Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Apple Pay saw 1 million activations in first three days

Network World Daily News AM
October 28, 2014

Apple Pay saw 1 million activations in first three days

Apple’s new contactless payment system on the iPhone 6 saw 1 million activations in its first three days of use, pointing to an initially enthusiastic response from Apple users.The number was revealed by Apple CEO Tim Cook during an on-stage interview late Monday at The Wall Street Journal’s technology conference in Laguna Beach, California, and was reported by WSJ writers on a live blog.Cook said he uses it himself at his local Whole Foods supermarket.Apple Pay was released on October 20 and allows users to make tap-and-go payments from their smartphones at retailer terminals equipped with wireless NFC (near-field communication) readers, of which there are over 200,000 in the U.S.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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EFF rates companies on willingness to fight ‘copyright and trademark bullies’

Copyright and trademark law are often the weapon of choice when corporate content producers become unhappy with how their works of used, even in cases where such uses are legal.The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) yesterday issued a report and scorecard revealing its assessment of how major service providers and social media platforms respond when copyright and trademark holders use those weapons indiscriminately.From an EFF press release. EFF examined 13 companies and issued stars if they met the baseline standards for what a service can do to defend its users' speech against copyright and trademark bullies.  The services could receive a maximum of five stars, based on criteria including publicly documented procedures for responses to DMCA takedown notices and counter-notices, how the services handle trademark disputes, and if the company issued detailed transparency reports.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Retain private data for police use or face $685,000 fine, Swedish authority tells ISP

Swedish ISP Bahnhof must resume retaining customer communications metadata for police use by the end of November or pay a fine of 5 million Swedish Kronor (US$685,000), the Swedish telecom authority has ruled.Bahnhof should comply with Swedish law requiring ISPs to retain customers’ location and traffic metadata for six months for law enforcement purposes, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) said Monday.Bahnhof will fight the order, CEO Jon Karlung said Tuesday.The ISP stopped retaining the communications metadata and deleted all records with the permission of the authority after a May ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated the EU’s Data Retention Directive because it seriously interfered with fundamental privacy rights.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Microsoft opens Office 365 to programmers

Extending Office 365 functionality to third-party developers, Microsoft has exposed a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) so other companies can add features and capabilities to the online productivity service.The company announced the new functionality at the TechEd Europe conference, held this week in Barcelona.The APIs are a way for third-party programs to access the information and capabilities of the online office suite, including those for user mail, files, calendar and contacts.Microsoft is “clearly trying to keep Office front and center in the new world of mobile devices,” wrote Al Hilwa, program director for software development research at IDC. “The approach of moving to APIs is the right strategy for providing extensibility to services like Office 365 in the era of cloud. I would expect that they will keep building on these APIs over time, but they are handling the most important areas in this wave, which relate to email integration.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE
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Apple responds to recent Apple Pay controversy involving Rite Aid and CVS

Since going operational last week, Apple Pay has been greeted enthusiastically by iPhone 6 users, participating retailers, and banks. Highlighting this fact, Wells Fargo yesterday began a new promotion offering customers a $20 credit the first time they try out Apple Pay.But not everyone out there is feeling the Apple Pay love. Over the past few days, both Rite Aid and CVS have taken pro-active steps to disable support or Apple Pay at all of their nationwide store locations. The reason is because both nationwide pharmacy chains belong to a consortium of retailers who belong to Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). MCX in early 2015 will be releasing a competing mobile payment platform called CurrentC. The rub here is that retailers who support CurrentC are not allowed to support any other type of mobile payment platform. In short, this is nothing more than anti-competitive behavior that does nothing to benefit consumers and only serves to benefit retail companies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Clues point to Russia in long-running spying campaign

Russia is likely behind a long-running computer spying campaign, although the stealthy attacks leave fewer clues than other state-sponsored attacks, according to a new report from FireEye.FireEye calls the group APT28, which is short for “advanced persistent threat,” a nomenclature the company’s Mandiant division has used to classify attacks its analysts believe come from a distinct group.APT has been active for at least six years. It tends to focus on targets that would be of interest to Russia, such as the Caucasus region with a focus on Georgia and European governments, militaries and security organizations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Bing lets you dig behind the smiley face with emoji search

Bing now supports searches with emoji, meaning you can insert or paste a range of emoji icons like hearts, smiley faces, food graphics, or any combination thereof, for some interesting, though not always useful, results.It’s a novelty feature, yes, but still fun. And one that could help Bing draw at least some attention away from Google. Google at the moment does not give results for emoji searches, though its auto-complete technology does recognize them. Yahoo, meanwhile, does support emoji searches.Bing’s tool is available in all English markets, the search engine said, offered as an homage to the shorthand’s popularity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE
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Cyber insurance: Only fools rush in

With prominent corporations from across the economy bleeding customer data and paying through the nose for it, "cyber insurance" has become a hot topic in corporate boardrooms and the media. Companies – from the Fortune 10 on down – are looking to hedge their online risks with various kinds of business insurance. That demand, in turn, is fueling a rapid expansion of the cyber insurance industry that was little more than a niche offering five years ago. But insurance industry experts and corporate security professionals offer words of caution for companies that think they may want to insure their cyber risks. The cyber insurance market, they say, is still new. Companies that want to buy such a product would do well to understand their needs and the limitations of cyber coverage before they put their money on the table.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Feds set to destroy H-1B records

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has changed its H-1B record retention policy to the concern of people who study the visa's impact on the workforce and economy.In a notice posted last week, the U.S. Department of Labor said that records used for labor certification, whether in paper or electronic, "are temporary records and subject to destruction" after five years, under a new policy.There was no explanation for the change, and it is perplexing to researchers. The records under threat are called Labor Condition Applications (LCA), which identify the H-1B employer, worksite, the prevailing wage, and the wage paid to the worker.+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD H-1B whistleblower files new federal lawsuit +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

Lowe's ranked the best, Home Depot the worst in SECTF contest

The results are out from the fifth annual Social-Engineer Capture the Flag (SECTF) contest, which was held during Def Con 22. This year, social engineers worked in tag teams to trick companies into giving up “flags,” or key pieces of information that could be used to penetrate the target company. Unlike bad guys in real life, the contestants did not victimize any companies.The SECTF report (pdf) includes the results of how well the target companies did; higher scores do not mean the company did better as it indicates the targets gave up more flags. Lowe’s ranked the best and Home Depot ranked the worst. The full SECTF target company rankings from this year are posted at the top of this article.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here READ MORE

20 great productivity apps for Android, iOS, and the Web

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Today's Headlines - Headlines Live

Today's Headlines
India
Court to rule on summoning Marans in Aircel-Maxis case
The special 2G court is likely to deliver its order today on whether to summon as accused ex-telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi and six others against whom chargesheet was filed by CBI in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
Two days on, portfolios for Khattar ministers
Two days after chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his nine-member team was sworn in, the ministers were finally assigned portfolios on late Tuesday evening.
As graft cases on bigwigs loom, DMK goes mum on Amma
The DMK has been reluctant -or unable, as some would say — to take the moral high ground on corruption following J Jayalalithaa's conviction.
Business
Govt plans to cut public sector banks stake to 51%
Sources told TOI that the ministry has moved a cabinet note as the government is keen that banks are well capitalized to meet the funding requirement.
Indian customers most tolerant: Survey
Will online shoppers warm up to Flipkart again after it botched up their chances of landing a good deal on the Big Billion Day sale? It seems like they would, reveals a global survey.
Kushagra drops Bajaj name from flagship
Interestingly, the name change also comes at a time when Shishir has resigned from Bajaj Hindusthan as its chairman and managing director and Kushagra is taking charge
Environment
Growth should not be at the cost of environment: Jairam Ramesh
While India venerates and respects its biodiversity on one hand, the other hand it treats it with neglect and disdain by destroying it, said former environment minister Jairam Ramesh.
Chimps plan for a good early breakfast
Chimpanzees plan ahead, and sometimes take dangerous risks, to get a good breakfast, scientists say.
'Salt invasion in Indo-Gangetic basin has led to more health problems'
Large areas of rich irrigated and fertile land in the Indo-Gangetic basin is being lost daily to salt damage, confirms the UN.
World
As oil prices fall, Iran feels pressure to seal nuclear deal
Mohammad Heydarian, an Iranian contractor, still has work finishing off a single-family home. But things look bleak after that, he said. He has already fired his workers, and he is struggling to make ends meet, providing for his wife and two teenage children.
Wi-Fi hotspot named 'Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork' delays US flight
A passenger aboard a plane at Los Angeles International Airport picked up a Wi-Fi hotspot named after a terrorist group, but authorities who held travellers for hours as they investigated say no crime was committed.
Obama says US can't shy away from Ebola battle
President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the United States can't be seen as shying away from battle against Ebola and must support health care workers who are returning from the front lines in Africa.
Entertainment
Shabana Azmi to fight Aishwarya Rai in Jazbaa
We were the first to tell you that Sanjay Gupta has cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan in his action suspense thriller Jazbaa.
Sahil-Ismail fight broke out because of Sana Khan?
Contrary to reports that suggested that Sana Khan’s alleged boyfriend Ismail Khan got into a fight with Sahil Khan because the latter refused to sign their protein supplement business deal, Sahil claimed that Ismail beat him up as he believed the actor was maligning Sana’s name.
Science
Why pop stars live fast and die young
It’s long been said that pop stars live fast and die young, but a new Australian study has added scholarly credibility to the adage. Popular musicians in the US die up to 25 years earlier than the general population, with suicide rates among the performers between two and seven times greater, a “disturbing” new study has found.
Slice of ancient Oz found under Vanuatu
A fragment of ancient Australia under Vanuatu was found by researchers, raising questions about how continents are formed.
Population explosion is unstoppable, say scientists
Not even a third world war or a lethal pandemic, leave alone a one child policy globally, will be able to slow down the planet’s rocketing population rise, scientists say.
Sports
ISL: Chennaiyin FC bounce back, thrash Mumbai City FC 5-1
Chennaiyin FC marquee player Elano Blumer and John Mendoza fired two goals each to steamroll a hapless Mumbai FC 5-1 in the Indian Super League.
Anelka makes nightmarish comeback in India
Nicolas Anelka suffered a heavy defeat in India after his return to action following a five-match ban for an anti-semitic gesture known as a "quenelle".
After an 'amazing' 2014', Sania Mirza targets number one spot
Having ended a successful year with victory in the WTA Tour Finals, Sania Mirza has set her sights on becoming the doubles world number one next season.
Technology
Amazon set to make its first Indian acquisition
Amazon India is in advanced talks to buy a minority stake in gift card technology and retail firm QwikCilver Solutions.
Japan's richest man to invest $627m in Snapdeal
Masayoshi Son, Japan's richest man, is eyeing investments in e-tailing and technology companies in India.
6 best Android smartphones under Rs 7,000
Here are six best Android smartphones in the sub-Rs7000 category. These devices offer value for money and come with the latest features and specifications.
Education
Infosys plans Masters, Doctorate programmes
Infosys is looking at creating an Infosys Masters — and may be even a Doctorate — programme.
PU ranking: Academicians, industry experts, students to brainstorm today
Just after the rankings were released, the VC had talked about materializing plans that have been in the pipeline in the recent past.
Madhya Pradesh CM to lay foundation stone for Shramoday school
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the state's first 'Shramoday' school on November 2, at Mugaliya Chhap in Bhopal for the children of labourers on the lines of Navodaya Vidyalayas.
Mumbai
Hospitals plan stroke mgmt teams for faster treatmen
Every day, around 100 Mumbaikars suffer stroke or brain attack but barely 10% of them manage to reach hospital in time for treatment. Recognizing this emergency, city hospitals are planning special stroke management teams.
BMC report shows no sign of dengue cases declining
The incidence of dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, across Mumbai is not showing any signs of reducing, indicates the BMC weekly health report.
'When will state implement panel's suggestions to protect women?'
The Bombay high court on Tuesday questioned the state government about the implementation of the recommendations of a panel set up to suggest measures to prevent crime against women.
Delhi
Cops assault reporter in Trilokpuri
A journalist working with Nav Bharat Times was allegedly assaulted by a group of policemen when he had visited the riot-hit Trilokpuri on Tuesday.
Drone helps police scan Trilokpuri locality
The search operation started on Monday evening after procuring warrants. Cops formed several teams comprising a senior officer, women personnel and constables, who were supported by Rapid Action Force sleuths.
RTR flyover OK, but PWD gets 2 weeks for diversions
Giving its conditional nod to PWD’s ambitious project to construct a three-lane flyover parallel to the RTR one, the Delhi high court said traffic police must decongest alternative routes within two weeks to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
Bangalore
Building collapses killing 80-year-old
Built of mud, the five decade-old building was leaning dangerously and crashed within minutes of developing huge cracks, eyewitnesses said.
Bangalore needs independent body to promote its heritage
Thanks to the vigilance of citizens of Bangalore, Balabrooie has been saved. Let’s hope that the character of the building will be preserved and enhanced by putting it to a use that reflects the cultural heritage of the city.
Govt to give heritage tag to only 6 Bangalore structures
The most prominent among those excluded from the list is Balabrooie guest house, which was saved by citizens recently.
Hyderabad
Experts Stress On Recording Rise In Sea Surface Temperature
Authorities must immediately launch a study on the possible rise in sea surface temperature near Visakhapatnam, which could have caused the first-ever cyclone hitting the Port City, climate change experts said.
India is the low birth weight capital of the world: CCMB
Low birth weight of babies is a result of vitamin B12 deficiency in India.
Wells in Telangana may go dry, says report
In what could be more bad news for the Telangana government, the state groundwater department warned that wells in several parts of the state are likely to go dry.
Chennai
Start razing Ooty illegal buildings: HC
Nilgiris is set to witness a spate of demolitions as the Madras high court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to start razing unauthorized structures after clearing 945 pending review pleas of violators.
DMK's grand alliance plan hits roadblock
DMK's grand plan to forge a larger alliance, comprising the opposition parties, to take on the ruling AIADMK in the 2016 assembly election seems to have hit a few roadblocks.
`People in forest fringes must learn to live with animals'
N Kannappan of Kuppepalayam village, nestled in the foot-hills of western ghats in rural Coimbatore, has reduced farming from his ten acre land to just two acres and hurriedly finishes harvest.
Ahmedabad
Tazia panel requests AMC to resurface city roads
Ahead of the Muharram procession, city’s Tazia committee has written to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), requesting the civic body to resurface roads and repair streetlights on the procession’s route.
Beware of lion: Threat that keeps intruders away in Greater Gir
In the Greater Gir, lions are not only tolerated by humans, but it appears that humans in the area also assiduously cultivate the company of the magnificent beasts.
Amit Shah to participate in Chhath celebrations
One of the most revered festivals of Bihar, Chhath is set to get bigger this year as BJP president and Naranpura MLA Amit Shah is expected to participate in the celebrations in the city on Wednesday evening.
Allahabad
Postal dept reaps benefit from teaching vacancies
Postal department is reaping benefits from the new job vacancies for youths by the state and central governments. A glaring example is purchase of Indian postal orders (IPO) worth Rs 1.25 crore by applicants in ongoing recruitment drive for LT grade posts in the month of October.
Civil Services Mains from Dec 14
nion Public Service Commission (UPSC) had declared the schedule of Civil Services Mains Examination-2014. The examination would be held from December 14 to 20 in two sessions. Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) too has declared the schedule of Combined State Lower Subordinate Services Mains examination. It would start from December 21, posing problem for those aspirants who have qualified in both.
UP Board reverts to offline centre allocation
Following UP Madhyamik Siksha Parishad secretary reportedly seeking voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) over discrepancies in examination centre allocation process, the state government has issued fresh guidelines for the process. On its part, the Parishad has fixed November 19 as the last date for the allocation of centres.
Bhubaneswar
'Most wanted' Nachika surrenders before police
Alleged Maoist linkman Nachika Linga surrendered before the police at Bhaliaput village in Koraput district in the presence of a large number of villagers and elected panchayat members on Tuesday.
Project to check spread of mastitis
The Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has launched a new programme to check the spread of mastitis among cattle in the state.
Keep abattoirs clean: Centre to state government
A parliamentary committee has asked the state government to take steps to ensure that abattoirs maintain hygiene.
Bhopal
Woman murders uncle to grab his property
A middle-aged woman conspired with three others to murder her uncle, who lived alone, to lay hand on his property. Unraveling the murder mystery police said all accused have been arrested. They include two women and two male members.
Locals in Bhopal celebrate Raahgiri Day at Upper Lake
Running in its sixth week, it was yet another amazing start to the Sunday at Raahgiri Day, where it was all naach-gaana, Raahgirs clicking pictures and cyclists and skaters moving around Upper Lake.
Shahdol hospital registration cancelled after wrong injection
A day after a woman was allegedly administered an injection meant for animal at a private hospital in Shahdol district, registration of hospital was cancelled on Monday evening.
Chandigarh
Badal will soon give 'panth in danger' call: Amarinder
"Knowing Badal so well, I am sure that he will start saying 'panth in danger' the moment he realizes that Chandigarh ploy is not working," Amarinder said in a statement issued here.
Cocaine market fast-growing in Punjab: Shashikant
The retired cop has based his assertion on the feedback from drug addicts he met during the course of his tour of different areas of Punjab as part of his campaign against drugs.
Locals tie 2 African students with pole for theft, hand them over to police
Accusing three African students of theft, a group of locals here tied two of them with a pole on the roadside before handing them over to police.
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BJP govt shifting goal post to save face on black money foreign bank account holders-AAP

BJP govt shifting goal post to save face on black money foreign bank account holders
In its latest turnaround, the BJP-led central government has now indicated that might
disclose a limited number of names, cherry picked from the list of foreign bank account holders possessed by the government through formal/informal sources. This is clearly an exercise to save its face.

The central government’s move raises the following key questions:

  1. Why only these 136 names ?

People of the country believe that the previous Congress-led UPA government had things to hide and blocked the disclosure of names. Now, with BJP government’s similar reluctance in sharing the names gives rise to a reasonable apprehension about its real intentions.
By cherry-picking a set of names and concealing others, it has further confirmed the belief that the BJP is hell-bent on saving some of the influential people appearing in those lists.
The truth is - there is no law in India or treaty with any country that stops the Indian government from taking action against the possessors of illicit money.

  1. BJP playing politics on the issue ?

Two recent developments have confirmed that the BJP wants to play politics over the issue of black money, rather than solving it. First, is the central government’s turnaround on the non-disclosure of some names and second is the cherry-picking of names to score political points.
The Aam Aadmi Party is of the clear view that anyone who possesses illicit money, irrespective of his/her affiliation with any political party, must be brought to book. Politics should not be played, rather the promise made by Mr Rajnath Singh of bringing back every penny of black money sitting abroad within 150 days of coming to power, and that of Mr Modi of attributing such money to every citizen to the tune of Rs.15-20 Lakh per person, should be worked towards.

  1. Double Tax Avoidance Treaty is not the issue-A matter already settled by the Supreme Court :

The Supreme Court in its judgement on 4th July 2011 after perusing the double Tax Avoidance Agreement between India and Germany emphatically conveyed that there provision or hindrance in the agreement that limits the disclosure of information. The SC also pointed, such a plea is untenable as no agreement can limit infringe upon the principles laid down in our constitution.

Extract of para 58 of the judgement: “The above clause in the relevant agreement with Germany would indicate that, contrary to the assertions of Union of India, there is no absolute bar of secrecy. Comity of nations cannot be predicated upon clauses of secrecy that could hinder constitutional proceedings such as these, or criminal proceedings”.

4.      Intentional disregard  of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)

India, Germany and Switzerland – all are signatories to the  UNCAC  which emphatically empowers the two countries on following counts:
·         UN Convention Against Corruption gives full sanction to make simple changes in the laws of our country to tackle black money menace permanently
·         UN Convention Against Corruption overrides ‘bank secrecy laws’
·         UN Convention Against Corruption empowers to freeze, seize and confiscate illicit money
·         UN Convention Against Corruption on Mutual Assistance by different tax jurisdictions
It is indeed surprising to see that the BJP government is disregarding the UNCAC, rather than using it to its benefit and prosecute those who possess illicit money.

Regards,
Team AAP
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