Google battles landmark UK class action over alleged iPhone tracking
LONDON (Reuters) -A proposed multi-billion pound British class action against Google, which alleges the internet giant secretly tracked millions of iPhone users, is not viable and should not be allowed to proceed, the Supreme Court was told on Wednesday. He alleges that Google illegally took iPhone users' personal data by tracking internet browsing histories and used this to sell a lucrative, targeted advertising service. "Google makes billions of pounds in revenue from advertising based on our personal data every year," he said in a statement. "It is only right that they should be held to account for profiting from the misuse of that personal data." "If the judgment goes in favour of the claimants, we will see the floodgates open to a tsunami of representative data class actions in the UK," said Julian Copeman, a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 13:32 UTC
Teen who exposed teacher's rape jokes hits back at cyberbullies, bodyshamers
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians – some believed to be teachers themselves – who posted lewd comments about Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, the 17-year-old student who revealed a teacher's jokes about rape, are being exposed for their behaviour online. In a video posted to TikTok and Twitter, the plucky teen demanded an apology from commenters who wrote about her body on social media. Other students have also come out on social media to expose male teachers allegedly leaving lewd comments about the teen in a Facebook group for teachers. On Facebook, her father Saiful Nizam said the lewd comments about his daughter's appearance showed how "sick" Malaysian society is. "From joking about rape (by a teacher), then rape threats from a student, and now body shaming and cyberbullying.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 12:00 UTC
Athletes to get daily COVID tests in Tokyo, spectator decision by June
TOKYO (Reuters) - Olympic athletes will be given daily tests for the coronavirus during their time in Tokyo for the delayed 2020 Games, organisers said on Wednesday. They said a decision about whether to allow domestic spectators to attend would be taken in June. All participants will need to take two coronavirus tests prior to arriving in Japan, the organisers, including the Tokyo 2020 committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said in a statement. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 11:48 UTC
Swipe my phone: UK to use health service app as vaccine passport
LONDON (April 28): Britain plans to use a National Health Service phone app as its Covid-19 'vaccine passport' certificate that will allow its population to travel internationally this summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday. So-called vaccine passports could range from a digital certificate with a scannable QR code in the European Union, to a National Health Service (NHS) phone app in the United Kingdom, or a humble piece of paper in some other countries. "And I'm working internationally with partners across the world, to make sure that that system can be internationally recognised," he said. British tourists are among the highest-spending European tourists, so their ability to travel is key for the economies of southern Europe. Shapps said he would reveal which travel categories countries would be placed in, early next month.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 28, 2021 11:26 UTC
Khairuddin's unlawful detention: Police officer admits public had right to think 1MDB probe was being halted in 2015
Haniff: (Do you agree) this had created a perception in the public, who questioned whether the 1MDB investigation was truly proceeding, or otherwise? Khairuddin and Chang subsequently challenged the detention, after which the High Court ruled that the detention was unlawful, and ordered their release on Nov 18, 2015. Yesterday, the staunch supporter of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad testified that his detention was ordered to protect Najib. The application to extend Khairuddin's detention under Sosma for 28 days was made on Sept 24, 2015, he said. For Sosma offences, the detention order must come from a person with the rank of a Superintendent or above,” he added.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 28, 2021 11:03 UTC
Chocolate to McNuggets: Book details history of kid food
Burgers and fries are represented, along with chocolate, peanut butter, chicken, ice cream and all that sugary cereal so many parents love to hate. “I wanted to write history for kids and I wanted it to be really fun, ” she said. "It was surprising to me how little we actually know about the origins of some of these foods, ” she said. Zachman doesn't ignore some of the big personalities behind popular kid foods, such as the brawling Kellogg brothers of Battle Creek, Michigan. Zachman is conflicted about the mass of sugar cereal became.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 09:56 UTC
Viral social media post claims Chinese wives are secretly feeding their husbands impotency drugs to stop cheating
Some mainland wives are feeding their husbands drugs that induce impotence to prevent or stop them from cheating, according to a social media post. One comment said, “It took about two weeks after giving it to my husband for the drugs to take effect. The South China Morning Post searched for the drug on major online shopping platforms and did not find any products for sale on Tuesday. However, wives could face criminal liability if their husbands’ health was seriously affected by the drugs. – South China Morning Post
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 09:32 UTC
Federer to auction off Grand Slam memorabilia
A live auction taking place on June 23 will feature 20 lots, with each one reflecting one of Federer's Grand Slam titles. Lots include the outfit and racket from Federer's 2009 French Open final victory over Robin Soderling which completed his career Grand Slam, including the shoes still coated in red Roland Garros clay dust. "More importantly, the proceeds will support The Roger Federer Foundation to help us continue to deliver educational resources to children in Africa and Switzerland." A second online auction takes place in July featuring 300 lower-priced items such as the wristbands Federer wore during his 1,500th professional match at a tournament in Basel. Bertold Mueller, Managing Director, Christie's Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa said: "It is a great privilege for Christie's to offer this magnificent memorabilia of historic importance on behalf of Roger Federer, an active sporting legend.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 09:26 UTC
Inside Amazon’s shadow workforce in Mexico
MEXICO CITY: After six months of shifts moving boxes at an Amazon warehouse near Mexico City as a contract worker, Jaime Hidalgo believed job security and brighter prospects beckoned when he received the company’s “blue badge” making him staff. The conditions described by the former Amazon workers could be grounds for an inspection by labour officials, he said. Amazon said it had created at least 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in Mexico since opening its first warehouse in 2015. More than two-thirds of Amazon’s Mexico warehouse workforce is outsourced to contractors – known informally as a “shadow workforce” – workers estimated. Two former Amazon workers – including 37-year-old Rafael Bobadilla – said they were required to sign blank resignation papers by the recruitment agencies before starting work.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 08:48 UTC
China probes Ant’s speedy listing process after halting IPO
Among questions being explored by the probe are why Ant’s IPO was fast-tracked, if the company made sufficient disclosures and whether it received preferential treatment in the allocation of its stock code, they said. Chinese leaders are also concerned that Ant’s IPO stood to benefit a swathe of well-connected individuals and institutions, including state funds such as sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp and insurer China Life Insurance Co., the Wall Street Journal reported. The securities regulator, Shanghai stock exchange and local government, CIC and China Life didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. In the run up to the IPO, Ant seemed particularly fond of the number eight, which is often associated with wealth in China. One fallout from the probe has been a tightening of listing requirements at Shanghai’s STAR Market to ensure that only companies whose main business is technology are traded there, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 08:15 UTC
Woman, 89, beats son with umbrella, disowns him due to loan shark issues
According to Chong, Kong and her son had approached him on Tuesday (April 27) in hopes of seeking his help. If I wasn't sick, I would've whacked him too," added Chong, who is currently recovering from Covid-19. Meanwhile, Chong said he has received 47 similar loan shark cases, involving debts amounting to RM3.4mil. He said that Kong's case only reflected the current grim situation in the country, where loan shark activities are becoming more rampant. "This press conference is to let everyone know that loan sharks are becoming more rampant.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 08:04 UTC
The fashion industry is evolving, as Covid-19 forces a huge rethink
The pandemic has torn a multibillion-dollar bite out of the fabric of Europe's fashion industry, stopped runway shows and forced brands to show their designs digitally instead. Some think the fashion week format, in use since the 1940s, will be radically rethought. China, in particular, was already considered the worldwide engine of growth in the luxury industry before the pandemic. Many predicted devastation for the industry, but fashion houses have proved surprisingly resilient. Since the advent of social media, brands have become much less reliant on traditional advertising outlets such as fashion magazines.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 06:56 UTC
My Say: Recent financial blow-ups: Are these canaries in the coal mine?
Like the coal miners of old, who used canaries as an early warning signal for toxic gases underground, policymakers would be well advised to take note of these blow-ups as early warning signals.”Within a space of about three months, there have been at least three serious financial blow-ups. Like fissures forming before an eruption, these blow-ups, though isolated, could be the early warning for policymakers and financial markets. Though Greensill Capital was supposedly a fintech concern, its supply chain financing (SCF) was nothing but good old factoring. Using technology and operating on thin margins, Greensill Capital was really a “shadow bank” with little regulatory oversight. Like the coal miners of old, who used canaries as early warning signals for toxic gases underground, policymakers would be well advised to take note of these blow-ups as early warning signals.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 28, 2021 06:11 UTC
PSG attack can give managers sleepless nights, says Guardiola
I tried to sleep well last night and that was when I wasn't thinking of them," Guardiola told reporters on the eve of the clash. We're ready to try to stop them, defend as a team, play good football and try to score goals." Guardiola first faced Neymar when the Brazil forward was playing for Santos against his Barcelona side in the 2011 Club World Cup. "I remember when I saw some clips of Santos in that era and I said to the (Barcelona) players, 'This is the king of Santos', and all the players were open-mouthed. With Neymar, (Lionel) Messi and (Luis) Suarez, the best three I've seen," Guardiola said.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 06:06 UTC
Tavatanakit hopes to impress in Singapore as LPGA Tour returns to Asia
(Reuters) - World number one Ko Jin-young, two-times champion Inbee Park and holder Park Sung-hyun head the field at the HSBC Women's World Championship starting on Thursday as the LPGA Tour returns to Asia for the first time in 18 months amid the COVID-19 crisis. The HSBC Women's World Championship will be followed by the Honda LPGA Thailand from May 6-9. The May 13-16 Blue Bay LPGA scheduled in China was cancelled due to travel restrictions. Following the Thailand tournament, the LPGA Tour will return to the United States for the $1.3 million Pure Silk Championship at Williamsburg, Virginia. Asia is then scheduled to stage four back-to-back events starting October - in China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
Source:The Star
April 28, 2021 05:48 UTC