Posts - Americans

Uber Up In Arms After Rivals Ban It From China’s Most Popular Social Network

Finance

Uber is up in arms against Chinese tech giant Tencent over what it terms anticompetitive business practices by the social network. Uber executives have come out strongly to protest the repeated anticompetitive tactics being used against the popular ride sharing app to make sure it does not penetrate the Chinese market, a market analysts have said will be the largest ride sharing market in the world.

Uber executive Emil Michael recently complained in an interview about Chinese company Tencent’s anti-competitive strong arm tactics. He was referring to the banning of Uber from WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app, wholly owned by Tencent.

Uber’s problems stem from the fact that the company is jumping head first into the Chinese market, in direct competition with Didi Kuaidi, a homegrown car sharing service. Didi Kuaidi is backed by three of mainland Asia’s strongest corporates Tencent, Alibaba and Softbank.

Softbank is already sponsoring Uber’s rivals in Singapore and India while in mainland U.S., Alibaba is funding rival cab sharing service Lyft.

The move by Tencent to ban Uber from WeChat, which enjoys a registered market of over 350 million Chinese citizens, has been seen by analysts as the first draw of blood from dominant nationalist Chinese companies. More artillery could be fired through Alibaba, which owns Uber’s preferred payment vehicle, Alipay.

Though the tactics do bear the persistent coating of intolerance to competition, the underdog image does not suit Uber in any way, especially since the company itself used some of the tactics against competition in the U.S.

An investigation by The Verge one year ago revealed that Uber had initiated an operation codenamed ‘SLOG’ to completely frustrate rival Lyft.

The operation involved leveraging investors to block attempts by Lyft to raise capital in the U.S. The operation also involved hiring secret agents to take Lyft taxis and use any means possible to convince the drivers into ditching the startup for Uber. Could Uber be suffering from a bad case of a dose-of-your-own-medicine?

Michael, however, was quick to point out that the company would not be backing down from the Chinese market and expected to see rival companies slow down on their hostility.

He said, “I think as we continue to succeed, and it’s clear we’re in this for the long haul—we’ve got Chinese investors behind us; we’ve got partnerships with cities; we’re spending money in the local economy; local investors have an interest in our success—then we’ll get into more of a détente mode.”

Valued at $50 billion, Uber is planning to go public in 18 months. The Chinese market presents a potent entrance into populous Asia, which the company will need to both thrive in future and raise capital in their IPO.

With Uber being an American company and presenting a threat to the local establishment, hostility from Chinese companies will not be going down anytime soon.

Europe Is Seeing A Technology Boom Just Like Silicon Valley And Investors Are Making Millions

Finance

German Venture capitalist Klaus Hommels, who is known for having the midas touch when it comes to investing in startups, is putting his dollars and capital gathering talent to work in the European tech sector.

Hommels successes to date include Spotify, the music streaming service, Swedish online payments company Klarna, Facebook, Airbnb, Algomi – the London based social network for bond trading, and American on-line shaving company Harry’s.
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This week Hommel announced through his venture capital firm, Lakestar, that he will be setting up a new fund worth $398 million, aimed at European tech startups, but also a few “American fledgling companies looking to expand globally.”

“Technology has become integral to how we live,”he said. “We won’t be afraid to back startups with high valuations if we can accelerate their growth.”

The only “failure Hommels has had was his investing into Candy Crush maker King Digital. Although not losing money on the deal, he missed out on $1 billion as he sold his shares before the company went public.

Experts say that Hommels switch to Europe was perhaps the strongest indicator to date that investors who have taken a renewed interest in European venture capital, with private equity firms, venture capitalists,and other investors, have made the right move.

In the second quarter of 2015, European venture capital firms have raised $2.44 billion, 63 percent more than for the corresponding time last year.

Some experts are saying the interest in Europe could result in a “European tech bubble” but Hommel said he was not worried. He said unlike the dotcom era, where technology was confined to a small group of “web entrepreneurs” , the use of cloud computing, and smartphones, and “other trends” was spread into general public use.

“Good entrepreneurs can always distinguish between smart and easy money,” said Hommel. “Even if the bubble bursts, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

ISIS Posts Video Of Historic Palmyra Temple Being Destroyed

Entertainment News

The Islamic State (ISIS) terror network has published photos, taken from a video, which appear to show the destruction of the Syrian city of Palmyra’s ancient Temple of Baalshamin. The temple had been deemed a UNESCO world heritage site and was protected under UN law.

Images from the video show militants placing explosives inside the temple and then depict a massive explosion. The pictures were circulated by the Islamist group’s supporters.

Syrian officials and local activist groups confirmed on Monday that it had been destroyed although there was debate over when precisely the destruction took place.

The UN’s cultural organization said called the deliberate destruction a “war crime.”

Biden Receives Obama’s Blessing For Presidential Bid, Leaning Towards Running

News

Current Vice President and prospective 2016 presidential candidate Joe Biden has allegedly received President Obama’s “blessing” to formally make a 2016 bid.

The news came from a senior democrat who wished to remain anonymous.

While the decision is solely Biden’s, the President’s blessing will help smooth the process from the Vice President, especially by giving him use of the President’s election team.

The two discussed Biden’s potential presidential candidacy among other topics over lunch on Monday at the White House. The senior Democrat said the President was clear he would not stand in his way or advise him not to run, underscoring the thin ice Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is on.

The Vice President will confer Monday night with Bob Bauer and Anita Dunn, the husband-and-wife duo who have handled Obama’s campaigns and administration during the last 10 years. The Vice President’s chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti, was expected to attend as well.

Reports emerged earlier on Monday that Biden is in fact leaning toward running, but has yet to make up his mind completely.

Biden has now met with President Obama, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Obama’s two most trusted advisers in the last 72 hours, highlighting just how seriously he is taking a potential bid.

Trump Uses Market Meltdown To Illustrate American Reliance On China

News

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump took today’s global stock market correction as an opportunity to confront America about its complicated relationship with China.

“As I have long stated, we are so tied in with China and Asia that their markets are now taking the U.S. market down. Get smart U.S.A.,” Trump tweeted.

He continued with “Markets are crashing — all caused by poor planning and allowing China and Asia to dictate the agenda. This could get very messy! Vote Trump”.

Turning to Instagram he posted a short video in which he said “I’ve been telling everybody for a long time: China is taking our jobs, they’re taking our money, be careful, they’ll bring us down. You have to know what you’re doing. We have nobody that has a clue.”

Trump, who has yet to release specific policy proposals other than his controversial immigration plan, didn’t reveal any hints on how he would deal with the economy, but he did engage in some tweeting with some of his followers on the subject.

“@john_franco: When people start losing their savings & home value, they will be begging Trump to fix the economy #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.” and “Perhaps so!” when another Tweeter asked if he was the only person who could save the country from economic “turmoil”.

The Chinese stock market posted its worst day in eight years on what Xinhua, China’s official state news agency, called “Black Monday.”

Stock markets around the globe reacted by driving stock prices down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average immediately dropped more than 1,000 points when the New York Stock Exchange opened this morning, before recovering after a day of drama, to end down just 150 points.

Trump wasn’t the only presidential candidate to jump on the Wall Street wagon.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders tweeted “For the past 40 years, Wall Street and the billionaire class have rigged the rules to redistribute wealth to the richest among us“, followed by “We need banks that invest in the job-creating economy. We don’t need more speculation with the American economy hanging in the balance.”

Nuclear Deal’s Secret Selling Point Is That It Will Make Bombing Iran Easier

News

The Obama administration is taking a tact that some experts are calling reverse psychology in trying to drum up support for the Iran nuclear deal, telling people that if they think the U.S should go to war with Iran, then supporting the deal would be the best thing to do.

In Capitol Hill meetings and in those with influential policy analysts, Obama administration officials are reportedly saying that inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are part of the deal, would provide the U.S. with information that would be useful for bombing raids should war with Iran break out.

The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, said “It’s certainly an argument I’ve heard made. We’ll be better off with the agreement were we to need to use force,” he said.

Experts say the argument could be useful on hawkish view centrist Democrats.

Congress is expected to vote next month on the deal which would release sanctions on Iran in return for allowing inspections of its nuclear program.

President Obama has kept quiet on the deal which experts say is out of concern over tensions between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran’s clerical regime. Under the deal, the Agency would carry out inspections and monitor Iran’s nuclear program.

Schiff, who has stated he supports the deal said “I can certainly understand why the Iranians wouldn’t like that (the bombing information gathering) argument. But then the Iranians have made a lot of arguments that we don’t like.”

Analysts said having a clearer view and understanding of Iran’s program would undeniably have military benefits.

Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs Austin Long, who studies U.S. military options said “If you want to bomb the program, you should be super excited about this deal. The more you know about Iran’s nuclear program and the industrial infrastructure behind that program, the better you will be able to target it.”

Russia Caught Exporting Jihadi Fighters To Syria To Avoid Casualties At Home

Entertainment News

Russia has been caught playing a paradoxical game with Islamic terror. Against a widespread belief that they are indeed fighting the growth of terror, Russian authorities have been caught funding the exit from Russia and entry into Syria of dozens of jihadi militants.

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has long been associated with the war on terror. Through mutually beneficial cooperation between his government and the U.S. government, the two countries have ensured the threat of mass casualty terror is subsiding.

However, new evidence has emerged that has many analysts wondering whether Putin is truly about curbing terror.

Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, reported an investigative piece by reporter Elena Milashina on the terror stricken village in North Caucasus, which revealed that “Russian special services have controlled” the gradual flow of Russian jihadists into Syria.

Milashina’s case study was taken to the northern village of Novasasitili where, since 2011, almost one per cent of the population has gone to fight in Syria alongside ISIS.

Milashina reported that the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s chief intelligence agency, was able to establish a “green corridor” to allow the jihadi fighters to move from Russia into Turkey and finally to Syria.

Through the double dealing jihadi emigration program, Putin has contributed to the growing number of ISIS insurgents battling to create an Islamic caliphate against the ruling regime of Putin’s supposed ally, Bashar al-Assad.

Akhyad Abdullaev, head of the village told Milashina, “I know someone who has been at war for 15 years. He fought in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now in Syria. He surely cannot live peacefully. If such people go off to war, it’s no loss. In our village there is a person, a negotiator. He, together with the FSB, brought several leaders out of the underground and sent them off abroad on jihad. The underground resistance has been weakened, we’re well off. They want to fight—let them fight, just not here.”

The controversial tactic aimed at stemming rising jihadi activities in northern Russia has resulted in decreased insurgency activities in the north. Tanya Lokshina, program director at Human Rights Watch, said that though she could neither confirm nor deny the practice, “It is also evident that [Russian] law enforcement and security agencies are proud of the fact that the number of casualties in armed clashes between insurgent forces and security has declined very significantly by some 50 percent.”

Through offering insurgents the option of fighting in Syria, Putin has ensured ISIS has a steady supply of recruits while stemming the rising insurgency in his home turf. The move may be beneficial to Russia, but it provide the Syrian terror group with plenty of troops to unleash on innocent civilians.

Hibernation Sleep Therapy May Soon Be Headed To A Spa Near You

Health & Wellness

Long duration cryogenic slumber or hibernation may be helpful for space trips, but as NASA has lost interest in the project, earthbound applications may be a more viable path to market.

NASA intends to make space trips to Mars more efficient by ferrying astronauts while they slumber during the six-month hike. This reduces the need for food, water and other consumable supplies.

Leading efforts to develop the technology is SpaceWorks, a company that maintains it has solved the mystery of cryogenic slumber. They are borrowing techniques used by doctors and altering them for space trips.

According to medical publication MedScape, restorative hypothermia is already used to revitalize patients having heart failure, which has been associated with preserving the brain’s function by decreasing the body’s metabolism.

Doctors reduce the temperature of the body with intravenous solutions, ice cubes and cooling blankets until they manage to get the heart and blood moving again.

SpaceWorks intends to extend this technique to space travel and put scientists in a state of hibernation. The merits would be that astronauts would not need much food. Astronauts would also avoid the challenge of space travel, which would appear to go by in the wink of an eye.

The planned cooling method is not theatrical — adjusting the body heat to 93 degrees Fahrenheit — but has a thespian slowing impact on the body.

According to a study sponsored by NASA, astronauts would be put in a slumber-like condition using a drug, cooling systems, or brain manipulation. The scientists would still need some nourishment, which would be supplied by a feeding tube, which is presently used for patients who cannot eat.

There is a broad gap between what is doable today and what would be required in space.

As of today, a couple of weeks are the longest time a human being has survived in stasis. To land on Mars, the journey would take between six and nine months.

SpaceWorks maintains that two-week hibernation would be sufficient to preserve reserves on a Mars assignment. Researchers would take turns in shifts of sleep and alertness.

According to sleep science blog Van Winkle’s, in spite of buzz from last year’s exploration project, NASA appears to have developed “cold feet” about the whole research effort. NASA refused to finance the second stage of the exploration.

SpaceWorks head John Bradford still believes in the worth of the technology, but maybe here on Earth.

He recently said that “Maybe it’s something you go into on the weekend for 48-hour torpor sleep.” He added, “The reason they do it for traumatic injuries is that it lowers the metabolism and blood pressure and such and gives the body time to respond and heal from these injuries, so maybe there is some therapeutic benefit.”

Though the thought seems strange, a cryogenic spa might motivate some people. Whether the technique will become harmless for people who are not experiencing a severe medical emergency is another unanswered question but the future thus far appears bright, if cold.

For more on this and other sleep related reading head on over the Van Winkle’s Here.

Europe’s Quickly Shrinking Population Could Turn Migrants From Problem To Opportunity

Entertainment News

Europe’s population is shrinking with experts predicting grave economic and social implications if the trend is not reversed.

In some regions of Spain, deaths outnumbered births 2 -1 and experts say this could rise to 3-1 in the coming years. The country’s falling population growth is not helped by its economic situation, which has brought a mass exodus of young people migrating for better career prospects, something also being experienced in other southern European countries.

As we’ve covered previously, entire villages are for sale as populations continue to shrink.

Experts say that if the exodus of young people continues there could be shortages of skilled workers, especially in health services, which would affect the providing of care for rapidly growing numbers of elderly.

Portugal, similar to Spain, has a population that’s been shrinking since 2010. Projections suggesting it could drop from to 6.3 million from the current 10.5 million by 2060. Portugese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho acknowledged the crisis, saying “we’ve got really serious problems.”

Coelho said the next 10 to 15 years will be a crucial time and if no action is taken to reverse the trend “these issues will only be solved by a miracle.”

Eurostat agency predictions show that by 2050, Portugal will have the smallest proportion of children of any country in Europe – 11.5% of the population will be under the age of 15. Hundreds of schools, toy shops and other stores which in the past have catered for children are already shutting their doors and motels are being converted into nursing homes.

Coelho has asked the the European Union to make falling birthrates a priority.

“This question has a dimension that is not strictly national — the manner in which urban life is organised,” he said

Last year Coelho formed a commission to look into methods of reversing the dwindling birthrate. Commision head Professor Joaquim Azevedo said research shows that if the trend is not reversed it could leave the country “unsustainable in terms of economic growth, social security and the welfare state.”

“We are losing our population, as we know. These matters are crystal clear. It is a reality. Facts are facts and that is what is happening, ” said Azevedo.

In Italy the Government is encouraging Italians to have children. Last year Prime minister Matteo Renzi announced plans to give low-income couples a monthly “baby bonus” of $94.

Germany last week received a rare bit of good news population wise – the country’s birth rate was found to be at its highest for 13 years – but experts say this effort will have to be maintained because, according to government predictions, the population is on course to dwindle from 81 million to 67 million, with the workforce dropping by 7 percent to just 54 percent, by 2030.

Only Scandinavia appears to be bucking the downward population trend and experts attribute this to stable economies, generous parental leave systems, and high net immigration, especially in Sweden and Norway.

Immigration has also propped up the population in France and Britain but their growth figures are also dropping.

Ironically record numbers of refugees are risking their lives to enter Europe illegally from Africa and the middle east. Perhaps Europe may revise their thinking on migrants and embrace instead of discourage them.

Apple CEO Tim Cook May Have Violated SEC Rules In This Morning’s Market Panic

Finance

As smartphone maker Apple Corp.’s stock was plummeting this morning, losing a staggering $75 billion in market cap, and dipping to $92 pershare, CNBC’s Jim Cramer stunned the TV audience by pulling a private email out of his inbox.

That email was from Apple CEO Tim Cook, which stated the following:

Jim,
As you know, we don’t give mid-quarter updates and we rarely comment on moves in Apple stock. But I know your question is on the minds of many investors.
I get updates on our performance in China every day, including this morning, and I can tell you that we have continued to experience strong growth for our business in China through July and August. Growth in iPhone activations has actually accelerated over the past few weeks, and we have had the best performance of the year for the App Store in China during the last 2 weeks.
Obviously I can’t predict the future, but our performance so far this quarter is reassuring. Additionally, I continue to believe that China represents an unprecedented opportunity over the long term as LTE penetration is very low and most importantly the growth of the middle class over the next several years will be huge.
Tim

Yet the email, while helpful to some viewers of the program, was not accompanied by the required public filing. This makes the disclosure a private business update with an outside party. Which means Cramer and any / all of his staffers could have had access to this email prior to its public disclosure and could have potentially traded on the information.

This almost certainly makes the gaffe a violation of the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure, which mandates that all publicly traded companies must disclose material information to all investors at the same time.

The SEC has yet to respond to the numerous calls for it to investigate but we suspect it won’t be long before they take a look. Other tech companies, notably Netflix, have fallen afoul of this rule under similar circumstances in the past.

This Wednesday Chipotle Mexican Grill Will Create 4,000 American Jobs

Finance

Chipotle Mexican Grill today declared its first-ever National Career Day, set for Wednesday, September 9th, with the objective of hiring a whopping 4,000 new workers.

Management at all U.S. restaurants locations will conduct open interviews for a maximum of 60 applicants between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Interested applicants are invited to enroll for a formal interview at the Chipotle location of their preference by visiting NationalCareerDay.com.

Chipotle presently employs at least 60,000 workers, and entry-level crew posts can put personnel on the path to developing more lucrative careers. Over the last year, the organization has issued at least 10,000 promotions into management positions to people that started as hourly crew.

Through National Career Day, interested candidates will have the chance to interview on location with a director and jumpstart their profession with one of the country’s fastest growing restaurant organizations.

“We believe that our success is the direct result of our incredibly strong people culture, which is rooted in having teams of all top performers, and developing them to be the leaders we will need to accommodate our growth,” stated Monty Moran, co-CEO at Chipotle.

With an organization culture that values mindset over work experience, Chipotle bases its human resources practice on a particular set of 13 features that show an applicant’s potential for accomplishment within the corporation.

These characteristics include being respectful, honest, curious, ambitious, polite, smart, presentable, happy, infectiously enthusiastic, conscientious, hospitable and motivated.

Unlike some organizations in the conventional fast casual and fast food industries, Chipotle gives all employees noteworthy career development opportunities, as well as payment and other benefits above industry average.

By developing professional skills within, at least 95 percent of the organization’s restaurant directors are sourced from from the company itself.

The best performing managers have the extra chance to be sponsored to Restaurateur, which comes with benefits such as a company vehicle and a desirable salary. Chipotle also offers an extremely solid benefits package to all workers, including a fully paid sick leave and holiday time for part and full time workers, along with education reimbursement and performance-based increases.

While this all sounds nice, it actually appears to be working. A recent worker survey revealed that Chipotle workers feel supported by the corporation and express fulfillment and satisfaction in their roles.

Major Breakthrough Puts U.S. On The Verge Of Universal Flu Vaccine

Health & Wellness

U.S researchers have made a major medical breakthrough in developing a flu vaccine which could offer life-long protection against the illness, according to a report in the latest edition of science journal Nature Medicine.

Trials on animals show the vaccine, which homes in on a stable part of the flu virus, is effective and now studies using human patients is necessary before it can be approved for distribution and sale.

Conventional flu vaccines target the mutating part of the virus but as these are continually changing, flu vaccines must be altered and administered each year, based on World Health Organization (WHO) analysis of circulating flu types.

The WHO annually makes recommendations for each hemisphere about the flu strains that are likely to be prevalent for the coming winter.

University of London flu expert Prof John Oxford, said the preliminary finding of the never-ending flu vaccine tests were particularly promising, calling it a “red letter day for science.”

“This is a leap forward compared to anything done recently. They have good animal data, not just in mice but in ferrets and monkeys too. And they’ve done it with the bird flu virus H5N1,” he said.

“It’s a very good stepping stone. Ultimately, the hope is to get a vaccine that will cover a pandemic virus.”

Professor of Vaccinology at University Prof Sarah Gilbert, said: “This is an exciting development, but the new vaccines now need to be tested in clinical trials to see how well they work in humans.”

This will be the next stage of research, which will take several years. So we are still some way from having better flu vaccines for humans.”

Experts said in the meantime, people should continue to get an annual flu shot as it is still the most effective way to protect oneself against infection.

North And South Korea Agree To De-Escalate Tensions After North Apologizes

Entertainment News

North Korea has officially apologized for maiming two South Korean border guards by planting landmines and the hermit nation promised to take additional steps to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

The news was announced the office of Kim Kwan-jin, Chief of South Korea’s National Security Office.

The North also decided, supposedly on its own, to withdraw a declaration of being in a “quasi-state of war” against Seoul, he said.

In return for the conciliatory gestures, South Korea will cease broadcasting anti-North Korean messages via its powerful frontline loudspeakers, starting Tuesday at noon.

The South added the caveat that all aspects of the deal will be null and void if the North makes any “abnormal” behavior.

The two Koreas also agreed to a reunion, to take place in late September, of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

There have been no confirmation that any North Korean military hardware, including its 50 submarines, has been returned to its normal state of readiness.

New Study Reveals That Frequent Marijuana Use Has Few Negative Health Effects

Health & Wellness

A new long-term study indicates that frequent marijuana use has little or no adverse health consequences to those who use the drug. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Rutgers University, tracked 408 black and white males who smoked marijuana from their teens until their mid-30s.

To monitor the men’s health, researchers surveyed the men both annually and bi-annually. The results are somewhat surprising: over the 22 years of the study, the scientists found no definitive link between marijuana and health problems.

The research, titled “Chronic Adolescent Marijuana Use as Risk Factor for Physical and Mental Problems in Young Adult Men,” focused on studying the test subjects’ mental health and respiratory issues over several years. The study also took into account the frequency with which the subjects used the drug and found there was no significant difference in the results between chronic users and those who did not use the drug or used it less frequently.

Specifically, the lead author of the study, Developmental Psychologist Jordan Bechtold, stated that, “Overall data from this sample provide little to no evidence to suggest that the patterns of marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood . . . were negatively related to the indicators of physical or mental health studied here. Given prior research in the area, it was somewhat surprising that marijuana groups did not differ in the likelihood of having a psychotic disorder.”

Previous studies have linked frequent marijuana use with an increased risk of heart-related problems, psychosis and depression. However, the new study indicates that the earlier research that centered on “cardiac and metabolic illnesses have produced inconsistent findings.”

The new study is quite relevant given the recent debate about legalizing marijuana. “Given this shift in the political climate and the potential increase in marijuana use among youth, it is critical to empirically evaluate the long-term physical and mental health consequences of marijuana use.” As marijuana is already legal in four states, this study could have an impact on the discussion regarding the national legalization of marijuana.

Bechtold qualified the research stating that, “Just like any scientific study, our study has limitations. Our results need to be considered in the context of the larger body of work on the potential adverse consequences of chronic marijuana use.”

Malaysia’s Government Will Now Have The Power To Close All ‘Hostile’ News Websites

Entertainment News

The Malaysian government is implementing a draconian new law that will see all news websites registered with the government. The new law will grant the country’s authorities power to cancel media operating licences and even arbitrarily suspend them. Such laws look set to corrode the country’s free press and freedoms of expression as guaranteed by Malaysia’s constitution, worrying many

Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh, said the new laws would give the authorities absolute powers to permanently block websites that were considered to be “threats to national security and stability.”

The move toward censorship of the country’s online media forums follows an August 17 meeting between the Malaysian government and Facebook, Twitter and Google officials, to find a proper method of addressing the publishing of false information on public forums.

The Minister, in reiterating his stand on the registration of online news websites, urged the public to be more responsible with the information they posted online, even reminding Malaysians that in the west, media freedoms had boundaries.

He said, “The online environment is not a lawless space and action can be taken against anyone found to have breached the law, including in the online space. Bear in mind that publishing or posting sensitive or unverified information might potentially spark an untoward situation likely to jeopardize public safety.”

The minister was referring to the previous suspension of a newspaper, ‘The Edge’, and the permanent blocking of another news website, ‘Sarawak report’, for reportedly posting unverified information. The information related to the notorious 1MDB scandal that has seen numerous top level government officials lined to embezzling billions in taxpayer funds, including the country’s Prime Minister.

Efforts to have news websites registered has been seen by many as an attempt by the government to stem rising outrage over the scandal.

The media in Malaysia has grown into a powerful tool for checking the autocratic government’s excesses. This has not gone down well with many officials who now see restricting it as the only way of silencing it. Should the law be passed, it would bring down one of the key pillars of a stable democracy: freedom of expression.

Diver’s Find Hidden Spanish Treasure Off The Coast Of Florida

News

Hidden treasure really does exist, at least last month, off the coast of Florida, where a group of divers found 350 Spanish gold coins worth about $4.5 million in water only four feet deep.

The treasure was found by William Bartlett, Jonah Martinez and Dan Beckingham at the site of a 1715 Spanish fleet wreck. In order for permission to dive at the site, the team subcontracted with the “1715 Fleet Queens Jewels Salvage Crew,” the entity that owns rights to the wreck.

The treasure was found on the 300th anniversary of the wreck – to the day.

On July 31, 1715, eleven ships filled with treasure were heading to Spain from Havana, Cuba when they came upon a severe hurricane off of Florida’s coast. The storm sunk the fleet and as many as 1,000 lives were lost in what is considered one of Spain’s biggest maritime tragedies.

Hundreds of gold coins were scattered along the coastline, waiting to be found.

William Bartlett is the one that found a good number of those coins. On the third dive of a long day, Bartlett and his crew came across a gold coin. He then found several more coins which, when totalled up, are worth $4.5 million – the most valuable find from the 1715 wreck in several decades.

As part of the collection, the team found nine special coins called “Royals.” Royals were made specifically for King Phillip V and are incredibly rare. In fact, before this dive, only 20 of the coins were known to exist in the world.

Brent Brisben, whose salvage company owns rights to the 1715 shipwreck site, was beyond thrilled. “Five years ago, before I got into this business, I would have told you that magic is in fairytales. I truly believe that these shipwrecks wanted their story to continue, that this magically happened on this anniversary because this story still needs to be told and it’s currently unfolding.”

Brisben’s company bought the salvage rights to the shipwreck site five years ago from Mel Fisher’s family, who are avid treasure hunters. In the 1980s, Fisher won a lengthy court battle over the rights to the shipwrecks. During the legal proceedings, Spain never asserted an interest in the lost treasure – therefore it has no claim to it.

The state of Florida on the other hand, did assert a claim, and it is entitled to 20% of found treasure for display in one of Tallahassee’s museums. The remaining artifacts discovered are split between Brisben’s company and the lucky ones who find the treasure (after a federal judge approves).

As far as any treasure that finds its way to shore, “it’s finders, keepers,” Brisben said.

Fears About China Lead To Bloodbath In U.S. Financial Markets

Finance

U.S. stocks spiralled Monday, following the trend in other global markets which experts say has been brought about by the reactions to fears of a continuing slowdown of economic growth in China.

European stocks were down more than four percent, while in it’s greatest one-day drop in eight years the Shanghai Composite dropped 8.5 percent. Japan’s Nikkei closed down 4.6% and stock in India experienced their biggest fall in seven years. Stocks in India suffered their biggest fall in more than seven years while Germany’s DAX lost nearly six percent and french stock fell while French stocks fell lost seven percent. London’s FTSE 100 although faring a bit better, traded down by five percent.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average fell between 300 to 500 points after experiencing falls as much as 1,089 points in the open.

CEO of Sarhan Capital, Adam Sarhan, said “Fear has taken over. The market topped out last week, We saw important technical levels break last week. Huge shift in investor psychology.”

Chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities, Art Hogan said “Everything seems to be off the same percentage which basically means the index guys are selling out.”

Hogan said sharp opening losses were the result of uncertainty amongst traders and The New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) implementing the rarely used Rule 48 for the Monday stock market open.

The rule lets NYSE to open stocks without indications.

Hogan said “It was set up for situations like this. The rule was last used in the financial crisis.”

Chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital’s, Peter Cardillo said “The market is not falling on actual facets of a sub-prime situation. It’s falling on fear of the unload of China. That’s really behind this move.”

Fears about China’s economic growth began after a key gauge of the country’s manufacturing activity plummeted to its lowest level in six years.

Oil Drops To Lowest Price Since 2009 Amid Supply Glut And Weak Global Economy

Finance

Early Monday, futures for a drum of West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped below $39 per barrel – a level that has not been seen since 2009. On Friday, oil closed at $40.29.

That compares to June of 2014, when oil went for a whopping $100 a barrel.

The present slide reflects an increase in the rate of reduction in energy prices that started last fall and could see gas go for $2 a gallon in many regions of the nation later this fall.

The newest crash in the price of oil is another indication that the world still has more oil reserves than it is aware of. It also highlights a weak worldwide economy that has seen demand for energy wane considerably.

A steep increase in production from American shale oil producers has also caused a huge supply surplus at home.

To the amazement of many, U.S. oil corporations have kept producing quickly this year despite miserable prices. That’s partially because cheaper expenses and newer technologies have made it lucrative to produce even at lesser prices.

Usually, when prices drop, OPEC intervenes and stops production. The surge in American output means that strategy is not possible this time. The alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, has declined to dial back and is still pumping out a record volume of oil.

Some consider that part of a tactic to stress American producers and force them out of the industry. It is also a move to warm up its muscle at a time when its control on the international oil market has lost meaning. OPEC used to control about 60% of the worldwide oil market. Today that portion has shrunk to 40%, chiefly because of swelling U.S. production.

Bloc politics may also be playing a part. Iran’s nuclear agreement with the West sets the platform for that nation to fill the market with more oil. Low oil prices also hurt Russia, where oil is its main source of foreign currency. Many have speculated the United States has worked hard to suppress oil prices to provided added incentive for Russian compliance in addition to sanctions.

Some observers believe Saudi Arabia, an old rival of Iran, may keep producing oil just to see Iran blamed in the region for low prices. The Saudis also have the money flexibility to withstand the tempest for some time — something their enemies, such as Iran, do not have.

Not only is there excess supply, but demand side has been slow-moving. Industrial economies in Asia and Europe are hardly growing and emerging markets in South America are falling.

That’s particularly true in the Chinese market, which has slowed radically in recent months.

It’s almost certainly going to lead to sub-$2 a gallon pump prices, in the view of Tom Kloza, principal oil market analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, which keeps tabs on retail gasoline prices for the American Automobile Association (AAA).

According to AAA, a gallon of standard gasoline now goes for $2.60 on average in the U.S.

Yet while a boon for most consumers, cheap oil is weighing on formerly-flourishing oil states like Texas and North Dakota, who derive considerable wealth from the black gold.

Twitter Shuts Down Political Tweet Archives In Bizarre Policy Change

Finance

Twitter, struggling financially amid a lagging stock price, has decided that removing a key source of public information its service provides is in its best interests.

The strange decision means it has effectively closed a network of websites dedicated to recording deleted tweets from political leaders from all countries. The websites — jointly known as Politwoops — were managed by the Open State Foundation (OSF), which stated that Twitter restricted their API access on Friday.

Twitter allegedly told the OSF that its resolution was the outcome of “thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors,” and that the twitter didn’t differentiate between politicians and ordinary users.

“Imagine how nerve-racking — terrifying, even — tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable?” Twitter allegedly told the OSF, adding, “No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.”

The U.S. wing of Politwoops was closed in June, but this new resolution affects nations worldwide including Egypt, Canada, Turkey, India, Ireland, Tunisia, South Korea, Norway, and the UK.

The Diplotwoops website, dedicated to recording deleted tweets from political leaders, was also closed down, with the OSF noting every account has been “extensively used and cited by journalists around the world.”

The company’s director, Arjan El Fassed, remarked: “What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. This is not about typos, but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.”

The British wing of Politwoops, popularly known by the handle @deletedbyMPs, was among those that Twitter’s decision affected.

Speaking to The Guardian, Jules Mattsson, who operates the account, said: “It’s a terrible shame that Twitter has made this decision. Politwoops has been an important new tool in political accountability in the UK and abroad. Politicians are all too happy to use social media to campaign, but if we lose the ability for this to be properly preserved, it becomes a one-way tool.”

Israel Caught Buying Over $1 Billion Of Oil From Controversial Iraqi Kurds

Entertainment News

Three quarters of the oil purchased by Israel in recent months has come from Iraqi Kurdistan according to documents obtained by the media. The Kurds are a controversial group, with their militia’s being deemed terrorists by Turkey.

The documents, which include satellite tanker tracking, shipping and trading data, show Israeli oil companies and refineries have imported 19 million barrels of Kurdish oil worth $1 billion from May 1 to mid August.

According to experts this means one third of all oil exports from northern Iraqi, shipped from the Turkish oil port Ceyhan, have gone to Israel in that period of time and was most probably sold to Israel at a discounted price.

The money from the oil sales to Israel would be a vital income source to the semi-autonomous Kurdish north in its battles against Islamic militants, which the experts say could be the reason Israel had purchased the oil.

Iraq’s government has said the oil belongs to Iraq and legally can only be purchased through Iraq’s Petroleum Ministry.

Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials denied the sale.

A senior KRG official said “We do not care where the oil goes once we have delivered it to the traders. Our priority is getting the cash to fund our Peshmerga forces against Daesh [ISIS] and to pay civil servant salaries.”

Reuters reported in June 2014 that Israel had started buying oil from northern Iraq after the oil tanker SCF Altai, registered in Liberia delivered one million barrels of crude oil from the Iraqi Kurdistan’s pipeline.

Late in 2014 the Kurds and the Iraqi government reached an agreement to end a dispute over the Kurdish oil exports, agreeing to jointly export the oil. However slow payments to the Kurds by the Iraqi Government “forced” the start finding buyers and selling it to them on its own. Israel was a willing customer.

In February the U.S. became tangled in the oil dispute between the KRG and the Iraqi government, when an oil tanker was blocked from unloading its cargo of 1 million barrels of oil from Northern Iraq in Texas, by a Baghdad legal challenge.

After four months the tanker returned to the Mediterranean and delivered the cargo to Israel.

The sale to the USA had been negotiated by the KRG .

Researchers Just Discovered A Silver Bullet That Can Kill All Drug Resistant Superbugs

Health & Wellness

A recent scientific breakthrough may provide answers in how to treat drug-resistant superbugs. A new study by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has resulted in the mapping of the “secret passageway” in superbug bacteria. The research shows that antibiotics can enter the bacteria through the passageway, thereby killing it. The development is extremely promising and could eventually render superbug drug resistance useless, as using the long-known yet little understood passageway bypasses the bacteria’s immune system.

Nearly all bacteria have a “back door” or portal that sometimes opens – creating a pathway for antibiotics to penetrate the bacteria’s wall, known as the cell membrane. By pushing through the membrane, the bacteria’s drug resistance is not triggered, rendering it defenseless.

Previous studies of this amazing mechanism showed that a newly developed antibiotic “might” have travelled through a superbug’s portal and killed the bacteria. However, the results were inconsistent and this was due to a lack of understanding the structure of the portal – and the key to opening it.

The new study advances the research by mapping the internal structure of the portal.

Professor Liu Zhenfeng, lead author of the study, stated that, “Scientists can quickly find or design antibiotics if they know the exact structure of the targeted area. It’s like travelling somewhere – it’s much easier if you have a map of the place.” The research was published in the United States journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Zhenfeng further stated that, “Through this fundamental research, which is not directly linked to antibiotics development, the new knowledge may pave the way for a new strategy in our fight against superbugs.”

Prior to the study, the portal’s opening and closing function was believed to be similar to that of a camera’s shutter. The new research indicates that the portal’s structure and mechanics are much more complicated. The hole is believed to initially open like a camera shutter, but as the hole widens, a larger umbrella-like function spurs into action. Liu observed that, “It is incredible that nature has created such a sophisticated device at such a miniscule scale. Every movement of every part will trigger the movement of other parts. It’s beautiful.”

The challenge of studying such a complex, miniscule mechanism took six years to develop. Scientists finally discovered a special catalyst that could speed up the protein’s growth and development, allowing the researchers to view the structure of the portal in significant detail.

While questions remain as to how to consistently open the portal in order to insert the antibiotic, the discovery is a huge step in fighting the war against superbugs.

Speculation Continues To Mount That Vice President Biden Will Enter 2016 Race

News

On Sunday, more high-flying Democrats welcomed Vice President Joe Biden to enter the contest for the Democratic nomination as party leader Hillary Clinton continues to fight questions over her utilization of a personal email server.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Jerry Brown, the governor of California, said that, if he were the Vice President, he would give “very serious consideration” to a presidential run.

According to Brown, the email server saga surrounding Clinton’s personal email server as Secretary of State bore a “dark energy” that indicates a significant challenge for her political campaign.

“It is almost like a vampire. She is going to have to put a stake…in the heart of these emails,” the California Governor said.

Asked if Biden should contest, Brown answered: “You are asking me presidential advice. All I can say is if I were Hillary, I would say don’t jump in. If I were Joe Biden, I would probably give it very serious consideration.”

On Saturday, Speculation increased that Biden may soon face Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination as he met with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a renowned power broker among open-minded Democrats.

Warren, who has significant support from noninterventionist groups that would be vital to success in states that vote early, has said she will not contest for president, but she has not approved Clinton or ruled out being Vice President.

Josh Alcorn, a key adviser for Draft Biden 2016, a Super PAC that is laying the foundation for a possible run, said Biden was “sounding out people in early (primary election) states, activists and potential supporters.”

Speaking to Fox News, Alcorn said, meeting with Warren could helpful in giving Biden more strategies for making the U.S. financial system work better for middle-class citizens.

If Biden runs, Alcorn said it would be imperative for him to declare his candidacy in good time to participate in the first Democratic discussions in October.

Democratic presidential contestant Martin O’Malley said he had a “great deal of respect” for the Vice President.

Speaking to ABC This Week, the former Maryland governor said, “It would be nice to have at least one more lifelong Democrat in the race.”

The remark was partly a reference to Bernie Sanders, independent Senator, and a self-proclaimed communist from Vermont, who is also interested in the Democratic nomination.

Speaking to ABC “This Week” on Sunday, Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said that he would approve Clinton in her effort to win the presidential election set for November 2016, but said Biden would be a tough candidate if he joined the race.

China Could Be On Track To Have The World’s First Operational Hypersonic Missile

Entertainment News

Over the weekend reports emerged that China successfully executed the fifth test of its WU-14 hypersonic glide vehicle. The test occurred at the Wuzhai missile range in northern China’s Shanxi province and is believed to have occurred on August 19th.

Pentagon officials said the WU-14 traveled along the edge of the atmosphere and also demonstrated evasive maneuvering capabilities during the latest test, which was closely observed by the U.S. military.

This evasive maneuvering indicates that the hypersonic missile is designed to evade countermeasures, such as those that might be used by the United States during a conflict.

Current U.S. missile defense systems are designed to intercept ballistic missiles that follow predictable flight paths. Maneuverable warheads and glide vehicles cannot be countered by the current systems. This problem becomes even more difficult if the missiles are hypersonic, with speeds in excess of Mach 5.

The problems defending against these systems highlight their appeal to both U.S. and Chinese militaries. India and Russia are also working on similar systems but are not believed to be in such advanced stages of development.

Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center said that to counter the new glide vehicle the U.S. must speed up the development of its railgun technology, which uses an electromagnetic catapult system to launch a projectile at high speed.

The U.S. publicly debuted a demonstration of this technology in February of this year.

Lora Saalman, a hypersonic technology analyst who carefully studies Beijing, said the two most recent WU-14 flights are unprecedented both in terms of pace and frequency. The program appears to be moving along well and on target to be a fully deployed system in the coming years.

When deployed, the hypersonic glide system would extend the range and increase the flexibility of China’s anti-access, area denial technologies beyond that of the already deployed DF-21D anti-ship missiles, says Saalman.

“If this conventional system is mounted to reach an intercontinental range, then it could represent an effort to catch up with or even beat the United States to the punch on its own Conventional Prompt Global Strike aspirations,” Saalman said.

A WU-14 missile armed with a nuclear warhead would be a direct threat to the U.S. homeland with no countermeasures to stop it.

Admiral Cecil Haney, commander of the US Strategic Command, confirmed that hypersonic glide vehicles are emerging weapons that pose a direct threat to the United States.

The U.S. military, working with Boeing, has been testing similar technologies in its X-51 Waverider program, the details of which are largely classified.

Federal Judge Orders FBI, State Department To Expand Investigation Into Clinton Email Scandal

News

A federal judge has found that Hillary Clinton did not comply with federal policies by using a private server located in her home during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton used the server for her official email account and exposed classified information by doing so.

United States District Judge Emmet Sullivan also admonished the State Department for not communicating with the FBI regarding the issue and urged the two to cooperate to expand the investigation.

Sullivan made the finding during a hearing in the case between the conservative organization Judicial Watch and the State Department. The group is suing the State Department over its failure to provide records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) regarding the employment of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Judge Sullivan ordered the State Department to communicate with the FBI to determine if any records related the lawsuit might exist on the server and thumb drive turned over recently by Clinton. The server and thumb drive are now in the hands of federal authorities as part its investigation as to whether Clinton’s email system was secure.

The judge also inquired as to whether the company that maintained Clinton’s server had copies of emails sent and received. He urged the State Department to directly ask Clinton if any third parties might have the sought-after emails, although he did not go so far as to order the agency to do so.

The judge’s findings bring fresh headaches to Clinton’s campaign as she continues to take steps to defend herself regarding her use of the private server. In addition to the many FOIA lawsuits seeking information, Congress feels Clinton’s campaign has not adequately explained the situation. Congress also disapproves of Clinton utilizing humor to attempt to deflect and minimize the situation. Florida Senator Bill Nelson stated that, “[He doesn’t] think the campaign has handled it very well. [He thinks] the advice to her of making a joke out of it – [he] think[s] that was not good advice.”

Democrat Representative John Yarmuth feels that the controversy could knock Clinton out of the presidential race. He quipped, “I just never feel like I have a grasp of what the facts are. Clearly she has handled it poorly from the first day. And there’s the appearance of dishonesty, if it’s not dishonesty.”

Although Clinton is the Democratic frontrunner and has much more money and support than other Democratic hopefuls, particularly Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley, the margin is narrowing. New polls indicate that in battleground states, only ⅓ of people feel Clinton is honest and trustworthy.

Whatever people’s perception is of Clinton, the current email controversy is taking away from the issues she wants people to focus on. For the campaign, it’s simply a huge distraction.

In an effort to stop the bleeding, the campaign is trying to reach out to the public.

Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri stated that, “We understand there is confusion about the issue and are being more aggressive in making sure people understand two key facts. First, that using personal email was allowed in keeping with what her predecessors had done. Two, she always treated classified materials with great care, dealt with them in hard copy, not online, and never sent or received material considered classified at the time.”

Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama White House adviser, feels that once it comes down to Clinton and a single Republican candidate, Clinton will prevail. “The question shouldn’t be, do you trust Hillary Clinton. It needs to be, do you trust Hillary Clinton more than Marco Rubio or Donald Trump on the economy [and] immigration.”

Russian Ruble Drops Even Further As President Putin Scrambles For Options

Entertainment News

The Russian ruble plunged 2.3 percent on Monday due to a large drop in oil prices, the country’s principal export. The ruble now sits at a seven-month low, severely complicating president Vladimir Putin’s plans for global aggression.

The ruble traded at 70.7 to the dollar in early trading in Moscow, hit by a combination of low energy prices and biting Western sanctions that are now being felt far and wide with Russia. The sanctions have been made even worse by Putin’s ban on western food products and luxury goods.

Oil is the main engine of the Russian economy and its decline follows a sharp decline in the price of crude oil.

U.S. oil contracts on Friday dropped to under $40 per barrel, the first time at such levels since 2009.

Despite obvious signs of distress, Russian officials continue to insist that the economy is strong enough to weather the sharp declines.

On Monday, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said to reporters that he did not expect the price of oil to stay below $40 a barrel.

This is a convenient assumption given that the Russian government has budgeted all of its spending on an forecasted oil price of $50 per barrel.

Russian stocks clearly do not believe the government, with the benchmark MICEX index down roughly 2 percent on Monday.

Email Extortion Threats, Suicide, Are The Ugly Fallout Of The Ashley Madison Data Breach

Finance

The fallout from the Ashley Madison data breach shows no signs of letting up, as in addition to having their personal information dumped onto the web, people are now reporting email extortion threats.

The despair triggered by the hack has been so great that an employee of San Antonio city, who appeared in the Ashley Madison records dump, even committed suicide.

According to both a tweet from 0x1C and a post on Reddit, one of the companies that made the Ashley Madison information searchable last week, Trustify, is now distributing “you were in the database” emails.

The email exposes that Trustify is retaining searches made against its statistics and is now sending out mails reading:

“You or someone you know recently used our search tool to see if your email address was compromised in the Ashley Madison leak, and we confirmed that your details were exposed.”

The email then continues an offer to “hide the exposed details” – but only if the addressee of the message contacts Trustify.

Argument about the “offer” immediately started on Reddit, with a number of comments questioning anyone’s capacity to hide revealed information. One comment, claiming to be coming from Trustify, stated that the organization isn’t doxxing anybody, and carefully added “I’m going to work with the team on expanding on the messaging.”

Noted privacy advocacy group Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) gave their view on the matter, with CEO Jon Lawrence saying the organization was critical both of websites collecting search statistics and of news channels supporting search websites.

Lawrence wrote, “Whatever the moral issues associated with using the Ashley Madison service, and with their particular business model, the release of this data is clearly a massive invasion of privacy.”

At the thought that it was users who got themselves into trouble by using the questionable dating service, Lawrence called that position “a rather callous and simplistic view that imposes an unwarranted moral element to the right to privacy that we reject.”

Lawrence further explained that the EFA is afraid other abuses of the information will come out.

For instance, he said, “we are also alarmed by reports that a real estate data provider is planning to include geographic data sourced from this privacy breach in their search results to provide some form of ‘marital happiness rating’.”

While the solicitations by Trustify come from a legitimate, if questionably ethical, company illegal spammers wasted little time in extorting users.

Extortion letters were observed that demanded 1.0001 Bitcoin to suppress the victim’s information, despite the fact the spammer could do no such thing.

The files now exist on Bittorrent and many other publicly available website and users’ email addresses and information are now indisputably part of the public record.

Apple Announces Unusual Recall Of Iphone 6 Plus That Exposes Secret New Manufacturing Strategy

Finance

In a rare development, smartphone giant Apple is recalling certain batches of of its iPhone 6 Plus phablet due to some cameras on the devices producing blurry or unclear photos.

The issue has been reported by users for some time now and is particularly important to the Cupertino, California, based company as it has made the iPhone’s camera a key part of its global advertising campaigns.

Unlike other recalls that have affected fewer numbers of devices, the numbers here appear to be quite large. Every iPhone 6 Plus manufactured between September 2014 and January 2015 seems to be affected.

Apple “will replace your device’s iSight camera, free of charge,” which is different than other recalls have been handled. Apple typically just gives users new phones and recycles the old ones.

Yet this quick swap offers a rare glimpse into Apple’s design process and hints at an impressively modular designs.

Rival Google has been keenly developing its now-delayed project Ara, a modular phone where bits and pieces can be removed and upgraded.

Apple’s never spoken about a modular phone like Ara but it seems as though the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple’s newest smartphone, has been engineered with cheaper repairs in mind.

Iphone 6 Plus users can click here to see if their phones are affected.

‘Black Monday’ In China As Stocks Suffer Worst One Day Loss In Eight Years

Finance

China’s stock market fell out of bed overnight, falling by its biggest margin in eight years. A wave of risk-off selling hammered the market. 993 stocks listed on the benchmark index, accounting for over 90 percent of listed companies, either halted trading voluntarily or were halted by the daily 10 per cent limit rule.

The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 298.81 points at 3,208.93 points, down 8.52 percent.

The drop mirrored that of the Shenzhen Composite Index, which closed down 8.85 percent to 3,271.89.

The latest selling came as the result of fears about the sagging Chinese economy.

“The official PMI to be released next Tuesday (on September 1) will be closely watched by the market,” said ANZ Bank in a note to clients. “Activities remain sluggish while the risk of deflation has not abated with PPI falling for 41 consecutive months. We expect a RRR cut in Q3 followed by an interest rate cut.”

Investors fear that China is in for a hard economic landing after a slew of policy incentives failed to improve economic performance.

There has also been deep distrust among investors for Chinese economic data, which recorded just over seven percent GDP growth last month. Many American investors do not believe China is growing anywhere near this level.

China’s Shanghai index has erased all its gains for the year and is now in negative territory in 2015.

U.S. equities look set to follow suit, with all major index futures solidly in the red.

U.S. markets experienced large losses on Friday after a similar result in China, with the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average losing over 500 points.

South Korea Resumes Propaganda Broadcasts, Demands ‘Clear Apology’ From North Korea

Entertainment News

The South Korean military continued loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Monday after no progress was made in around the clock peace negotiations.

South Korean officials demanded a “clear apology” from North Korea for its live fire attack on the loudspeaker, the first such incident in many years.

The announcements came as North Korea showed no signs of backing off its threat to target the facilities and after it forward deployed landing craft and 50 of its submarines.

A military official in Seoul reported that broadcasts from all eleven loudspeakers were made as scheduled in the early hours of Monday.

No reaction to the broadcasts was recorded by the South Korean military, who also remain on high alert.

It is believed that the North has its firepower on standby and can target the loudspeakers as soon as an order is given.

The South Korean military has remained on its highest alert since Thursday, North Korea launched rockets across the border.

South Korea and the United States have adopted a joint defense posture, including deploying U.S. multiple rocket launchers near the DMZ.

The two allies have deployed WATCHCON, an intelligence and surveillance system for North Korean provocations, set at its second highest level.

Reconnaissance aircraft, satellites and on-ground reconnaissance assets are monitoring movements by the North Korean military around the clock.

The United States has not released a statement on its military efforts in the region at this time.

Global Trade In Mammoth Ivory Is Exploding Thanks To Melting Arctic Ice

Culture

As arctic permafrost melts due to rising global temperatures, previously unobtainable mammoth ivory has become accessible to harvesting by paleontologists and ivory traders. Though legal to sell, as mammoth’s are already extinct, the new influx of mammoth ivory is raising fears that it may increase the overall demand for ivory, and with it the poaching of endangered elephants.

In Alaska, gold miners now pursue the formerly frozen ivory, while indigenous Siberians perform the work in Russia. Over half of the world’s exports of the new ivory are from Russia to Hong Kong, but because Russian regulations only permit the sale of full tusks with a permit, many simply cut the mammoth tusks into smaller pieces, avoiding the regulations.

Thousands of mammoth tusks are also becoming available in Alaska and Canada, though 93.5% of the world’s supply comes from Siberia. Prices for premium grade mammoth ivory have risen dramatically in the last five years, from $160 per pound, to $860.

But some see a business opportunity in attempting to pass off illegal elephant ivory as mammoth ivory.

In a report, commissioned by the Save the Elephants charity, incidents of Chinese ivory traders attempting this bait and switch show they have resorted to staining elephant ivory in order to give the appearance of mammoth ivory. Radiocarbon dating and DNA tests to discriminate between the two varieties are too slow and expensive for widespread implementation, raising significant enforcement problems for police.

Researcher Lucy Vigne, who co-authored the report, claimed there is currently no consensus on a proper course of action regarding mammoth ivory, stating, “There is no scientific evidence yet published on whether the mammoth ivory trade has a negative effect on elephants or a positive effect. This ought to be looked into in greater depth before a ban is suggested.”