to use facial recognition software to monitor chickens. ZhongAn currently uses blockchain technology in a project called "GoGo Chicken", which monitors the daily activity of the birds at free-range organic farms, from birth onwards. The technology already allows consumers to buy a bab... | http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2123567/blockchain-and-facial-recognition-zhongan-techs-recipe-changing | 2017-12-12 13:23:50.683000 | Tech unit of Hong Kong-listed ZhongAn Online Property & Casualty Insurance targets 23 million birds for project ‘gogochicken’ in three years |
Ouster secures $27m for laser-enhanced autonomous driving sensor | Ouster, a manufacturer of sensors used to map landscapes, has raised $27m to develop its technology for autonomous cars. The funding, led by Cox Enterprises, will enable the San Francisco company to step up production of its 64-channel, OS1 lidar sensor. The company says its new product is lighter and more energy-effic... | https://venturebeat.com/2017/12/11/ouster-raises-27-million-and-launches-its-autonomous-car-lidar-out-of-stealth/ | 2017-12-12 13:22:55.357000 | Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.
A fledgling lidar startup is launching out of stealth today, backed by more than $30 million in investors’ money. San Francisco-based Ouster has officially unveiled its OS1 lidar, which it said represen... |
Google partners with Fairfax to sell programmatic advertising | Australian media company Fairfax has signed an agreement with Google to sell programmatic advertising across several titles, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and The Age. Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood, who recently spoke out against the Google/Facebook duopoly on advertising, said the sear... | http://www.adnews.com.au/fairfax-and-google-ink-deal/type/yafNews | 2017-12-12 13:19:37.237000 | Fairfax has entered into a partnership with Google across digital advertising, technology and product development.
Google will support Fairfax to sell and market programmatic advertising across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, WA Today, Canberra Times, Brisbane Times, and lifestyle ... |
AR-enhance customer experiences seen offering boost to retailers | Improving customer experiences using augmented reality (AR) offers a way for retailers to boost footfall in their stores and compete with e-commerce, according to Michael Park, CEO of AR platform PostAR. Park said that retailers such as furniture shops lost business with "try before you buy" services because shoppers o... | https://venturebeat.com/2017/12/11/ar-isnt-a-gimmick-its-a-savior-for-local-retail/ | 2017-12-12 13:16:06.293000 | Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11-12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More
When new technology platforms emerge, traditional retail typically gets disrupted — and often in painful ways. Consumers generally benefit from the added convenience and cost re... |
Precision farming drone unveiled by American Robotics | Boston company American Robotics has launched Scout, an unmanned aerial vehicle aimed at addressing the needs of the farming industry by autonomously monitoring crops. Once installed the system runs daily missions to establish the state of plants, sending analysis reports and crop health updates to farmers with no huma... | http://www.auvsi.org/industry-news/american-robotics-unveils-uas-platform-precision-farming | 2017-12-12 13:15:49.733000 | An industrial UAS developer called American Robotics has unveiled its flagship product, Scout, which is a self-charging, self-managing UAS platform capable of autonomously conducting daily scouting missions in the field of precision farming.
Specializing in agricultural automation, American Robotics says that traditio... |
UK brands make nearly 100% return on spend on digital display ads | Digital display ads in the UK are making twice the amount in sales that advertisers are spending on them, with a typical return on investment of £1.94 ($2.60) on £1, according to a study by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). It monitored the programmatic display ads of nine fast moving consumer goods brands, includ... | http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/12/12/digital-ads-return-two-fold-roi-unilever-says-iab-uk-amid-ongoing-efficiency-drive | 2017-12-12 13:12:49.457000 | On average, for every £1 Unilever and Nestlé spend on display ads in the UK both brands return almost double in sales, according to data from the Internet Advertising Bureaux (IAB UK).
The figures come as a year of FMCG digital efficiency drives and agency reviews draws to a close, with the IAB claiming that every £1 ... |
Sweden's Imagimob aims to bring AI to smart farming | Swedish artificial intelligence (AI) firm Imagimob is using its Edge AI technology to improve efficiency and sustainability in the industrial farming sector by identifying risks to plant and animal health. The company, a member of the Aggregate Farming in the cloud consortium, recently raised €400,000 ($469,584) in fun... | http://www.mystartupworld.com/imagimob-secures-e400k-in-funding-for-edge-ai-research-in-farming/ | 2017-12-12 13:11:51.613000 | Imagimob has received €400k in funding for Edge AI research in farming. Imagimob will use the funding to further strengthen and customise its Edge AI technology for specific requirements and challenges in the farming industry. The funding is administered by the ECSEL JU and Vinnova.
Farming is facing economic challeng... |
Researchers develop AI to significantly reduce traffic problems | Researchers from the Texas Advanced Computing Center, the University of Texas Center for Transportation Research and the City of Austin are working to develop an artificial intelligence algorithm that can help improve road safety. At the forthcoming IEEE International Conference on Big Data, the team plans to unveil th... | https://phys.org/news/2017-12-artificial-intelligence-supercomputers-alleviate-urban.html | 2017-12-12 13:10:31.150000 | A new deep learning tool uses raw traffic camera footage from City of Austin cameras to recognize objects - people, cars, buses, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles and traffic lights - and characterize how those objects move and interact. Credit: TACC, CTR, City of Austin
Look above the traffic light at a busy intersection... |
Leading firms hired surveillance companies to spy on protesters | Five major firms, including British Airways, Porsche and the Royal Bank of Scotland, paid corporate intelligence companies to carry out surveillance on political groups challenging their interests, according to leaked documents viewed by the Bureau for Investigative Journalism and the Guardian. The material, from two c... | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/surveillance-firms-spied-on-campaign-groups-for-big-companies-leak-shows | 2017-12-12 13:09:38.783000 | British Airways, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Porsche are among five large companies that have been identified as having paid corporate intelligence firms to monitor political groups that challenged their businesses, leaked documents reveal.
The surveillance included the use of infiltrators to spy on campaigners. ... |
AmEx to no longer require signatures for purchases | American Express has announced its worldwide customers will no longer need to sign for any purchases made with their cards from next year. The change will take effect in April, with the company saying its fraud prevention capabilities have improved enough to make signatures unnecessary. The payment card company has alr... | http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/11/news/companies/american-express-drops-signatures/index.html | 2017-12-12 13:06:04.257000 | Starting next April, you won't need to sign anything to make a purchase with an American Express card.
American Express (AXP) announced the change Monday, saying it aims to create a more consistent and faster checkout experience.
"The payments landscape has evolved to the point where we can now eliminate this pain po... |
Google launches three new apps in mobile photography initiative | Google has launched a suite of three apps that make the most of features on smartphone cameras. The Appsperiments offering includes the Android-only Storyboard, which chooses the most arresting frames from a video; Selfissimo, available on iOS and Android, which takes automatic black-and-white images, and; Scrubbies, w... | https://www.siliconrepublic.com/gear/google-photography-apps-appsperiments | 2017-12-12 13:06:00.273000 | From creating comic strips to selfie photoshoots, Google’s new apps show the capabilities of our smartphone cameras.
Google has today (12 December) announced a new initiative called Appsperiments, in an effort to create useful and innovative apps focused on mobile photography.
Under the Appsperiments umbrella, the co... |
Pearson launches entirely online Spanish A-level | UK educational publisher Pearson is launching an online A-level Spanish course in September, the first of several foreign-language syllabuses it is planning to offer. The move is in response to a lack of funding in schools for foreign language courses, as well as reduced numbers of teachers. The use of online courses i... | https://schoolsweek.co.uk/pearson-launches-virtual-a-levels-to-battle-teacher-shortage/ | 2017-12-12 13:02:56.273000 | An exam board will launch its first “virtual” language A-level so pupils can earn their qualifications online despite the shortage of teachers of modern foreign languages.
Pearson will offer an online Spanish A-level from next September, in which pupils get access to tutors, resources and tests online. There are more ... |
Baby wipes form 93% of material blocking UK sewers | Approximately 93% of material causing UK sewer blockages, costing approximately £100m ($134m) each year, is formed of baby wipes, according to a report by trade body Water UK. The research, which revealed that the country experiences an annual 300,000 sewer blockages, led to calls for greater education by water compani... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/baby-wipes-93-percent-matter-causing-uk-sewer-blockages?CMP=share_btn_tw | 2017-12-12 12:49:07.520000 | Baby wipes are causing hundreds of thousands of blockages in the UK sewer system and costing the country £100m every year, according to a new report.
The study from Water UK, the trade body representing all of the main water and sewerage companies in the country, found that wipes made up about 93% of the material caus... |
UK should increase aid spending on ocean plastic: Gove | More of the UK’s £13bn ($17bn) annual overseas aid budget should be spent on reducing the amount of plastic pollution in the oceans, according to the country’s environment secretary, Michael Gove. The call comes as research from Germany’s Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research revealed that 90% of all plastic wast... | http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=36336&webc_pm=34/2017 | 2017-12-12 12:35:32.217000 | press release, 17. October 2017
Rivers carry plastic debris into the sea
UFZ researchers have proven that large river systems are the main culprits for plastic pollution in the oceans
Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic debris ends up in the sea - a global environmental problem with unforeseeable ecological co... |
UK should increase aid spending on ocean plastic: Gove | More of the UK’s £13bn ($17bn) annual overseas aid budget should be spent on reducing the amount of plastic pollution in the oceans, according to the country’s environment secretary, Michael Gove. The call comes as research from Germany’s Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research revealed that 90% of all plastic wast... | https://news.sky.com/story/gove-more-overseas-aid-to-be-spent-on-reducing-ocean-plastic-11167349 | 2017-12-12 12:35:32.217000 | The Prime Minister has confirmed the Government will look at using foreign aid cash to help tackle plastic pollution clogging up the world's oceans.
Sky News understands Environment Secretary Michael Gove has asked the Department for International Development (DfID) to consider increasing the proportion of the £13bn a... |
UK scientists make breakthrough in treating Huntington's disease | Scientists at University College London’s Huntington’s Disease Centre have developed a drug based on synthetic DNA that appears to halt the progression of the incurable degenerative condition Huntington’s disease. The leader of the phase one trial involving 46 early-stage patients, Sarah Tabrizi, said the outcome was "... | https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/11/excitement-as-huntingtons-drug-shown-to-slow-progress-of-devastating-disease | 2017-12-12 12:07:45.980000 | A landmark trial for Huntington’s disease has announced positive results, suggesting that an experimental drug could become the first to slow the progression of the devastating genetic illness.
The results have been hailed as “enormously significant” because it is the first time any drug has been shown to suppress the... |
Karrot Health offers bonuses for using employer gym memberships | Chicago start-up Karrot Health is aiming to encourage people to use gym memberships handed out by employers with an app offering financial bonuses for hitting fitness milestones. The company, which is preparing for beta testing, said participants' data is automatically collected from their wearables by its iOS app, whi... | https://www.builtinchicago.org/2017/12/11/would-cash-bonus-convince-you-hit-gym-startup-wants-find-out | 2017-12-12 12:03:21.330000 | Image via shutterstock
In their efforts to promote health and wellness, many companies cover gym memberships for their employees. But what if they just paid them to work out instead?
That’s the premise behind Karrot Health, a new Chicago startup targeting the employee wellness market.
“When I worked for Uber, they g... |
Samsung to expand biometrics security with palm-scanning feature | South Korean electronics giant Samsung has filed a patent for palm-print recognition technology as a means of helping users recover forgotten passwords. According to the filing, a photo of the user's upturned hand could be examined in order to proffer password hints and reminders. The filing suggests the technology cou... | https://futurism.com/samsungs-new-phones-might-literally-read-palm-hand/ | 2017-12-12 12:00:37.200000 | Going Mystical
Samsung could be looking to branch into palm reading sometime in the near future, but not to gain insight into your love life.
Recent patent filings by the South Korean electronics giant show that the company may be investing in yet another means of biometric scanning. Samsung's palm recognition techno... |
Microsoft to set up $50m 'AI for Earth' project | Microsoft has announced $50m of extra funds for a new Artificial Intelligence project aimed at saving the planet. 'AI for Earth' was initially launched this summer with $2m, which has provided the funds for 35 environmental projects around the world. Among those it has supported are a mosquito tracking programme and a ... | https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/609745/microsoft-announces-50-million-for-its-ai-for-earth-project/ | 2017-12-12 11:59:10.213000 | There are plenty of stories about artificial intelligence ending the world as we know it (see 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, certain Elon Musk tweets). There are fewer about how AI could save the world, but believers are out there. At a gathering Monday for the two-year anniversary of the Paris climate accord, ... |
FDA to add new pathway to medical device approval process | The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to update its almost 40-year-old regulatory processes for approval of medical devices by adding a voluntary alternative alongside the existing 510(K) pathway, according to commissioner Scott Gottlieb. He said identifying "sufficient, appropriate predicate devices" f... | http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/fda-add-new-voluntary-approval-pathway-medical-devices | 2017-12-12 11:58:39.987000 | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to add a new voluntary, alternative pathway for medical devices, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, announced Monday.
The flexible pathway will lean on more modern criteria for a reference standard and allow comparisons to standards that are more closely aligned with... |
MEP tables amendments to make joint report legally binding | David Davis, the UK's Brexit Secretary, has angered the EU by saying that the joint report released, indicating the first stages of agreement on Brexit, is not legally binding, speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show. In response, Guy Verhofstadt, the Brexit Coordinator for the European Parliament, has submitted amendme... | https://news.sky.com/story/david-davis-slammed-for-calling-brexit-deal-statement-of-intent-11167642 | 2017-12-12 11:56:49.777000 | David Davis calling the phase one Brexit deal a "statement of intent" was "unhelpful and undermines trust", the European Parliament's chief Brexit coordinator has said.
Guy Verhofstadt has gone as far as proposing amendments to the European Parliament document that approves the deal so that it reflects his displeasure... |
Skills shortage sees Microsoft set up internal 'AI university' | Microsoft is setting up an internal university to teach its employees the knowledge and skills to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The move is in response to the current skills shortage in AI, which has raised salaries along with concerns over an academia “brain drain” and competition for top talent. Ag... | https://www.developer-tech.com/news/2017/dec/11/microsoft-setting-ai-university-address-talent-shortage/ | 2017-12-12 11:50:33.793000 | Ryan is a senior editor at TechForge Media with over a decade of experience covering the latest technology and interviewing leading industry figures. He can often be sighted at tech conferences with a strong coffee in one hand and a laptop in the other. If it's geeky, he’s probably into it. Find him on Twitter (@Gadget... |
Skills shortage sees Microsoft set up internal 'AI university' | Microsoft is setting up an internal university to teach its employees the knowledge and skills to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The move is in response to the current skills shortage in AI, which has raised salaries along with concerns over an academia “brain drain” and competition for top talent. Ag... | http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft-has-set-up-an-internal-ai-university-to-try-and-get-around-the-skills-shortage-2017-12?r=US&IR=T | 2017-12-12 11:50:33.793000 | Microsoft has set up its own internal "university" to train Microsoft staff in the field of artificial intelligence.
The company is also looking to hire people at machine learning conferences likes NIPS.
Chris Bishop, head of the Microsoft Research lab in Cambridge, said he's keen to avoid "hoovering" up AI professor... |
South Korea to create military drone swarm unit | Army officers in South Korea are working on plans to create an attack unit of weaponised drones for use in the event of conflict with North Korea. The autonomous aerial vehicles would be primarily used to conduct surveillance operations, but would have the ability to 'swarm' into battle if needed. The technology is bas... | https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/south-korean-drone-swarm-to-face-down-pyongyang-20171207-h008se.html | 2017-12-12 11:46:35.507000 | Beijing: South Korea plans to create a combat unit of weaponised drones next year that would be capable of swarming the nuclear-armed North in the event of a conflict.
Army officials said the drones would primarily focus on reconnaissance operations against strategic North Korean military sites, amid growing tensions ... |
AEye develops hybrid sensor that works like the human eye | San Francisco start-up AEye has developed an adaptive imaging hybrid sensor for self-driving cars. According to CEO Luis Dussan, AEye's combination of a low-light camera, solid-state lidar and embedded artificial-intelligence algorithms can scan areas in low and high resolution, and add colour to pick out important obj... | https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609718/a-new-sensor-gives-driverless-cars-a-human-like-view-of-the-world/ | 2017-12-12 11:29:47.253000 | Dussan, AEye’s founder and CEO, has worked in electronics and optics labs at Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; he put a PhD in computational physics on hold to launch the startup. He initially planned to build AI to help vehicles drive themselves, but he soon found that sensors on... |
Redrow Redrow announces net gain approach to enhance biodiversity | Housing developer Redrow has announced a new initiative to enhance biodiversity and improve the ecological value of its sites. The new "net gain" approach has been trialled at developments in Exeter and Bedfordshire, and will now be rolled out to all new projects. It means the company will aim to achieve a net biodiver... | https://www.edie.net/news/7/Redrow-targets-biodiversity--net-gain--at-new-developments/ | 2017-12-12 11:23:42.290000 | Join our growing army of changemakers and get unlimited access to our premium content
Redrow has been trialling ways to enhance biodiversity across select developments, with an aim in place to improve the ecological value of an area after project construction has been completed. Following successful trials at Caddingt... |
People warned not to put homes at risk to buy into bitcoin mania | People are taking out mortgages and using credit cards to buy bitcoin, according to Joseph Borg, a securities regulator. He warned people buying into bitcoin "you're on this mania curve. At some point there's got to be a levelling off. This is not something a guy who's making $100,000 a year, who's got a mortgage and t... | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/11/ubs-cryptocurrencies-like-bitcoin-are-the-bubble-to-end-all-bubbles.html | 2017-12-12 11:19:59.847000 | UBS Wealth Management is not a believer in bitcoin becoming a legitimate currency even as the launch of futures lead some investors to believe the cryptocurrency will become a more stable market.
"The bubble to end all bubbles continues. Cryptocurrencies only have value if accepted as currencies. However, they cannot ... |
People warned not to put homes at risk to buy into bitcoin mania | People are taking out mortgages and using credit cards to buy bitcoin, according to Joseph Borg, a securities regulator. He warned people buying into bitcoin "you're on this mania curve. At some point there's got to be a levelling off. This is not something a guy who's making $100,000 a year, who's got a mortgage and t... | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/11/people-are-taking-out-mortgages-to-buy-bitcoin-says-joseph-borg.html | 2017-12-12 11:19:59.847000 | Bitcoin is in the "mania" phase, with some people even borrowing money to get in on the action, securities regulator Joseph Borg told CNBC on Monday.
"We've seen mortgages being taken out to buy bitcoin. … People do credit cards, equity lines," said Borg, president of the North American Securities Administrators Assoc... |
PolicyCastle ties up with Cocoon home security to offer discount | UK online home insurance provider PolicyCastle is offering a discount to customers who make use of the monitoring system developed by smart home security firm Cocoon. Policyholders receive a 15% discount when purchasing policies through the online platform while also making use of Cocoon's home security system. Cocoon ... | http://youtalk-insurance.com/broker-news/cocoon-partners-with-policycastle-to-save-uk-home-insurance-customers-money | 2017-12-12 11:09:31.843000 | PolicyCastle now offers a market-leading 15% home insurance discount to Cocoon home security customers who use the AI-powered smart home security device to protect their home
Cocoon, the Aviva-backed smart home security system, has announced a deal with PolicyCastle, the innovative digital home insurance platform, giv... |
Vietnam hit by rare billion-dollar economic catastrophe losses | Major storms over Vietnam caused an unprecedented VND22.1tn ($1bn) of damage to the economy last month, according to insurer Aon Benfield. Much of the costs will be absorbed by the country as "insurance penetration remains low in this part of the world", warned Adam Podlaha, global head of Impact Forecasting. The catas... | https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2017/12/11/473710.htm | 2017-12-12 11:09:22.157000 | Typhoon Damrey made landfall in Vietnam during November as a Category 2 strength storm, bringing estimated economic damages of VND22.1 trillion (US$1.0 billion) – a rare billion-dollar event for the country, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team.
This year marks the first t... |
Ageing insurance agents main factor in protection gap: Swiss Re | A decline in issued life insurance policies has suggested a coverage gap is emerging that could be worth as much as $20tn, according to Chris Behling, the head of strategic partnerships and alliances at Swiss Re. He pointed out that the average age of a life insurance agent is 59 and most agents don't serve clients onl... | https://www.dig-in.com/news/aging-agent-force-requires-insurance-to-shift-tactics-to-digital-swiss-re-exec | 2017-12-12 11:07:04.463000 | Despite steady growth in annual underwritten premiums, the number of issued life insurance policies continues to decline across the industry hinting at a protection gap, according to Chris Behling, head of strategic partnerships and alliances at Swiss Re.
That void is currently at $20 trillion, Behling told a room of ... |
TalkTalk Openreach drones help bring broadband to Welsh village | Telecoms company Openreach has become the first in the world to use an aerial drone to help lay high-speed FTTP broadband cables. The drones helped carry the fibre-optic line to remote homes in Pontfadog, Wales, as part of the Superfast Cymru programme, a state-supported project designed to increase high-speed broadban... | https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2017/11/openreach-aerial-drone-brings-rural-full-fibre-broadband-village-wales.html | 2017-12-12 11:02:54.237000 | Thursday, Nov 30th, 2017 (9:00 am) - Score 6,117
Sometimes getting fibre optic cable from one point to another over difficult terrain (rivers, unstable rocks etc.) can be tricky, which is partly why Openreach (BT) has today become one of the first in the world to use an aerial drone to help deploy the cable for a new ... |
US authorities will not prosecute HSBC following lengthy saga | Shares in HSBC, the UK's biggest bank, rose by almost 2% after the US Department of Justice said it would file papers to dismiss a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) that had been suspended for five years. The DPA was imposed following allegations that HSBC's lax controls had allowed money laundering to take place. A... | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/11/hsbc-prosecution-threat-us-money-laundering | 2017-12-12 10:54:13.627000 | HSBC has avoided the threat of prosecution in the US over allegations that its lax controls allowed Mexican drug traffickers to launder cash through the bank.
The risk of a prosecution has been hanging over Britain’s biggest bank for the past five years after it was forced to pay $1.9bn (£1.4bn) to the US authorities ... |
Flo Technologies raises $11.5m, looks to reduce home water damage | Home monitoring system Flo Technologies has raised $11.5m in a financing round including from an affiliate of insurer USAA. The firm has introduced a home water monitoring system called Flo which can track water pressure and temperature along with water usage patterns. Flo aims to proactively detect faults in a home's ... | https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/11/20/471758.htm | 2017-12-12 10:50:57.980000 | Flo Technologies has unveiled Flo, an intelligent home water monitoring and conservation system that promises to help reduce water damage insurance claims. The startup has raised a total of $11.5 million from investors led by Crosslink Capital with participation from Anthemis Group and an affiliate of insurer USAA.
Th... |
Financial crisis starting in China twice as likely: Deutsche Bank | A significant financial crisis beginning in China is almost twice as likely to happen than in any other major global economy, say analysts at Deutsche Bank. The banks chief economist Dr Michael Spencer adds that the probability is as much as 13%, due to concerns over China's huge debt levels which have surged, and coin... | http://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/deutsche-bank-china-debt-financial-crisis-probability-2017-12-1010917277 | 2017-12-12 10:45:16.877000 | Deutsche Bank argues that China is almost twice as likely as any other major economy to experience a financial crisis in the coming years.
The bank points to the country's notoriously high levels of debt as the reason for this.
Chief economist for Asia Pacific Michael Spencer does note however, that the risks are low... |
UK inflation rises to 3.1% as wage growth remains muted | UK inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose to an almost six-year high of 3.1% in November, up from 3% in October, the Office for National Statistics said. The Bank of England Governor is obliged to write a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer explaining any rise above 3% and outlining how it pla... | https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/consumerpriceinflation/november2017 | 2017-12-12 10:11:31.117000 | 2. Things you need to know about this release
The Bank of England were granted exceptional pre-release access to an estimate of the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) at 9.00am on Monday, 11 December 2017 so that the data were available for the Monetary Policy Committee meeting held on that day. Correspondence with the Bank ... |
Chinese tourists spend record $7.75bn in Australia | Spending by Chinese visitors in Australia reached a record $7.75bn in the 12 months to the end of September, according to the latest International Visitor Survey by Tourism Research Australia. China was the second-largest source of overseas visitors to Australia at 1.33 million, behind New Zealand's 1.35 million. Austr... | http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/12/c_136820102.htm | 2017-12-12 09:39:10.260000 | Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-12 15:28:02|Editor: Yurou
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CANBERRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Spending by Chinese tourists in Australia has hit an all-time high, a major tourism study said on Tuesday.
The International Visitor Survey (IVS) revealed that Chinese tourists spent 7.75 billion U.S. dollars in Austra... |
Meat giant Tyson beefs up stake in vegan burger maker Beyond Meat | Vegan food start-up Beyond Meat raised $55m in its latest funding round, as America's largest meat producer Tyson Food increased its stake in the company. "Our investment in Beyond Meat provides another fantastic alternative for consumers as we strive to sustainably feed the world," said Tyson's Justin Whitmore. Beyond... | http://www.powderbulksolids.com/news/Tyson-Ups-Stake-in-Plant-Based-Protein-Firm-Beyond-Meat-12-11-2017 | 2017-12-12 09:23:21.343000 | America’s biggest meat producer, Tyson Foods, increased its stake in Beyond Meat, a maker of plant-based protein food products, during the startups most recent round of fundraising, the Springdale, AR company announced in a Dec. 7 press release.
“Global demand for all protein remains high and we’re passionate about me... |
Bitcoin ban in China sees local crypto surge 80-fold in 40 days | With China left out of the bitcoin surge due to Beijing's ban in September on initial coin offerings, its cryptocurrency enthusiasts have turned to OneCoin, designed by Chinese tech firm Xunlei. Its value surged more than 80-fold within 40 days of launch despite not being traded on any major exchange, according to repo... | https://qz.com/1152564/the-hottest-cryptocurrency-in-china-isnt-bitcoin-its-onecoin-make-that-lianke-by-xunlei-xnet/?mc_cid=04c03ec219&mc_eid=a37072368a | 2017-12-12 08:09:15.213000 | China’s cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been left out of bitcoin’s historic rally in recent months, thanks to the Chinese government banning initial coin offerings in September and then shutting down all major domestic exchanges. But it didn’t take long for them to find something new to pour their money into.
That tur... |
EU commits $10bn to fighting climate change at Paris summit | The European commission has pledged €9bn ($10.6bn) to counter climate change as part of the European Union’s External Investment Plan. The commitment was announced on Tuesday at the One Planet Summit in Paris, which marked the second anniversary of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. The funds will primarily be directed tow... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/eu-announces-9bn-in-funding-for-climate-action | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | The European commission has announced funding of €9bn (£8bn) for action on climate change, one of a flurry of measures from governments, businesses and investors aimed at achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement.
The EU funds will form part of the bloc’s External Investment Plan, and will be focused on sustaina... |
World Bank to stop financing oil and gas after 2019 | The World Bank will stop providing financial support for oil and gas exploration within two years. The bank made the statement at the One Planet Summit in Paris, which marked the second anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord. The bank, which stopped lending for coal-fired power plants in 2010, currently lends $1bn per... | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/12/uk-banks-join-multinationals-pledge-come-clean-climate-change-risks-mark-carney | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | The World Bank will end its financial support for oil and gas extraction within the next two years in response to the growing threat posed by climate change.
In a statement that delighted campaigners opposed to fossil fuels, the Bank used a conference in Paris to announce that it “will no longer finance upstream oil a... |
Forests may not grow back after wildfires, according to US study | Some US and Canadian forests may never grow back after wildfires, due to the increasing heat and dryness of the general climate, according to research by US scientists. The study examined the impact of 52 wildfires on 1,500 sites in five states in the Rockies, between 1985 and 2015. Findings showed that seedlings were ... | http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/forests-wildfires-1.4444998?cmp=rss | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | Bigger, hotter wildfires are ravaging forests and burning them to the ground more frequently as the climate gets hotter and drier. Now a new study shows that in some places in the U.S., those forests may never grow back.
That adds to evidence that amid climate change, some forest landscapes — including those in Canada... |
Wells Fargo sued for $50m by Navajo Nation | Wells Fargo has been sued for over $50m in the US by the Navajo Nation, which alleges that bank employees targeted its citizens in order to fulfil sales targets. The lawsuit, filed in Albuquerque on Tuesday, cites many practices, such as the opening of unauthorized accounts, that led to last year’s $185m settlement by ... | http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-navajo-wells-fargo-20171212-story.html | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | The Navajo Nation has sued Wells Fargo, saying its citizens were targeted by workers trying to meet the bank’s aggressive sales quotas.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Albuquerque, alleges many of the same practices that led to last year’s $185-million settlement between Wells Fargo and regulators, incl... |
Arctic sea ice melting fastest for 1,500 years | Arctic sea ice is melting at the fastest rate in 1,500 years, while seawater in the region is also warming, according to the annual report by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year, areas of permafrost reached record high temperatures, sometimes exceeding the thawing point. Winter sea ice lev... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/arctic-permafrost-sea-ice-thaw-climate-change-report | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 | Permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever, according to a new US government report that also found Arctic seawater is warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years.
The annual report released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed slightly less warming i... |
Electrochaea uses CO2 from wastewater to make natural gas | Electrochaea has transformed carbon dioxide from wastewater into natural gas, using the excess green energy from wind turbines or solar panels that would otherwise be wasted. The solution could be scaled to create multi-seasonal energy storage, something that most batteries are not capable of, the company said. | https://qz.com/1133123/batteries-cant-solve-the-worlds-biggest-energy-storage-problem-one-startup-has-a-solution/ | 2017-12-11 19:37:22.780000 | Copenhagen, Denmark
Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing.
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Every so often, from California to Germany, there’s news of “negative electricity prices,” a peculiar side effect of global efforts to generate clean energy. Solar farms and wind turbines produce varying amounts of power based on the... |
UK chemical and pharma industries appeal to remain within EU | The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) have asked for a continued membership of EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. This will enable both industries to keep market access to the EU. In a letter t... | https://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2017/december/chemicals-and-pharmaceuticals-industries-call-for-continued-cooperation-with-eu-rules-post-brexit/ | 2017-12-11 17:23:37.993000 | Following last week's announcement that a deal had been reached between the UK and EU on phase one of Brexit negotiations, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) called for a cooperation agreement between the UK and EU on medicines.
“It is now crucial that the regulation and supply of medicines ... |
Uber license decision will not be heard until spring 2018 | Ride-sharing app Uber is to appeal the loss of its London private hire licence in spring next year. Uber and Transport for London appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a case management hearing on Monday. A hearing as to whether the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association and the GMB union could be interested parti... | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uber-london-ban-appeal-tfl-licence-taxi-app-spring-2018-heard-court-ride-hailing-a8103666.html | 2017-12-11 17:21:35.823000 | For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privac... |
City will lose 10,500 jobs on day one of Brexit: EY | Using a job tracker which counts job announcements by City companies, EY has predicted that 10,500 jobs will move away from London on the first day the UK departs from the EU. The number of roles affected has fallen from the 12,500 predicted a year ago, however the nature of the roles has changed to more so-called "fro... | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/11/brexit-city-of-london-jobs-ey-dublin-frankfurt | 2017-12-11 17:15:19.507000 | City firms plan to move 10,500 jobs out of the UK on “day one” of Brexit, with Dublin and Frankfurt the financial centres most likely to benefit from the UK’s departure from the EU.
The job tracker compiled by the accountants EY, which counts job announcements to the end of November, found that the number of roles lik... |
Brexit could leave UK vulnerable to global monopolies | Brexit could leave the UK unable to challenge US technology giants over their policies on data and paying tax or to tackle traditional industries on, for example, diesel emissions or plastic waste, argues economist and writer Will Hutton. The tendency of digital capitalism is towards monopoly, with companies such as Fa... | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/10/corporate-goliaths-grow-ever-larger-britain-increasingly-exposed | 2017-12-11 17:13:56.667000 | We live in a world of corporate goliaths and the trend to gigantism is accelerating. The new era of hi-tech data capitalism has an embedded proclivity to monopoly. The bigger the network, whether Facebook or Google, the more valuable it is to be connected. Big is good in the digital universe, while even bigger is bette... |
Neural networks learning to forget useless information | A team of researchers at the University of Leuven, together with Facebook AI Research, is aiming to improve machine learning by training artificial neural networks to learn and forget skills akin to how humans absorb information. Researchers have developed a way for these networks to employee Hebbian learning - the ide... | https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609710/neural-networks-are-learning-what-to-remember-and-what-to-forget/ | 2017-12-11 16:56:26.860000 | That’s an important skill. The world provides a never-ending source of data, much of which is irrelevant to the tricky business of survival, and most of which is impossible to store in a limited memory. So humans and other creatures have evolved ways to retain important skills while forgetting irrelevant ones.
Neural ... |
China open to global partnerships for space station project | The Chinese government is planning to increase its activities in space exploration, according to Romanian diplomat and cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu. The country is building a space station called Tiangong 3, which is expected to be in orbit by 2022, and has signed an agreement with the United Nations to allow devel... | https://intpolicydigest.org/2017/12/10/china-s-belt-road-initiative-space-initiative/ | 2017-12-11 16:36:37.697000 | SHENZHEN, China – “After the Belt and Road Initiative, I think China has a space initiative in mind. China has invited developing nations to conduct experiments on its space station planned to be on the orbit in 2022, has signed an agreement with the UN, and does not neglect any possibility to conclude an agreement wit... |
Visa to reassure consumers with 'sensory branding' for payments | Visa is exploring using "sensory branding" to help signal completed and secure transactions. Seven in 10 people think the Visa logo shows that a website is secure and the company wants to expand this sense of security with a software development kit that can create animation, sound and haptic (vibration) clues, which i... | https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/31431/see-hear-feel-visa-rolls-out-sensory-branding | 2017-12-11 16:20:00.853000 | In an ever-expanding universe of connected, payments-enabled devices, Visa is looking to reassure consumers (and promote itself) with a "sensory branding" programme that will use sound, animation and haptic cues to signify completed transactions.
With research showing that up to 71% of people think that the Visa logo ... |
Euclid develops combination of materials for expandable proppants | Composite manufacturer Terves' expandable proppant technology, which allows hydraulic fractures to remain open by swelling and applying force to the fracture network, is close to commercialisation. The XO Prop product has been added to the Terves Exalon rigid expandable product range, and uses semi-permeable expandable... | http://www.upstreamonline.com/upstreamtechnology/1366233/expanding-the-horizons-of-proppants | 2017-12-11 16:19:02.817000 | Over the years, proppant technology has evolved from sands to engineered, high-strength proppants, cured and partially cured resin-coated proppants to prevent fines, lightweight and deformable proppants, and coated walnut shells for improved transportation and reduced embedment.
The latest in the line-up could be expa... |
Scientists attempt to convert space debris into IoT devices | Chinese scientists are seeking to turn discarded rocket sections into internet of things (IoT) devices. Researchers at Shanghai's Fudan University are installing smart chips in the final stages of space-bound rockets so they can be used as low-cost experiment and communication platforms, rather than becoming yet more s... | https://www.inquisitr.com/4674000/chinese-scientists-install-intelligent-chip-systems-on-rockets-to-use-them-as-internet-of-things-in-space/ | 2017-12-11 16:15:51.100000 | Chinese scientists have devised an innovative way to utilize a spent rocket in space as a smart application platform. They are now working on a plan to fit intelligent chip systems in the final stage of their space-bound rockets to turn them into an orbital Internet of Things (IoT). In this way, these rockets can be us... |
VC investment in AI totals $7.6bn through first 9 months of 2017 | Artificial intelligence (AI) received $7.6bn in venture capital (VC) investment between January and September, more than the $5.4bn for all of 2016, according to data provider PitchBook. AI-related merger and asset deals amounted to $21.3bn this year. Big names such as Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet are putting AI at t... | https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21732111-artificial-intelligence-looks-tailor-made-incumbent-tech-giants-worry-battle | 2017-12-11 16:07:16.440000 | TWO letters can add up to a lot of money. No area of technology is hotter than AI, or artificial intelligence. Venture-capital investment in AI in the first nine months of 2017 totalled $7.6bn, according to PitchBook, a data provider; that compares with full-year figures of $5.4bn in 2016. In the year to date there hav... |
Made In Space to create optical fibres in orbit | Made In Space has launched into space a machine that prints optical fibres in orbit. The device, which is about the size of a microwave, was sent towards the International Space Station on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule. If successful, Made In Space's machine will make items good enough to sell on Earth, opening up spac... | https://www.space.com/39039-made-in-space-off-earth-manufacturing-test.html | 2017-12-11 16:01:04.333000 | Made In Space has partnered with the New Jersey company Thorlabs on a project to produce ZBLAN optical fiber in orbit. This machine, which is a bit bigger than a microwave, is scheduled to launch toward the International Space Station abroad a SpaceX Dragon capsule on Dec. 12, 2017.
A bold plan to rev up off-Earth man... |
Amazon Alexa voice purchases up 13.5% this quarter | Amazon Alexa users bought 13.5% more products using the device's voice technology in Q3 2017 than in Q2, figures show. The figure increased 7.5% in the previous quarter of this year, according to a study by Linc Global and Rakuten. The same companies also showed a surprisingly high 60% upsell rate, with consumers buyin... | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/06/amazon-alexa-customers-buy-more.html?utm_content=64165313&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28bii-e-commerce%29:%20Alibaba%20invests%20in%20Indian%20online%20grocery%20%E2%80%94%20Echo%20users%20a%20boon%20for%20Amazon%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Vitamin%20Shoppe%... | 2017-12-11 15:59:06.490000 | The Echo Plus looks premium, and almost identical to the original
Amazon 's Alexa voice technology is helping consumer brands sell more, according to a recent study, underscoring its potential as a major marketing platform.
The study, run by Linc Global and Rakuten, shows that Echo owners increased their purchases ... |
Amazon Alexa voice purchases up 13.5% this quarter | Amazon Alexa users bought 13.5% more products using the device's voice technology in Q3 2017 than in Q2, figures show. The figure increased 7.5% in the previous quarter of this year, according to a study by Linc Global and Rakuten. The same companies also showed a surprisingly high 60% upsell rate, with consumers buyin... | http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-echo-owners-are-making-more-voice-purchases-2017-12?IR=T | 2017-12-11 15:59:06.490000 | BII
This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.
Echo owners have been increasing their voice purchases of consumer products in Q3 2017, according to a study by Linc Global and Rakuten cited by CNBC.
The study found that Amazon Echo us... |
Nuvo introduces AI-driven robo-adviser | Cheshire-based start-up Nuvo is offering customers tailored financial advice via a free platform employing artificial intelligence and chatbots. According to CEO Richard Hayes, the platform learns about its customers' habits and requirements using AI, while the chatbot offers a range of tailored financial products. Nuv... | http://www.altfi.com/article/3851_nuvo_launches_chatbot_robo_advisor | 2017-12-11 15:53:37.520000 | Nuvo describes itself as an “artificially intelligent digital broker powered by chatbot technology”, offering financial advice through a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and an in-house team of experts.
The FCA-regulated platform uses AI technology to learn about its customers and show them financial produc... |
Google leading the AI race: The Economist | Google is leading the charge in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), thanks to projects including DeepMind, TensorFlow and Google Brain, according to an article in The Economist. It said that Google's combination of huge quantities of data, computing power, human talent and smart algorithms help put the search gi... | https://www.economist.com/news/business/21732125-tech-giants-are-investing-billions-transformative-technology-google-leads-race | 2017-12-11 15:35:58.827000 | COMMANDING the plot lines of Hollywood films, covers of magazines and reams of newsprint, the contest between artificial intelligence (AI) and mankind draws much attention. Doomsayers warn that AI could eradicate jobs, break laws and start wars. But such predictions concern the distant future. The competition today is ... |
Rwanda launches healthcare platform to entice medical tourists | Rwanda is looking to establish itself as a medical tourism hub after a local start-up launched a health services booking and travel platform. Revisions to the visa regime and expanded flights for local carrier RwandAir are also expected to draw in more overseas patients. The platform, managed by Infinite Health Interna... | http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/225367/ | 2017-12-11 15:34:14.177000 | New drive to ease access to specialised medical care
Ordinarily, a Rwandan seeking specialized treatment abroad would go through a rigorous process. Most of them go through agents of various international hospitals who will come with a markup price while others rely on friends and family abroad to get them appointment... |
Brexit is a distraction from UK's economic downfall: Mitchell | A sluggish economy, low productivity and static pay are bigger threats to the UK than Brexit, according to former Labour MP for Grimsby, Austin Mitchell. Deindustrialisation and economic policy have turned the UK into "a nation of shoppers, dependent on debt", says Mitchell. An annual balance of payments deficit of ove... | https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/11/brexit-distraction-real-problem-uk-clapped-out-economy-winden-manufacturing-production-base | 2017-12-11 15:33:08.970000 | As Brexiteers shout “forward” and remainers chant “ back”, the battle over the EU dominates British politics. Yet it obscures a more basic British problem. Our clapped-out economy, brilliant at consumption, poor at production, is becoming unviable. A “nation of shopkeepers” has become a nation of shoppers, dependent on... |
Boeing aims to beat Elon Musk to be first to land humans on Mars | The CEO of aircraft manufacturer Boeing has revealed the company is working with NASA to build a rocket capable of reaching Mars. Dennis Muilenburg said Boeing's Space Launch System rocket is due for a test flight in 2019 and added: "I firmly believe that the first person that sets foot on Mars will get there in a Boei... | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/07/boeing-ceo-expects-to-beat-elon-musk-in-race-to-mars.html | 2017-12-11 15:29:46.650000 | Take that Elon Musk! Boeing will beat SpaceX to Mars, CEO Dennis Muilenburg told CNBC.
Musk has made it clear that sending humans to Mars is one of his primary goals, even saying it is the reason he started SpaceX in the first place.
But Boeing is in the final assembly stages of building a rocket called the Space Lau... |
YouTube plans to launch a music-streaming service | Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, will launch music-streaming service Remix in March 2018, according to reports. Warner Music Group is said to have already signed up for the service, with talks going on with independent label consortium Merlin, as well as Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. No pr... | http://www.factmag.com/2017/12/08/youtube-remix-streaming-service-report/ | 2017-12-11 15:24:53.950000 | Spotify and Apple Music may have a new streaming rival in 2018.
YouTube is planning to launch a standalone paid music streaming service in March 2018, according to a report at Bloomberg.
According to sources, the service will be called Remix and is expected to feature on-demand music streaming like Spotify alongside ... |
Starling Bank connects with Railsbank to use its open API | Mobile challenger bank Starling Bank has joined the Railsbank platform, giving businesses access to UK banking services and Faster Payments through Railsbank's open API. Starling also joins the start-up's banking panel alongside Arkéa Banking Services. Railsbank's COO, Clive Mitchell, said the deal “shows wholesale ope... | https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/31430/starling-bank-connects-with-railsbank | 2017-12-11 15:23:25.113000 | Starling Bank has hopped on to the Railsbank platform, providing a firm footing for businesses to issue UK bank accounts and access Faster Payments via the Railsbank Open API.
Launched last year by serial entrepreneur Nigel Verdon, Railsbank promises to provide businesses with access to global banking services with ju... |
Grocery band Kroger attempts to challenge Amazon and Walmart | Kroger, one of the biggest grocery brands in the US, is working to develop its own media unit, offering data-driven, personalised ad campaigns to consumer packaged goods firms. Collaborating with data analytics firm 84.51°, Kroger helps brands optimise its data as well as third-party information for highly-targeted adv... | https://digiday.com/marketing/watch-amazon-walmart-kroger-also-building-advertising-business/ | 2017-12-11 15:09:37.330000 | Amazon’s advertising business is worth at least $1 billion, and Walmart has a growing advertising platform, too. Kroger, one of the biggest grocery brands in the U.S., is also venturing into retail media. Kroger is selling its suppliers ad units and solutions, and it is developing a programmatic platform that will go l... |
Samsung Pay offers app for mobile banking in South Korea | South Korea's Samsung Electronics is upgrading the payment system on its latest smartphones to allow users to withdraw and send money using local banks Shinhan and Woori. The upgrade affects nine million domestic Samsung Pay users, who need to download a dedicated app to access the service, but will no longer need to r... | http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20171210000107 | 2017-12-11 14:34:54.267000 | Samsung Electronics Co.'s mobile payment system is moving to expand into the banking sector to offer more diverse services to users, the South Korean tech giant said Sunday.
The company said that starting Thursday, the payment system installed on some of its newer smartphones can be used to carry out transactions at... |
Data devices could use 20% of global electricity by 2025 | The rapidly growing communications industry, with its billions of smartphones, tablets and interconnected devices, could cause 3.5% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, 5.5% by 2025 and up to 14% by 2040. It is also on target to use 20% of the world's electricity by 2025. This is despite the industry long cla... | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/11/tsunami-of-data-could-consume-fifth-global-electricity-by-2025?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco | 2017-12-11 14:30:03.113000 | The communications industry could use 20% of all the world’s electricity by 2025, hampering attempts to meet climate change targets and straining grids as demand by power-hungry server farms storing digital data from billions of smartphones, tablets and internet-connected devices grows exponentially.
The industry has ... |
Agtech start-up Roots develops crop-temperature control system | Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies has developed a crop-root temperature control system it said uses minimal energy. The Israeli start-up said the system increases yield by mitigating the stress brought about by extreme temperature fluctuations. The company, which recently listed on the Australian stock exchan... | https://www.israel21c.org/former-cannabis-activists-agtech-ideas-are-game-changers/ | 2017-12-11 14:28:21.640000 | Boaz Wachtel is best known in Israel for founding the Green Leaf (Ale Yarok) political party, which ran for Knesset several times on a platform of legalizing cannabis. Green Leaf never passed the voter threshold and Watchtel “retired” from the party in 2006. He has now transformed his passion for green into a different... |
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