Who cares about Big Data?

Any organization or business strategic enough to know what the future holds for them — if gargantuan amounts of data are carefully and intelligently collected, analysed, optimized and utilized for its benefit and applied to whatever process or operation it is undertaking.

You can just imagine how enterprises lose out in the zettabyte flood, bungling sizeable opportunities from millions upon millions upon millions of billions of bytes existing in the digital universe today. These include missing out on developing massive solutions that would help not only a business’ bottom line but improving the lives of ordinary people as well.

Nothing is as dire as the Philippines where such vast amounts of data are rendered useless due to mismanagement, and worse, ignorance of its potential to improve profit margins, goods and services, and the opportunity to enhance public governance.

Who wouldn’t take Big Data seriously if it can reduce product development time in manufacturing firms by 20-50 percent, or allows cost-efficient management of extended enterprises and global supply chains, according to a McKinsey and Co. report published in 2011.

The same report revealed how companies can obtain data from a never-before-seen perspective to realize incredible benefits for both the company and its customers. Big Data applications, in this regard, can allow companies to view how their products affect customers to the point of how they affect such purchasing factors as grocery budgets. This can provide immense insight on product design, development and deployment.

If such Big Data applications are available to government entities, imagine how they can improve public service—from law enforcement to mass transport systems. That is, if used wisely and ethically, unlike some governments that use it to invade the privacy of its citizens. Easing traffic congestion, enhancing infrastructure, and even crop research and development for the benefit of farmers are only but a few advantages Big Data can give.

This is the area wherein Dell Philippines, among other big IT solution providers, is seeking to capitalize.

The global IT giant has ramped up efforts on the Big Data space as its area of growth in the Philippines, being the biggest enterprise trend in the country due to its incredible potential for productivity and growth.

While remaining mum on these prospects, Dell Philippines country manager Christopher Papa said the company is excited about how the company solutions are being charted for integration in several Big Data initiatives in leading Philippine companies.

“Big Data is where we are going in the Philippines,” Papa tells Tech Buzz in a small group interview recently. “While I can’t name specific initiatives or prospects, I can say that more and more local companies are looking at this direction with Dell in mind.”

From its PowerEdge servers, which offer incredible processor and onboard storage performance that can handle large in-memory and virtualized database transactions through its 6TB memory and fast, low-latency Express Flash Solid State Disks, to Active Fabric switches that intelligently manages network resources through Software-Defined Networking, achieving reliable network access at the fastest speeds. As such, their vision for Future-Ready IT solutions, which sees powerful yet practical IT solutions dominating enterprise data centers, effectively boosts the prospects of efficient Big Data installations in the country.

source: interaksyon.com

W. Africa's Ebola outbreak still manageable -- WHO

GENEVA – The World Health Organization on Friday denied the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa is already out of control.

"The situation's not out of hand and a lot of work has been done in the three affected countries -- Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia -- to tackle the situation and stop transmission of Ebola virus," assured Dr. Pierre Formenty, an expert from WHO's Department of Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response, speaking during a press conference.

He said WHO and local authorities were able to control the outbreak in different places like Telimele and Dabola in Guinea.

There are places where WHO was not totally successful.

In other places, however, WHO was successful in stopping the chain of transmission.

However, difficulties in identifying cases, tracing the point of contact, and informing people about the infection that still exist in the affected countries particularly in forest areas there.

"Given the recent outbreak of the virus in Sierra Leone, and with people traveling to Liberia and elsewhere, WHO needs to address the possibility of continuous transmission between countries," the expert said.

He warned the other West African border countries like Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau must be prepared in case people infected with the disease traveled to these areas.

As of Thursday, authorities confirmed a total of 386 Ebola cases.

Probable and suspected cases were reported in Guinea, including 280 deaths.

Sierra Leone reported 176 cases including 78 deaths.

Liberia reported 63 cases including 41 deaths.

In an effort to address further spread of the virus in the shortest possible time, WHO will convene in Ghana a special meeting between July 2 and 3 to discuss the best way of tackling the crisis collectively as well as to develop a comprehensive inter-country operational response plan.

source: interaksyon.com

CSB student dies, 3 suffer injuries in suspected fraternity initiation

MANILA - A student of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde was declared dead when brought to the Philippine General Hospital, while three other fellow students suffered serious injuries reportedly from a fraternity initiation rite in Manila.

Initial reports indicated that the victims were applying to become members of the Alpha Kappa Rho (AKRHO) fraternity.

On Sunday, the Homicide Division of the Manila Police District (MPD) identified the fatality as Guillo Cesar Servando, 18, a sophomore HRM student.

Police were still trying to obtain and verify the names of Servando's companions, who were recuperating now at the Philippine General Hospital.

The victims were said to have suffered "severe bruises" on different parts of their bodies during the hazing.

Personnel of the Philippine Red Cross responded late Saturday night to an "emergency call" from an unknown person to Unit 2907 of One Archers Place on Taft Avenue in Manila to attend to persons in need of medical assistance.

Based on the initial investigation by the police, the four students were picked up blindfolded from a fastfood chain near DLS-CSB and then brought to Unit 2907 at around 9:30 p.m.

Investigators were still collecting details about where the initiation rites were conducted.

In a related development, the League of Filipino Students issued a statement that reads, in part:

"We, in LFS, demand the authorities to act quickly and resolutely in delivering justice to the perpetrators of the crime.

"We also urge the families, friends, and fellow students of the victims to join our call in ending the culture of impunity which still pervades in our society.

"LFS calls on fraternities, sororities and all youth organizations to end the barbaric practices still being practiced in several Greek orgs.

"While we uphold the right to organization, we equally assert that this shouldn’t translate as an opportunity to harm or kill anyone."

source: interaksyon.com

Wall Street Week Ahead: Short week, jobs data may bring back swings

NEW YORK - Wall Street may kick off the second half of the year with an uptick in volatility, thanks to the June jobs report and plenty of other market-moving data in a short trading week.

Financial markets will be closed on Friday for Independence Day. So Thursday will bring a blitz of numbers: the nonfarm payroll figures for June, the May trade deficit and the June index on the services sector from the Institute for Supply Management. On Wednesday, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is scheduled to speak on financial stability at an International Monetary Fund conference in Washington.

The elevated volatility would shake some traders out of a stupor. They have been limited in their betting by this market, which has been resilient but boring: The S&P 500 has not had a weekly swing of more than 2 percent since mid-April.

"It has been a very frustrating few months in the market for both long-term and short-term traders. It is very tough to outperform in this environment," said Sam Ginzburg, head of trading at First New York Securities in New York.

The S&P 500 has scored 22 record closing highs for the first half of 2014, feeding concerns about a technical pullback. Yet the CBOE Volatility Index, Wall Street's fear gauge, has hovered near multi-year lows, reflecting a market that seemed to grind higher no matter what was thrown at it.

"Markets will probably trade sideways or lower until the VIX gets to a higher level, where it can support some kind of (a meaningful) advance," said Donald Selkin, chief market strategist at National Securities in New York, which has about $3 billion in assets under management.

The VIX is trading around 11, or about half of its long-term average of about 20. While no one would want to relive the financial crisis when the VIX jumped to 89.53 on Oct. 24, 2008, a modest amount of volatility is welcome on Wall Street.

A higher VIX creates valuation imbalances that drive stock picks and boost trading volume, which has collapsed from more than 8 billion shares a day in 2007 to an average of about 5 billion now.

For long-term investors, though, Wall Street is wrapping up a good first half of the year. The S&P 500 has climbed 6.1 percent this year, following a jump of 30 percent in 2013.

A recent Reuters poll showed market participants expect the benchmark index to hit 2,000 for the first time before the year ends, which is a gain of about 8.2 percent from 2013.

If the market closed the year at current levels, it would mark the best three-year run for U.S. stocks since the 1997-1999 period.

source: interaksyon.com

Federal judge upholds stricter Colorado gun laws

DENVER -- A federal judge upheld gun laws on Thursday introduced by Colorado in the wake of deadly shooting rampages there and in Connecticut, dismissing a lawsuit brought by sheriffs, gun shops, outfitters and shooting ranges.

The two laws, passed in 2013 by Colorado's Democratic-controlled legislature with scant Republican support, banned ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds and required background checks for all private gun sales and transfers.

The bills were introduced in response to a shooting spree in 2012 that killed 12 people at a suburban Denver movie theater, and the slaying later that same year of 20 children and six adults at an elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

But they immediately met resistance from critics, including most of Colorado's elected sheriffs, who said they severely restricted citizens' constitutional right to own and bear arms.

Last year, voters recalled two key Democratic members of the legislature that approved the controversial measures.

After a two-week civil trial, US District Chief Judge Marcia Krieger ruled the lawsuit lacked standing and said no evidence had been produced that showed limiting magazines to 15 rounds seriously diminished the ability to defend oneself.

"Of the many law enforcement officials called to testify, none were able to identify a single instance in which they were involved where a single civilian fired more than 15 shots in self defense," she said in her ruling.

Responding to complaints about expanded background checks, she said there were more than 600 firearms dealers in the state which actively perform private checks, and that it takes an average of less than 15 minutes for a check to be run by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who signed the bills into law, was named as the defendant in the lawsuit.

Colorado has seen two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. In addition to the 2012 theater shooting, it was the site of a 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot dead a teacher and 12 other students before committing suicide.

But it is also a state where gun ownership is treasured.

Colorado's Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, said his office never claimed the laws were "good, wise, or sound policy," but that it had fulfilled its responsibility to defend the constitutionality of the state law in question.

source: interaksyon.com

Action camera-maker GoPro makes picture-perfect debut

Shares of GoPro Inc, a maker of cameras used by surfers, skydivers and other action junkies to record and post their exploits online, rose as much as 38 percent in their market debut.

The company’s shares rose to a high of $33 in early Nasdaq trading on Thursday, valuing the company that popularized action cameras for consumers at about $4 billion.

GoPro is the first U.S. consumer-electronics company to go public since headphones maker Skullcandy Inc in 2011.

Videos taken using the company’s wearable cameras have made a big splash on the Internet. The company says its videos attracted more than 1 billion views in the first quarter on YouTube, where its channel has 2 million subscribers.

GoPro was founded in 2004 by Nick Woodman, who hit upon the idea while on a surfing trip to Australia. He raised his first funds to develop the camera by selling seashell necklaces along the California coast.

“There probably hasn’t been a consumer electronics brand as dominant as GoPro has been in its category since the early days of the iPod or the iPad,” Dougherty & Co analyst Charlie Anderson wrote in a note to clients.

Anderson estimates that GoPro has captured more than 90 percent of the action camera market.

Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting 24-mile (39-km) jump from a stratospheric balloon was captured using a GoPro camera. That video has attracted nearly 16 million views on YouTube.

Olympic gold medal winning snow boarder Shaun White and 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater are among well-known athletes who have endorsed the cameras.

GoPro cameras have also become popular among bands such as The Rolling Stones and Foo Fighters. The company received an Emmy award in 2013 for its contribution to the television industry.

GoPro sold 8.9 million shares, while the rest were offered by selling stockholders, including Woodman and investors Riverwood Capital LP, Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd and Sageview Capital Master LP.

Woodman, the company’s chief executive and its largest shareholder with a 48 percent stake, sold about 3.6 million shares.

Private equity firm Riverwood owns 16 percent of the company while Hon Hai owns 10 percent through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary Foxteq Holdings Inc. Sageview owns 6 percent.

CLICKS WITH INVESTORS

The popularity of its Wi-Fi equipped cameras drove San Mateo, California-based GoPro’s revenue to nearly $1 billion in 2013, an 88 percent increase from the year earlier. Its net profit doubled to about $61 million.

“GoPro is a brand that defines a category, like Band-Aid or Uber, and is growing very fast. It helps that they are profitable,” said Rett Wallace, chief executive of Triton Research, which analyzes startups.

Woodman’s first version of the camera was a 35-mm film camera that was strapped to the wrist and retailed for $30 at surf shops and other niche stores.

The company took off in 2009 when it launched its first digital camera that shot HD video.

Sales have grown rapidly outside the United States, with international revenue now more than half of the company’s total in the first quarter of 2014, up from 35 percent in 2011.

GoPro this month hired as president Tony Bates, a former Microsoft Corp executive who was reported to have been a CEO candidate before Satya Nadella’s appointment.

The IPO raised $427.2 million, after its offering of 17.8 million class A shares was priced at $24, the high end of the expected price range.

JP Morgan, Citigroup and Barclays were lead underwriters.

source: interaksyon.com

New Microsoft-Nokia smartphone is… Android

WASHINGTON — Microsoft on Tuesday opted for the Android operating system from arch rival Google for its new Nokia smartphone, in a move aimed at regaining momentum in the competitive mobile sector.

Microsoft said the Nokia X2 was “designed to introduce the ‘next billion’ people to the mobile Internet and cloud services.”

The device is an updated version of a phone unveiled by Nokia before Microsoft acquired the handset division of the Finnish giant.

It will be sold worldwide as a dual-SIM phone at a price of $135 (99 euros), Microsoft said in a statement.

While Microsoft has been struggling to get a foothold in the smartphone market with its Windows Phone operating system, the X2 “provides access to a world of Android apps and popular Microsoft services,” the statement said.

Even though it uses the rival Android platform, the X2 offers “a gateway to Microsoft services,” including the Skype messaging program and OneDrive cloud storage.

The initial Nokia X was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February before Microsoft completed its takeover of Nokia’s handset division in April.

The new version cuts the price of a phone that has had success in some countries.

“The Nokia X family is going from strength to strength, with the Nokia X smartphone achieving top-selling status in Pakistan, Russia, Kenya and Nigeria, while earning the third best-selling smartphone spot in India,” said Timo Toikkanen, head of mobile phones for the Microsoft Devices Group.

With the Nokia X unveiled in February, Android applications work but users cannot access Google’s services, notably its applications store, Google Play.

Tuesday’s statement said users would have access to the Nokia Store as “the place for finding the highest-quality Android apps” for the device.

Windows Phone has managed to get only around 3.5 percent of the global smartphone market, while Android has more than 80 percent, according to recent figures from research firm IDC.

‘Brilliant’ move

Bob O’Donnell, founder of Technalysis Research, said Microsoft will get benefits from this strategy.

“It’s counterintuitive to most people but I think it’s a brilliant move,” O’Donnell told AFP.

“What they are doing is breaking the services from the platform and showing that services can exist on multiple platforms.”

This means that even though the operating system will be Android, revenue-producing services like email, search and maps will be from Microsoft instead of Google.

“It’s interesting and clever,” O’Donnell said. “Even as they build the Windows Phone share, they can build the Windows services share.”

Roger Kay, analyst with Endpoint Technologies, said the Android phone makes sense in view of the fragile position of the Windows Phone platform.

“Google has the dominant platform and Apple is number two, so there is a question about whether there is room for a number three,” Kay said.

He added that the Nokia unit appears to be maintaining some independence after being acquired by Microsoft and that “they want to sell as many phones as possible.”

“Microsoft is hanging onto the phone business by its fingernails,” he said. “One bump and they could be gone. You still have a whole phone business in Nokia so it makes sense to be on the dominant platform.”

Microsoft closed the deal in April with some adjustments from the announced price of $7.52 billion (5.44 billion euros).

Nokia was the world leader in mobile phones before the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 and the onslaught of Android phones, mainly from Samsung

source: interaksyon.com

Five years after death, Michael Jackson’s fortunes blooming

LOS ANGELES | Michael Jackson fans will place flowers on his grave in Los Angeles this week to mark the fifth anniversary of his death, but half a decade on, the pop icon’s financial fortunes are positively blooming.

The self-proclaimed King of Pop was struggling to avoid bankruptcy when he died on June 25, 2009. At the time, he was in rehearsals for a series of comeback shows he hoped would resurrect his earlier jaw-dropping wealth.

But in five years since, the Michael Jackson Estate — which runs his affairs on behalf of Jackson’s mother and three children — has earned over $700 million, according to a new book about the singer’s business empire.

“Michael Jackson is making more money now, five years after his death, than he had been since the prime of his career,” Zack Greenburg, author of “Michael Jackson Inc.,” told AFP.

Die-hard Jackson fans staged a flash mob Sunday ahead of Wednesday’s anniversary — when more are expected to pay their respects at the Forest Lawn cemetery just outside Los Angeles, where the pop megastar is buried.

While the business side is going well and fans are celebrating his legacy, it’s been a tough few years for his family — both through losing Jackson himself, and because of the frenzy of legal action unleashed by his shock death.

One of the biggest was the criminal trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor who, while treating Jackson for insomnia, gave him the clinical anesthetic propofol that killed him at his Holmby Hills mansion five years ago.

Murray was eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter and jailed for four years. He was released last October after two years behind bars.

Then came the civil trial brought by Jackson’s aging mother Katherine, who sued tour promoters AEG Live claiming they negligently hired an incompetent doctor and drove her son to his death. A jury threw out her claims.

MONEY AFTER DEATH

But while the family came to grips with their loss, the Michael Jackson Estate, led by executors John Branca and John McClain, got straight down to business five years ago.

Above all, they had to rapidly generate revenues to stave off the massive debts that Jackson had built up in the last five years of his life.

In his heyday, Jackson — whom Greenburg said “fundamentally changed the formula for monetizing fame forever” — was making over $100 million a year, with hits including 1982′s “Thriller,” still the biggest selling album ever.

He had also bought the Beatles back catalogue for $47.5 million in 1985, an investment estimated to be worth $1 billion today.

But the child molestation charges that engulfed Jackson in the mid-2000s brought an end to the good times. Jackson, who temporarily went to live in Bahrain, almost had to sell his beloved Neverland ranch.

In his final years, he was still going on massive spending binges, taking loans on his assets to cover the bills. At the lowest point, his debts totaled some $500 million, forcing him to plan for the doomed comeback concerts in 2009.

After Jackson’s death, one of the estate’s first money-making ventures was the “This is It” motion picture, patched together from footage of rehearsals for the doomed final tour. The film made some $200 million worldwide.

A few months after his death, Sony and his lawyers signed a record contract said to be worth over $200 million by The Wall Street Journal — foreseeing the release of seven albums over 10 years.

The estate also did deals with Cirque du Soleil for both a touring show and a permanent show based at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas.

Only last month, Jackson was back on stage — as a hologram — performing at the Billboard 2014 Music Award event in Las Vegas.

Jackson, or rather his hologram, sang and moonwalked to “A Slave to the Rhythm” recorded in 1991 and included on the recently-released album “Xscape,” the second since his death, following “Michael” in 2010.

Greenburg said the star’s financial turnaround, in death, was unprecedented.

“If you look at the numbers, it’s actually over $700 million in five years. Over that period of time… no living artist has gotten anywhere close to that,” he told AFP.

“Regardless of where the King of Pop’s spirit resides, one thing’s for sure: Michael Jackson, Inc. is alive and well,” he concluded in his book.

source: interaksyon.com

CNN launches research for drones in journalism

WASHINGTON — CNN said Monday it was launching a research project with the Georgia Institute of Technology on how drones could be used for newsgathering by media organizations.

The research will evaluate the technology, personnel and safety needs to operate effectively and will share its findings with the Federal Aviation Administration, which is considering rules for unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Our hope is that by working cooperatively to share knowledge, we can accelerate the process for CNN and other media organizations to safely integrate this new technology into their coverage plans,” said David Vigilante, CNN senior vice president, in a statement.

Georgia tech researcher Mike Heiges said drones “have a number of applications that benefit society, such as search and rescue, disaster response and agricultural mapping and crop assessment,” and added that “we’re excited to be engaging with CNN to study the newsgathering applications” for drones.

The move comes amid intense interest in drones beyond military and intelligence purposes. US authorities are considering new regulations that could allow civilian drones to share the airspace with manned aircraft.

Unlike other countries, the United States prohibits the use of drones, or unmanned aerial systems for commercial purposes, although the FAA grants rare exceptions for government and law enforcement use.

Earlier this year, 16 major US news organizations joined to accuse the FAA of curtailing freedom of the press by restricting the use of drones for news.

In a brief to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the news organizations including The New York Times and The Washington Post argued that drones are a First Amendment — or constitutional rights — concern.

The University of Nebraska in 2011 established a Drone Journalism Lab to examine how to use such aircraft for newsgathering.

source: interaksyon.com

Yahoo! grabs for Android smartphone homescreen

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo! on Monday ramped up its move to mobile, grabbing for Android smartphone home screens with an Aviate application tuned to where people are.

Yahoo bought Aviate early this year in a deal reported to be valued at about $80 million dollars. The software was subsequently honed with a test group.

An English language version of Aviate for handsets powered by Google-backed Android software made its global debut on Monday, in a move to give new prominence to Yahoo on the smartphone.

“We created Aviate to connect you with the information you need at the moment it’s useful,” Aviate founder and Yahoo product manager Mark Daiss said in a Tumblr post.

“Yahoo Aviate simplifies everything about your phone.”

The Aviate application available at Google Play online shop is touted as creating an “intelligent home screen” that serves up applications or information based on where users are and what they might be most interested in a given moment.

“It starts with a clean, new layout and apps automatically organized for you,” Daiss said.

“But it’s not just about making your phone simpler — Aviate also makes your phone smarter by offering intelligent information throughout your day.”

Showcasing content

The Aviate release comes as part of a campaign by Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the faded Internet firm as a premier digital content company at the heart of people’s daily routines in the mobile age.

“At the end of the day, Yahoo! is trying to be a content site again; really connect you back to the content you want to read, watch, and enjoy,” said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

“It is like next-generation TV on steroids.”

To succeed, Yahoo needs to seize control of smartphone screens and put its content, along with money-making advertising, at the center of experiences on mobile devices, according to the analyst.

Online retail titan Amazon last week made a move in the same direction by unveiling “Fire” smartphone infused with software tightly tied to its online offerings.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled the device, Amazon’s first smartphone of its own, which has a 4.7-inch display, a high-definition camera and Amazon’s free help service.

The phone also ties in to Amazon’s vast array of other offerings, serving as a platform for digital content such as books, films and music and connecting users to the firm’s cloud storage.

“Amazon is doing exactly what Yahoo wants to do, but with their own devices,” Enderle said.

Amazon’s tactic sidesteps potential bumps that might be put in Yahoo’s path by carriers, handset makers, and Android-backer Google when it comes to vying for control of smartphone home screens.

“If Yahoo does get a beach head, it is unlikely they can hold it; and getting that beach head is going to be difficult to begin with,” Enderle said.

Building a news team

Yahoo has been shedding its online search engine past in favor of a future as a venue for premier digital content and services, particularly aimed at smartphones and tablet computers.

Yahoo has also been investing in original programming. US media reported on Monday that Yahoo! has added former NBC News investigative reporter Michael Isikoff to its lineup.

“Yahoo! is trying to build out a news program,” Enderle said. “They are hand picking people who they think can bring them an audience.”

Yahoo! in January enlisted news, music and television stars for the launch of online magazines focused on technology and food.

In May, the Sunnyvale, California-based firm launched an online magazine for film lovers.

source: interaksyon.com

Google launches Glass in London

Google have launched their wearable goggles, Glass, in London. The Guardian are set to be stocking up in a bid to look ahead of the game while the Daily Mail are furiously writing 1,000 op-ed pieces about how evil the whole idea is.

The internet giant has launched their Explorer Programme which now allows anyone over the age of 18 to buy a pair of Glass(es), despite still being in the prototype phase.

And it’ll cost you £1,000.

That won’t matter to tech-savvy Londoners with money to burn – soon, they’ll be annoying everyone on the train or in coffee shops by talking to their specs by saying “Glass, which is the most annoyingly named craft beer I can buy?” as well as; ”Glass – search dominatrix services in the Shoreditch area”.

Of course, it isn’t all about looking for dark sexual gratification – you can watch videos, read emails and other stuff which you can do with your phone or tablet. However, Glass leaves your hands free to rub your thighs and give people the middle finger.

At the UK launch, Marketing Director of Google Glass Ed Sanders said: “One of the reasons we’re here in the UK is the country’s spirit of innovation. The consumers, developers and inventors in the UK have a very rich heritage of embracing new technology.”

“Glass is not a finished product yet and part of the spirit of the explorer programme is so that we can work closely with developers and consumers in the UK at a local level to find out what will take the product forward.”

However, the fact that British people are a little more reserved than our American cousins may mean that this device is hamstrung initially.

We await the first arrest from someone using Glass while driving.

source: bitterwallet.com

Apple go cheap with new iMac

Since Apple gave the world a ‘cheap’ phone, they’ve convinced themselves that they can go ‘cheap’ across the board. Of course, Apple’s version of cheap isn’t the same as anyone else’s.

They’ve added an iMac to their product line which will cost you £899 ($1,099), which is cheaper than the rest of their offerings, but not exactly something you could buy on a whim once the direct debits have come out of your account at the start of the month.

So what’s under the hood?

Apple say that it’ll have a 21.5-inch display with 1.4GHz dual-core Core i5, a 500GB hard drive, and Intel HD Graphics 5000 hardware. It’ll have 802.11ac WiFi and Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports, but, with 8GB of RAM soldered hard to the motherboard, you won’t be able to beef it up. There’s pictures of that here.





This is something of a turnaround for Apple.

Once upon a time, Steve Jobs said that they wouldn’t go cheap(er) because ”we don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk.” Of course, this isn’t a $500 computer, but apply some inflation and it’s as good as.

Fancy one, or is it worth just saving up for a proper one?

 source: bitterwallet.com

Refund your Oyster or help charity

Do you have an Oyster card which you bought for lols that time you went to London and then completely forgot about?

Well then you should check out if you can get the spare money back, as there’s £124 million on them (not yours, but loads in general)

Transport for London reckon – out of the 75 million cards issued since time began (2003) – that there’s around 28 million cards that haven’t been used for over a year, and THESE have a combined amount of £64 million on them. Lordy. TfL also has £59.5 million in deposits on these cards too.

Once you’ve found your card, here’s what you can do:

Phone: call 0343 222 1234 with your Oyster number to hand and go through all the security questions, get the nice person on the other end to cancel your card, which you then send to TfL’s customer services HQ to get a full refund of your credit and deposit via bank transfer, cheque, or TfL website credit.

Post: Complete a TfL refund form and send it in to TfL with your Oyster. (Admittedly, if you live in, say, outside of London, a TfL refund form may be difficult to come by).

Person: You can apply for a refund at any London Underground ticket office (BE QUICK WHILE THEY STILL USE HUMANS) and someone will be able to help you.

If the payment method you originally used was a debit or credit card that’s since expired, you can ask for the refund to be transferred to a nominated bank account or to receive it via cheque. If you haven’t registered your card, you’ll need to show some form of ID in order to get the refund. You can’t get a refund on behalf of someone else.

If you can’t be arsed to do any of this, and fancy being nice, TfL donate unused cards to charity, and the spare cash goes to the Railway Children charity which helps nippers on the streets of Africa, India and the UK. Which is quite nice isn’t it? (Although you’ll probably go for the refund though eh?).

source: bitterwallet.com

Mortgage approvals down since nosier tests

Mortgage approvals have fallen to a nine month low.

The new affordability tests, which ask a variety of quite tough and nosey questions, are said to be the main cause for this, and hence having a knock on effect on the housing market.

The approvals fell for a third month in April 2014, according to the Bank of England, and these new rules are said to be part of the reason.

The seasonally adjusted figures showed that a total of 62,918 house purchase loans were approved during April, the lowest number since July 2013. It’s also markedly lower than the previous six months’ average of 70,132.

Analysts reckon that these figures, along with those of an increase in manufacturing, showed that the UK economy was undergoing a hoped-for rebalancing away from housing and consumer-dependent growth to an industry-based model.

A man with a great name – Samuel Tombs, who is UK economist at Capital Economics – had this to say:

“The data has provided more encouraging evidence that the recovery is shifting away from its excessive dependence on housing and consumers towards industry”

So the economy may be showing signs of recovery, but be cautious, as these tests may actually really start dragging on the property market. While it’s still happening with house-buying and that, and the market is still vibrant with house prices in England and Wales rising 6.7% in April compared with the same month last year, according to the Land Registry.

The slowdown in approvals over the spring means that in April mortgage lending to homebuyers was 17% below its recent peak of 75,838 in January, when total lending peaked at 124,358 approvals.

Remortgaging has also dropped off since the start of the year, with 31,703 loans approved for existing borrowers who were not moving house. This is below the previous six-month average of 34,316.

The total value of mortgages approved fell to £15.7bn in April, down from £16.3bn in March, while loans for house purchases dropped from £10.6bn to £10bn.

So that’s all super news if you ever do find yourself on the property ladder.

source: bitterwallet.com

Germany salvages draw against Ghana, Messi rescues Argentina from Iran

FORTALEZA – Miroslav Klose hit a World Cup record-equalling 15th goal as Germany fought back to claim a 2-2 draw with Ghana on Saturday.

In other matches, a moment of individual brilliance from Argentina captain Lionel Messi steered his team into the last-16 in a victory over Iran, while Bosnia were knocked out after a controversial 1-0 loss to Nigeria.

Klose had only been on the pitch as a substitute for two minutes in Fortaleza when he jabbed home Germany’s equaliser and joined Brazilian great Ronaldo on top of the all-time scoring charts.

The 36-year-old Lazio struck in the 71st minute of a thrilling Group G game at the Castelao Stadium after goals from Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan had fired Ghana into a 2-1 lead.

Mario Gotze had given Germany the lead, heading in off his own knee on 51 minutes after a goalless first half.

But Ghana struck back brilliantly, levelling through Ayew’s 54th minute header before Asamoah fired the Black Stars into the lead.

The result left the Germans, who beat Portugal 4-0 in their opening match, on top of Group G with four points.

Ghana, beaten by the United States in their first game, have one point heading into their final match with Portugal next week.

Earlier, Messi scored a brilliant injury time winner as Argentina overcame Iran 1-0 in Belo Horizonte to squeeze into the second round.

Four-time world player of the year Messi curled in a sublime shot from just outside the area in the first minute of stoppage time to break Iranian hearts in the Group F battle.

The Argentina captain had been largely anonymous for much of the match as Iran frustrated the South American giants at the Mineirao Stadium.

- Romero saves Argentina -

The Asian minnows might even have snatched victory only to be denied by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero, who pulled off fine second-half saves from England-based duo Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejad.

But with the clock ticking down, Messi picked up the ball on the edge of the area and after being granted time to pick his spot, curled in his second goal of the tournament.

The result leaves Argentina assured of a place in the last 16, joining Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Holland in the second round.

“We are not showing what we can do, but with a run of games I think we will get there,” Messi said of Argentina’s form.

“We are the first ones to know we have not reached the level we would like.”

Iran’s former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz was fuming however over Serbian referee Milorad Mazic’s failure to award his side a penalty.

“Messi was fantastic, but the referee wasn’t,” Queiroz said.

“I don’t understand it, he had to have seen it was a penalty. He was five metres away, there is no way he couldn’t have seen it.”

In the late Group F game in Cuiaba, Nigeria remained firmly in contention for a last 16 place following a 1-0 win over Bosnia, which eliminated the European side.

Nigeria now need only a draw against Argentina on Wednesday to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time since 1998.

But Bosnia were furious after two key decisions went against them in the opening 45 minutes.

First striker Edin Dzeko had a legitimate goal wrongly ruled offside.

Then, moments later, Nigeria scored through Peter Odemwingie.

Bosnia’s players claimed Nigeria’s Emmanuel Emenike had fouled Bosnia captain Emir Spahic in the build-up, but the goal stood.

Bosnia coach Safet Susic said afterward his team had been robbed of a goal by New Zealand referee Peter O’Leary.

“I was told there was no offside but it’s not the first or last time a referee has made a bad decision at this World Cup and it won’t be the last,” said the 59-year-old.

“We lost to a good side, Nigeria played better than against Iran.”

source: interaksyon.com

Google, Microsoft to add smartphone ‘kill’ switches

WASHINGTON — Google and Microsoft said Friday they plan to join Apple in offering theft-deterring “kill switches” in their smartphone operating systems, as part of an agreement with mayors and police agencies.

The companies confirmed the commitment which was noted in a report Thursday by the “Secure Our Smartphones Initiative” led by the New York state attorney general with officials from San Francisco and London.

The coalition of more than 100 elected leaders and law enforcement officials from major cities said the agreement means the three main smartphone platforms would soon add the feature as part of an effort to curb an epidemic of thefts.

The report said Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone would add the feature — enabling a user to deactivate a stolen handset — after Apple included this last year.

Google confirmed the news Friday without providing a date for the new feature.

“Yes, the next version of Android will include a factory reset protection solution to help deter smartphone theft. We will be releasing more details shortly,” a spokesman told AFP in an email.

Microsoft said in a separate statement it would introduce the feature ahead of the mobile industry target date of July 2015.

“The new theft deterrent features will be offered as an update for all phones running Windows Phone 8.0 and newer, though availability is subject to mobile operator and phone manufacturer approval,” said Microsoft vice president Fred Humphries

New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the commitments show the initiative to use technology to deter theft is making progress.

“In just one year, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative has made tremendous strides towards curtailing the alarming trend of violent smartphone theft,” he said in a statement.

“We will continue the fight to ensure that companies put consumers’ safety first and work toward ending the epidemic of smartphone theft.”

The report noted that preliminary data following Apple’s adoption of its “activation lock” feature found that in the first five months of 2014, theft of Apple devices fell by 17 percent in New York, while thefts of Samsung products increased by 51 percent from the same period in the previous year.

In the six months after Apple introduced the feature, iPhone thefts fell 24 percent in London and robberies fell 38 percent in San Francisco, while thefts of other popular mobile devices increased, the report said.

The report cited studies that showed 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in 2013 — nearly double the levels of 2012, and one in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device last year.

In 2013, a mobile device played a role in roughly half of all robberies in New York City, San Francisco and London, the report said.

“We can make the violent epidemic of smartphone theft a thing of the past, and these numbers prove that,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon.

“It was evident from day one that a technological solution was not only possible, but that it would serve as an effective deterrent to this growing threat. This past year we successfully held the wireless industry’s feet to the fire and it’s already having an impact for consumers.”

source: interaksyon.com

Hollywood comes to Hong Kong for glitzy ‘Transformers 4′ premiere

HONG KONG | Mark Wahlberg and the cast of the latest “Transformers” installment brought Hollywood glamor to Hong Kong Thursday for the world premiere of the sci-fi movie which was partly shot in the city.

Wahlberg, accompanied by co-stars Stanley Tucci and Nicola Peltz, said Hong Kong played a crucial role in “Transformers: Age of Extinction”.

“Hong Kong is basically another character in the film and it was an honour to work here,” the 43-year-old star said on the red carpet at the harbourside Cultural Centre.

“It’s just bigger and better,” Wahlberg said of the new film as excited fans screamed at the sight of him.

Director Michael Bay, known for his trademark blockbuster mayhem, said Hong Kong looked none the worse for the destruction wrought on its famous skyline in his movie.

“It was a great city to shoot in, I didn’t hurt it too much,” Bay joked.

“We totally destroyed that, we destroyed that, we hurt the Bank of China a little bit,” he said, pointing at the buildings that were damaged in the film.

But there was drama during the production in the city when two men confronted and attacked Bay, claiming they were owed HK$100,000 ($12,900) compensation for filming in the area.

A Hong Kong man was sentenced to more than two years in jail in February for assaulting and attempting to blackmail the “Armageddon” director.

The movie does not feature Shia LaBeouf, star of the three previous “Transformers” movies but that did not bother the hundreds of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood stars, watched over by a six-metre (20-foot) tall replica of Optimus Prime, the leader of the benevolent Autobots.

“Definitely Mark! Hi Mark, I love you,” Khristin Cadasaan from Manila, who was ecstatic after seeing Wahlberg on the red carpet, told AFP when asked which leading man she preferred to see in the series.

“It’s exciting because he’s one of my favorite Hollywood actors,” she added.

Movie website editor Cyrus Wong attended the premiere to see Bay, one of his favorite directors.

“Nobody can top his ability to make grand-scaled films… From when I was young until I was older his films have made a very big impression on me,” Wong, 28, said, while wearing a Transformers T-shirt.

After the attack in October last year, Bay wrote on his website: “Every vendor where we shot got paid a fair price for our inconvenience, but he wanted four times that amount. I personally told this man and his friends to forget it we were not going to let him extort us.”

“He didn’t like that answer. So an hour later he came by my crew as we were shooting, carrying a long air conditioner unit. He walked right up to me and tried to smack my face.

“But I ducked, threw the air unit on the floor and pushed him away. That’s when the security jumped on him. But it took seven big guys to subdue him. It was like a zombie in Brad Pitt’s movie ‘World War Z’ — he lifted seven guys up and tried to bite them.”

The movie opens on June 27 in the United States.

source: interaksyon.com

Chile hilltop razed for world's largest telescope

SANTIAGO -- Construction on the world's largest optical telescope began with a bang Thursday, as workers demolished a hilltop in Chile's Atacama desert.

The European Extremely Large Telescope, being built by the European Southern Observatory, aims to give astronomers new insight into the origins of the universe and help search for potentially habitable planets elsewhere in the galaxy.

Currently, "we have no proof of the existence of an Earth-like planet at the same distance from the sun in our galactic neighborhood," said astronomer Fernando Comeron, ESO's representative in Chile.

"That's not because they don't exist but because we didn't yet have the tools to detect them.

"With the E-ELT, we can."

Construction will take an estimated 10 years, and the telescope will be put into service two years later.

The first step, estimated at $1.4 billion, involves razing around 5,000 cubic meters (177,000 cubic feet) of rock off the top of Mount Armazones.

The newly flat surface will support the foundation of the telescope, with an "eye" -- a main mirror -- of 39 meters (128 feet) in diameter.

The new telescope's light-collecting surface "will be 10 to 15 times greater than those of existing telescopes," Comeron said.

Thanks to its dry and cold climate, and the lack of light pollution from cities in the remote region, Chile's Atacama desert provides an ideal location for astronomical research.

The ESO, a collaboration involving 15 mainly European countries, operates a number of high-powered telescopes in Chile, including the Very Large Telescope array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, or ALMA.

source: interaksyon.com

Luis Suarez, Uruguay push England on verge of early exit

SAO PAULO – Luis Suarez scored twice as Uruguay sent England spinning towards their earliest World Cup exit in 56 years on Thursday with a 2-1 victory.

Liverpool striker Suarez grabbed the second of two opportunistic goals in the 85th minute of a tense Group D battle in Sao Paulo after Wayne Rooney had looked to have rescued a point for England with a 75th-minute equaliser.

The defeat leaves England, beaten 2-1 by Italy in their opening match, needing a miracle if they are to reach the second round of a World Cup, something they have not failed to do since 1958.

“We are more then disappointed, we’re devastated,” England manager Roy Hodgson said after the loss, describing his side’s chances of remaining in the tournament as “unbelievably slim.”

“To be sure of continuing we needed a result today, a draw or a victory, and we didn’t get it,” he added.

Suarez — named English football’s player of the year after a superb season for Liverpool — had been a doubt for the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery in May.

However the 27-year-old returned to haunt an England side containing five of his Liverpool team-mates.

“Yes, I dreamed of this,” Suarez said. “It was something I imagined many times, but I had to calm myself down.”

With both teams knowing that a defeat would likely prove fatal to their chances of progressing to the last 16, the game started cautiously.

But England’s inability to retain possession looked likely to gift Uruguay an opening, and so it proved.

Loose play from England captain Steven Gerrard saw Uruguay break swiftly, with Nicolas Lodeiro releasing Edinson Cavani down the left.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker delayed his cross to perfection, leaving Suarez, who had ghosted clear of Phil Jagielka, to head back past wrong-footed England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

With England struggling to break Uruguay down for much of the second half, Suarez’s opener looked to be enough.

But 15 minutes from time Rooney tapped in his 40th international goal, and his first at a World Cup, after a low Glen Johnson cross to reignite their challenge.

England had looked the likelier to score thereafter, but five minutes from time the ball broke to Suarez off Gerrard and the striker raced clear.

The Liverpool man glanced up and then unleashed a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.

Uruguay’s victory leaves England needing Italy to beat both Costa Rica on Friday and the Uruguayans next Tuesday.

England would then need to beat Costa Rica in their final game to have any chance of qualifying on goal difference.

Colombia on course

Earlier Thursday, Colombia maintained South America’s strong start to the tournament with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, which saw them guaranteed a place in the last 16 from Group C.

A day after Chile eliminated defending champions Spain, Colombia produced another fine attacking display to down the powerful Ivorians in a free-flowing contest at Brasilia’s National Stadium.

Second-half goals from Monaco starlet James Rodriguez and Juan Quintero fired Colombia into the lead before Roma striker Gervinho pulled one back for the Ivorians to set up a tense finish.

Colombia, making their first appearance at the World Cup since 1998, sealed their second round berth later Thursday after Japan and Greece played out a dour 0-0 draw in Natal.

The result means Japan and Greece must win their final matches against Colombia and Ivory Coast respectively to have any chance of going through.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni was unhappy at his side’s inability to make Greece pay following the dismissal of their captain Konstantinos Katsouranis on 38 minutes.

“We’re not happy at this stage of the tournament. We pushed hard to win the game. We do have one match to play, but right now I’m not happy at all,” Zaccheroni said.

“We had a lot of possession, had a lot of chances, and we didn’t capitalise on them.”

source: interaksyon.com

Japan robot firm showcases thought-controlled suits

KAWASAKI — A Japanese robot-maker on Wednesday showed off suits that the wearer can control just by thinking, as it said it was linking up with an industrial city promoting innovation.

Cyberdyne founder Yoshiyuki Sankai said he was allying with Kawasaki, a city south of Tokyo, to explore ways to expand real-life applications for his robo-suits, which are often used for physical therapy.

“We want to make technology that actually helps people,” Sankai, who is also a professor of engineering at the University of Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo, said.

Cyberdyne, based in Tsukuba, makes power-assisted robotic suits, limbs and joints that can help the elderly and disabled to get around or can help industrial workers to lift heavy objects.

The machines detect weak electrical pulses that run through the skin when the wearer’s brain sends the message to the limb to move.

The robot then moves exactly in concert with the natural limb, but provides much more power than it could exert on its own.

“We don’t want people to see individuals wearing our products and think ‘Gee, it must be so hard (to live with ailments)’,” Sankai said.

“Rather, we want people to see the robot and say, ‘Wow, that’s fantastic’,” he said.

source: interaksyon.com

Plunder info vs Enrile fails to prove he pocketed pork - lawyer

MANILA - The lawyer of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile on Friday asked the Sandiganbayan not to proceed with the plunder case against his client for lack of probable cause.

Estelito Mendoza, a former Justice secretary and solicitor general, also asked the anti-graft court not to issue a warrant of arrest against the 90-year old senator.

Mendoza challenged the Office of the Ombudsman’s basis for filing charges against Enrile, saying the 10,000-page attachment to the indictment did not specify how the senator supposedly pocketed P172 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel.

Enrile was absent from the hearing.

Plunder and graft charges have been filed before the Sandiganbayan against Enrile and Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

“There is no evidence with probative value to the Ombudsman’s claim that Enrile accumulated or acquired ill-gotten wealth, consisting of kickbacks, over the years 2004 to 2010, in the accumulated amount of at least P172,834,500.00,” the motion to dismiss filed by Mendoza said.

He said it is the executive department, not Enrile, that should be held accountable for any misuse of the PDAF.

“Enrile’s role is merely to recommend the projects to be funded under the PDAF appropriation. It is the Executive Department, through various implementing agencies, together with their partner-organizations, that should be held accountable for the PDAF’s use, and the implementation of projects funded by the PDAF, including the liquidation of the PDAF used for the projects,” he pointed out.

“The evidence shows that Enrile was not entrusted with any PDAF allocation, nor tasked to handle the PDAF, or to participate in the implementation of any government project funded by it,” he added.

'Hearsay'

The seasoned lawyer stressed that a prime facie case rests on the prosecution's presenting evidence that will withstand the test of admissibility.

“Hearsay, incompetent, or otherwise inadmissible evidence must be disregarded at the first instance,” he said, noting that Luy and the other whistleblowers admitted that they had never met Enrile and had no firsthand knowledge of any transaction with him.

“Luy’s business ledger -- the only 'evidence' to establish Enrile’s supposed receipt of kickbacks -- by his own admission, contains self-serving information, and is based solely on the information allegedly relayed by Napoles to him,” Mendoza said.

“Worse, the supposed 'source' of the information (i.e., Napoles) denies having any knowledge with regard to the transactions subject of the testimonies of the witnesses,” he added.

This, and the whistleblowers' admission that the evidence they submitted included fabricated documents and forged signatures "puts into question the reliability, credibility and admissibility of the supposed documentary evidence.”

He also suggested that the evidence against Enrile may have been fabricated, noting that, "Luy’s business ledger, supposedly containing data on transactions which happened as early as 2004, was prepared only in 2013, and was obviously customized for these cases.”

Nevertheless, he stressed, "there is nothing in Luy’s business ledger to show that Enrile participated in the alleged scheme. Enrile’s name never appeared as actual recipient of the supposed commissions and kickbacks.”

COA report 'favors' Enrile

In fact, Mendoza said, the special audit report of the Commission on Audit on the pork barrel scam actually favored Enrile as it pointed out that "it should be the Executive Department, through its various implementing agencies, which had control in the disbursement, use, and even liquidation of the PDAF allocations, in accordance with the circulars issued by COA.”

Mendoza also said claims of a conspiracy between Enrile and his subordinates had not been proven.

“It is uncontroverted that the written authority he extended to his Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, was made explicitly 'subject to the pertinent rules and regulations' and for the 'proper implementation' of the projects,” he said.

The supporting papers that appeared to show Enrile's conformity were unknown to the senator and mostly fabricated and forged by Napoles and the whistleblowers, Mendoza pointed out.

“The purported participation or conformity of Enrile in the selection of the NGO and in the implementation of the projects was not at all required or provided for by law or regulations, but merely inserted by Napoles (and the so-called whistleblowers) and the implementing agencies as an obvious cover-up and pretext for the 'violations' the latter  have committed,” he said.

Eye medications
In a related development, former Cagayan Rep. Jackie Enrile said he is less worried about the plunder and graft charges filed against his father, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile than the lawmaker's need for constant medication, especially on his eyes.

Jackie said his father needs daily injections on the macular degeneration in his eyes, which prevents him from read properly. He also needs magnifying glass to read, the way he would do did in the Senate.

"That will be presented by the lawyers to the court," Enrile said.

Aside from the eye ailment, Jackie said he is also worried about the deterioration of the Enrile’s hearing: "When disoriented, he tends to lose balance, which will make it difficult for him to stand or walk."

Jackie said that if Enrile suffers stress inside the 4x8 square meters detention cell at the PNP Custodial Center, his blood pressure could shoot up for no apparent reason.

Ilocano diet
Jackie also asked authorities to provide Enrile with Ilocano dishes that contain lots of vegetables and fish, although his dietician gave the lawmaker a list of suggested specific foods to eat.

TV, radio, gadgets
Meanwhile, Jackie also requested to authorities to allow Enrile to have a television or radio inside his cell to keep in touch "with the outside world."

source: interaksyon.com

Flags and cheers greet Spain's new King Felipe VI

MADRID - Spain's new King Felipe VI swore to serve the crisis-stricken nation as he launched his reign on Thursday, cheered on by crowds of revellers in a sea of red and yellow flags.

Thousands of Spaniards put aside their World Cup misery to line the sun-splashed streets, yelling "Long live the king!" as the newly-proclaimed Felipe, 46, and his glamorous Queen Letizia, 41, waved from an open-topped, black Rolls Royce.

A tall, former Olympic yachtsman, Felipe faces the task of polishing the image of a monarchy tarnished by scandals and winning over a country wearied by recession and political corruption.

Swearing his oath in parliament in a dark blue military uniform, Felipe promised "a renewed monarchy for new times", after scandals that tainted the reign of his abdicated father, Juan Carlos.

Felipe pledged his "faith in the unity of Spain", where separatist tensions are high in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

Applause and cries of "Long live the King!" filled the chamber as he finished his speech and turned to kiss Letizia, who wore a white knee-length dress and coat.

After the swearing-in the king stood and waved from the car, flanked by guards on horseback with silver helmets and breastplates winking in the sun, during a drive with his wife through central Madrid to the old Royal Palace where a crowd of thousands was waiting.

Felipe and Letizia -- a former television newsreader -- appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace with their blonde, blue-eyed daughters eight-year-old Leonor, who is now heiress to the throne, and Sofia, seven, and waved to cheering crowds below.

The celebrations offered a distraction from the national gloom of Spain's humiliating exit from the football World Cup on Wednesday in a 2-0 beating by Chile.

"We have lost the World Cup but that doesn't matter. It is a new day and a new king. We have to celebrate," said Eduardo Chaperon, a 24-year-old economist waving a Spanish flag and wearing a novelty inflatable crown in the street.

Not everyone joined in the party though.

Protests by campaigners who want Spain to be a republic broke out after Juan Carlos announced his abdication on June 2. Police banned a similar protest called by activists for Thursday.

Juana Leon, a 69-year-old retiree wrapped in the red, yellow and purple Spanish republican flag, complained that she and her friends were blocked from demonstrating.

"It is shameful. It is a breach of our freedoms. What kind of democracy is this?" she said. "We spend a lot of money on all this but it doesn't serve Spain at all," she said of the royal family.

source: interaksyon.com

First look at Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey

The first frontal photo of British actor Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey has been released online by Universal Pictures and Focus Features, producers of the upcoming film adaptation of E.L. James’ best-selling erotic romance novel series “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

The photo — in which Dornan looks at the camera while wearing a black leather jacket and sitting behind the wheel of a luxury car, presumably an Audi R8 — debuted on the film’s social media pages on Wednesday, June 18, the birthday of his fictional character.

As of Thursday afternoon, the photo had received over 54,000 likes on Facebook and had been retweeted and favorited over 1,700 times on Twitter.

Its release follows a black and white poster that came out in January — a rear view of Dornan as Grey in a suit contemplating the view from atop a skyscraper.

The 32-year-old former Calvin Klein model landed the coveted role of the bondage-loving billionaire in October, one month after the filmmakers’ original choice, “Pacific Rim” star Charlie Hunnam, withdrew from the project due to scheduling conflicts.

Dornan stars opposite Dakota Johnson, who will portray the female protagonist Anastasia Steele, a college senior and virgin whom Grey seduces and inducts into the world of BDSM (bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism).

“Fifty Shades of Grey”, the movie, is set for global release on Valentine’s Day in 2015.

source: interaksyon.com

Senate adopts 'Lemon Law' vs defective cars

MANILA - A law aimed at protecting buyers from defective motor vehicles has finally been passed, which gives consumers the right to claim full amount paid if not satisfied with the car, Senator Bam Aquino announced on Friday.

Senator Aquino said the Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the Philippine Lemon Law of 2014 before the body's sine die adjournment on Wednesday.

After that, it is to be transmitted to Malacanang for President Aquino's approval.

Earlier, the bicameral conference committee adopted the House version of the Lemon Law, authored by Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar.

"The passage of the Lemon Law is crucial since owning a vehicle is essential in today's fast-paced life, especially for businessmen and entrepreneurs,” said Aquino, sponsor of the consolidated bill filed by Senators Cynthia Villar and JV Ejercito.

"Aside from consumer protection, the Lemon Law will provide consistent standards of quality and performance in the auto industry," he added.

The law calls for the return to the consumer of the full value of money if the motor vehicle that was bought does not turn out to be up to standard and expected quality, 12 months or 20,000 kilometers from date of original delivery.

If the consumer remains unsatisfied with the efforts to repair the vehicle up to four times, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will exercise exclusive and original jurisdiction over disputes.

source: interaksyon.com

Coke plant in India ordered closed for extracting too much groundwater

LUCKNOW - Authorities in northern India have ordered the closure of a Coca-Cola bottling plant at the center of protests that it is extracting too much groundwater, an official said Wednesday.

An anti-pollution official said the Mehdiganj plant in Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh had breached the conditions of its operating licence, prompting the order closure earlier this month.

"The plant is closed following our orders," Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board member secretary J.S. Yadav told AFP.

"They have also been asked to take suitable measures to recharge the depleting groundwater level by twice the amount they have extracted.

"Also, the effluents released by the plant contain pollutants beyond the permissible limits."

The company has appealed the closure order to India's environment court, the National Green Tribunal, saying the allegations were false.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, a unit of Coca-Cola, said the plant has been in operation for 15 years "complying with all regulatory approvals and applicable laws."

The unit said in a statement that it was confident the courts would find that it has acted in the "best interests of the communities we serve."

The company hit a hurdle earlier this year when local authorities said they would demolish the Varanasi plant, claiming it was built on village council land and was "illegal."

The authorities also imposed a 126,000 rupee ($2,000) fine on the company over the land issue.

India is one of Coke's fastest-growing markets thanks to an expanding middle class.

The bottling plant, one of 58 that Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has in India, has been at the center of protests for years.

Demonstrators accuse the company of creating major water shortages through excessive extraction of water and of polluting groundwater and soil.

Coke, the world's largest soft drinks maker, last year announced the completion of work to expand the Varanasi bottling facility which can produce 600 polyethylene terephthalate bottles a minute.

Protests have been held against Coke's bottling plants in other parts of the country, alleging depletion of groundwater and pollution.

Activists welcomed the Varanasi plant's closure, claiming the company has a dismal environmental record.

"Coca-Cola's thirst for profits in India has placed its business interests over the well-being of communities and the environment and this is not acceptable," said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an activist group.

source: interaksyon.com

World Cup: US avenges 2010 loss to Ghana with late winner

NATAL – German-born United States defender John Brooks came off the bench to stun Ghana with a late winner in a 2-1 victory in Natal on Monday to put a huge dent in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists hopes of emulating that feat this time round.

Clint Dempsey scored the opener after just 30 seconds and Brooks headed a dramatic winner to send the USA’s German coach Jurgen Klinsmann wild with delight.

Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana eight minutes before the end. But Brooks’ first goal for his adopted country avenged defeats to the same opposition in the past two World Cups, the latter when Ghana went on to the quarter-finals.

It was only the third time in 12 matches at the World Cup finals that the Americans had managed to score more than one goal.

“We have a great spirit and fight until the last minute,” said Klinsmann.

“It was a grind but it was a wonderful one at the end of the day. There is stuff we need to improve. We had problems with keeping the ball.”

The result left Ghana, who four years ago became only the third African side to qualify for the quarter-finals, with a lot of work to do to get to the second round with matches to come against Germany and Portugal.

Germany had earlier destroyed Portugal 4-0.

Ghana’s minds appeared elsewhere after kicking off and they were made to pay when Dempsey deftly collected from Da Marcus Beasley as he ran down the left flank.

As Ghana’s players looked on, the US captain feinted his way into the area before dribbling past defender John Boye to coolly sweep a left-footed shot past Adam Kwarasey at the keeper’s far post.

Klinsmann, who won the World Cup with Germany in 1990 before coaching the Germans to third place as coach in 2006, exploded with joy on the bench as the US celebrated scoring the fifth fastest goal in World Cup history.

The USA came close to snatching a second two minutes later when Jozy Altidore collected a low cross from the right to sweep the ball towards goal before the ball was caught in a tangle of Ghana legs.

Minutes later, the big American striker was carried off on a stretcher after pulling up holding the back of his left thigh while chasing down Michael Bradley’s punt.

Dempsey then felt the full brunt of Boye’s shin during a mid-air challenge, the American requiring treatment for what could be a broken nose but the grizzled veteran stoically played on.

However the Africans wasted their best chance of the half in added-on time when Christian Atsu made up for a series of poor deliveries to set up Jordan Ayew, only for the Marseille striker to mishit with the goal at his mercy.

Ghana showed improvement after the break, Sulley Muntari firing a metre wide of Tim Howard’s upright and then Gyan, unmarked, headed the AC Milan midfielder’s delivery from the left over the top.

Gyan came even closer when he rose above defender Geoff Cameron only for Howard top tip it away for a corner.

Ghana picked up their game and were given hope when Ayew finished off a fine move down the left by latching on to Gyan’s backheel inside the area to beat Howard with the outside of his left boot.

But their joy was short-lived by Brooks, whose selection for the World Cup by Klinsmann caused considerable controversy.

The son of a US serviceman, he was born in Berlin and played for Germany under 20s in 2012 before switching to the US.

source: interaksyon.com

GM recalls another 3.4 million cars for ignition problem

WASHINGTON — General Motors on Monday recalled 3.4 million cars in North America to fix an ignition problem that could cause the car to lose power that is linked to injuries.

The bulk of the 2000 to 2014 model-year cars — 3.2 million — are in the United States, the largest US automaker said.

GM said that the ignition switch may move out of the “run” position if the key is carrying extra weight and is jarred, such as when the car hits a pothole or crosses railroad tracks.

Switching out of the “run” position affects power steering and power braking and could cause air bags not to deploy in a crash.

GM said it knows of eight crashes and six injuries related to this recall.

The company said the recall stems from its review of safety issues following its recall in February of 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for ignition switch problems.

The cars covered in the newest recall are Buick Lacrosses, Chevrolet Impalas, Cadillac Devilles, Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucernes, Buick Regals, and Chevy Monte Carlos.

GM said addressing the problem would involve replacing existing ignition keys with new ones designed differently, or retooling existing keys.

“Until the rework or replacement is completed, owners of the recalled cars are urged to remove additional weight from their key chains and drive with only the ignition key,” GM said.

GM announced five other recalls for a total of 165,770 vehicles for a variety of problems, including with automatic transmissions and power steering.

The company said it knew of no crashes or injuries related to four of the conditions, but injury data was unclear for a problem that could cause the rollover sensor to unintentionally deploy the roof rail air bags, which happened on 15 occasions.

GM said it would take a charge of about $700 million for recall repairs in the second quarter, including the $400 million provision it previously announced. That brings to $2.0 billion the amount set aside for recall costs in the first half of the year.

GM has now recalled some 20 million vehicles this year in the US and foreign countries for safety problems.

The automaker is under congressional and, reportedly, Justice Department investigation over why it failed to act on the Cobalt ignition switch problem until this February despite knowing about it for more than 11 years.

That problem has been tied to dozens of accidents and at least 13 deaths, according to GM. Outside analysts have said the death toll could be much higher.

The company is facing multiple lawsuits for that problem, which analysts say could ultimately cost the company billions of dollars in damages.

GE chief executive Marry Barra will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for another congressional grilling before the oversight panel of the House of Representatives about the Cobalt recall scandal.

source: interaksyon.com

Dengue vaccine could be ready by end 2015

SINGAPORE -- A giant drug manufacturer has achieved breakthroughs in the development of a dengue vaccine, which could be ready by the end of next year, the Straits Times reported Monday.

Guillaume Leroy, head of the dengue vaccine unit of drug giant Sanofi Pasteur, announced the success of a clinical trial in Asia to test the effectiveness of the vaccine at the two-day ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Dengue Summit held in Angeles City, the Philippines over the weekend, the newspaper said.

It may be the world's first dengue vaccine, as there has so far been no vaccines for dengue.

In the trial conducted by Sanofi Pasteur, dengue cases in the group of about 10,000 -- including participants from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia -- fell by more than half after the vaccine candidate was administered.

Another trial involving more than 20,000 people is currently under way in Latin America.

"We are at a very critical milestone," Leroy said. "By the end of the year, we will have a full analysis of all the results."

The outcome of these latest trials brings Sanofi Pasteur a step closer to a goal that has been more than 20 years in the making. The company's work on a dengue vaccine has been hampered by the fact that dengue has four different strains. All must be effectively subdued before any vaccine can be counted a success, which the company said the drug has managed to do.

Dengue is the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, according to the World Health Organization, and is endemic in over 100 countries. Four in 10 people are at risk of getting infected.

More than two thirds of the world's dengue cases come from Asia, with Southeast Asia a major contributor.

Sanofi Pasteur said it aims to put its vaccine in markets where it is most needed first, including the Southeast Asia.

"The overall ambition is first to address the disease where it is most severe," said Leroy.

As soon as its vaccine is approved for use, Sanofi Pasteur will be able to churn out 100 million doses a year. Long before the vaccine neared completion, the company invested in a 350 million euro production plant located in France in 2009.

source: interaksyon.com

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard named Finals MVP

Spurs third-year forward Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP after another big performance in the title-clinching 104-87 win over the Miami Heat in Game Five in San Antonio.

Leonard, who is only 22 years old, became the youngest Finals MVP since teammate Tim Duncan won the award in 1999, when he was the same age.

Aside from his defense on four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, Leonard stepped up in a big way on the other end, leading the Spurs with averages of 23.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last three games – all of them lopsided wins for San Antonio.

He finished with 22 point and 10 rebounds, both team-highs, as the Spurs clinched their fifth title in franchise history.

It was no surprise to the San Antonio fans, who serenaded Leonard with ‘MVP’ chants every time he was on the free throw line, even as early as the first quarter.

He was also the first Finals MVP that wasn’t an All-Star since Chauncey Billups in 2004.

source: interaksyon.com