Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Ohio governor backs natural gas and deregulated power markets
 Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined elected officials in northwestern Ohio on Monday to cut the ribbon for one of the state’s largest and most efficient natural gas-fired power plants, announcing his support for the deregulated power market as other generators push for subsidies.

The Oregon Clean Energy Center is one of the region’s first facilities developed in response to low-cost shale gas supplies produced in the Appalachian Basin, where dozens of other facilities are planned or under construction.

Nuclear generators want subsidies from the state to keep their plants online as electricity costs have fallen. Kasich took the ceremony as an opportunity to throw his support behind the natural gas industry, which is lobbying hard to prevent subsidies for nuclear generation.

Kasich announced his support for competitive power markets, and said gas-fired power “is the future. I think it’s important that Ohio stay in a deregulated environment, which brings in investors.”

The 870 MW Oregon Clean Energy Center entered service last month and is now fully operational. Developed by Boston-based Clean Energy Future LLC, the facility is owned by Ares Management LP affiliates and I Squared Capital. Planned upgrades at the plant in Lucas County would increase its output to 908 MW.

Clean Energy filed an application with the state in January 2013, and Monday’s ceremony concluded the four-year process, which employed 950 people at the peak of construction. The $800 million plant can provide electricity for more than 700,000 homes.

Clean Energy operates or is developing more than 3,000 MW of additional gas-fired power in the state.

Output: Governor John Kasich has officially opened the Oregon Clean Energy Centre in northwestern Ohio. One of first, biggest and most efficient facilities in the state, the $800m natural gas-powered plant was developed over four years to counter cheaper shale gas being manufactured in the Appalachian Basin. It will have capacity to provide electricity for over 700,000 homes. While nuclear plant operators are seeking state subsidies to keep facilities running as electricity costs fall and natural gas becomes more ubiquitous, Kasich voiced support for deregulated power markets and tipped gas-fired power to be “the future”.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
NHS offers shopping discounts to families meeting exercise goals
 Families could be offered discounts on their food shopping, cut-price sports gear and free cinema tickets for hitting exercise targets in a drive to reduce the burden of lifestyle-related illness on the NHS.

The proposals, for residents to receive rewards if they walk a specified number of steps, form part of NHS England’s plans for 10 new “healthy towns”, intended to address serious healthcare problems including obesity and dementia.

As well as downloadable apps that reward walking, plans for Halton Lea in Runcorn, Cheshire, include free bikes, an outdoor cinema, sprinting tracks on pavements and outdoor gyms. Residents could receive lessons in how to cook healthily, while a community kitchen could supply food to local schools, hospitals and meals on wheals.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said it was crucial that health should be “designed in” to the much-needed wave of housebuilding across the country.

“These practical designs for Halton point the way, uniting young and old in thinking through the sort of communities we want for the future,” he said. “The NHS makes no apologies for weighing in with good ideas on how the built environment can encourage healthy towns and supportive neighbourhoods.”

The healthy towns programme was launched in March last year and includes new developments stretching from Darlington to Devon, comprising more than 76,000 homes and 170,000 residents. It is hoped they will establish a blueprint that will be followed elsewhere.

The initiative is a response to the burden being placed on the NHS by disease linked to sedentary lifestyles. In 2015-16, more than one in five children in reception and more than one in threein year 6 were obese or overweight.

Britain loses more than 130m working days to ill health each year, and a Design Council guide estimates that a quarter of British adults walk for fewer than nine minutes a day.

As part of the healthy towns programme, a design challenge was launched for Halton because it was felt that as it was at the beginning of its development plans it could make the most of bold new ideas.

The competition attracted 34 innovative bids from across the world, including the US, Spain, India and Japan, but the winner was the London-based Citiesmode.

Its ideas also include universal wifi, so residents can get in touch with health services from home, and converting a car park into a community square and outdoor cinema to “boost the sense of community and improve mental health”. The final plans for Halton are expected to be ready by January.

Melany Pickup, the chief executive of Warrington and Halton hospitals NHS foundation trust, said it was “a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something truly transformational for our population”.

Tam Fry, chair of the National Obesity Forum, said the initiative had the potential to achieve something that 20 years of the Department of Health and others warning about the perils of obesity had failed to do.

“This project is something which should be welcomed,” he said. “It should be reviewed thoroughly to see what works and doesn’t work. Who knows, it might come to offer a nugget that may be shared nationwide.”

The nine other sites, which are at different stages of development, are Whitehill and Bordon in Hampshire; Cranbrook in Devon; Darlington in County Durham; Barking Riverside in London; Whyndyke Farm in Fylde, Lancashire; Bicester in Oxfordshire; Northstowe in Cambridgeshire; Ebbsfleet Garden City in Kent; and Barton Park in Oxford.

Output: UK families could receive discounts on food shopping and sports gear as well as free cinema tickets if they fulfil exercise targets under a new initiative designed to reduced strain on the NHS. The plan to develop 10 “healthy towns” forms part of NHS England’s attempt to tackle health issues including obesity and dementia. The initiative, launched in March 2016, covers over 76,000 homes and 170,000 residents and could provide a blueprint for future schemes. The selected sites include Halton Lea in Cheshire, Darlington, Barking Riverside, Bicester and Ebbsfleet Garden City.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Thin-film cadmium and bifacial solar perform best in hot weather
 Solar module manufacturers one-up each other on a regular basis in the quest for the world’s most efficient panel. The results usually come out of laboratories, where the modules undergo precise testing in a controlled environment under standard test conditions (STC).

In the real world, however, the picture is more nuanced. Field conditions are often a far cry from artificially stable lab environments.

New results from a recent series of field tests highlight the variation that occurs when technologies are tested side-by-side in different regions, where array design and siting, temperature, humidity, and a variety of other factors influence performance.

Three module test labs, DNV GL, TÜV Rheinland Photovoltaic Testing Lab and Celestica, tracked the performance of 2-kilowatt systems that use one of three technologies: thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe), n-type silicon bifacial, and crystalline-silicon (c-Si). Modules were selected at random by the labs.

Test sites in Davis, Calif., Tempe, Arizona and Toronto each assessed eight or nine systems with a mix of the different technologies. Data from the arrays were collected for at least a year.

Source: TUV Rheinland

The CdTe panels, supplied by First Solar, and the first-generation B245 bifacial panel (bifacial-1) produced by Prism Solar performed best in the two hotter environments. The results of the field study lend credibility to technologies that are gaining traction in the market beyond the c-Si, which makes up the majority of solar panels today.

In Tempe, more than 90 percent of the energy yield was produced at temperatures higher than 25 degrees Celsius, and the highest energy generation happened above 45 degrees Celsius.

Note: Array 1 Prism bifacial; Array 3 unnamed Bifacial; Array 2, 4, 5 c-Si; Array 6-9 CdTe

Source: TUV Rheinland

The two different bifacial panels show that performance varies by supplier and location, with Prism’s bifacial panel far outperforming the unnamed competitor in Tempe, while the other panel provided a slightly higher performance ratio in Toronto. Bifacial panels can produce power from both sides of the module, capturing direct and indirect sunlight.

There are various factors that drive bifacial performance, with albedo (the amount of solar energy reflected off of a surface) and row spacing being two important contributors. There is currently no industry consensus on rating methodology for bifacial modules, and manufacturers are using different methods.

At SNEC 2017 in Shanghai in April, bifacial panels were seemingly everywhere, according to GTM Research solar analysts who attended. Editors at PV Tech commented that given the major players showing off their bifacial panels at SNEC, “a recent niche product could be set for the mainstream, very shortly.”

However, the industry needs to solve several key issues that are limiting the product's acceptance prior to bifacial modules being adopted for large-scale usage.

The field study also backs up First Solar’s competitive advantage claims over traditional crystalline silicon technology. CdTe modules performed well at higher temperatures compared to C-Si modules in Tempe due to the better temperature coefficient of CdTe, the TÜV Rheinland study found. The CdTe modules had STC efficiencies close to those of c-Si, ranging from 13.2 to 14.7 percent. The variability between the First Solar array performance represents the improvement in efficiency and energy yield from Series 3 Black Plus through its Series 4-2.

Even in Davis, where temperatures are not quite as hot as in Tempe, most of the arrays spent at least half their time at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius or above. Because of those high temperatures, the Davis CdTe arrays also had a performance ratio higher than the average of c-Si panels.

Note: Array 1 Prism bifacial; Array 2, 7-9 c-Si; Array 3-6 CdTe

Source: TÜV Rheinland

The picture was more muddled in the relatively cold environment of Toronto. The unnamed bifacial panel had the highest average annual DC efficiency of 17.17 percent among all the arrays, while CdTe-1 had the lowest efficiency of 12.82 percent, and another CdTe system had the second-highest efficiency of 14.45 percent.

Note: Array 1 Prism bifacial, Array 2 unnamed bifacial, Array 3 c-Si, Array 4-7 CdTe

Source: TÜV Rheinland

The findings from the reports do not upend conventional wisdom, but they do highlight the regional variation for each technology in real-world conditions. The results also suggest the potential threats that traditional c-Si products could face as technologies continue to fall in price due to higher volumes, lower balance-of-system costs, and more widespread market recognition.

***

This article was sponsored by TÜV Rheinland, a global leader in independent inspection services. TÜV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, oversees projects, and helps to shape processes and information security for companies. Since 2006, TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption.

Output: Testing of three solar technologies: thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe), n-type silicon bifacial, and crystalline-silicon (c-Si) were tested by three labs, DNV GL, TÜV Rheinland Photovoltaic Testing Lab and Celestica, in three locations Davis, California, Tempe, Arizona and Toronto for more than a year. The CdTe panels, supplied by First Solar, and the first-generation B245 bifacial panel (bifacial-1) produced by Prism Solar performed best in the two hotter environments. In Toronto, the unnamed bifacial panel had the highest average annual DC efficiency of 17.17% among all the arrays, while CdTe-1 had the lowest efficiency of 12.82%, and another CdTe system had the second-highest efficiency of 14.45%.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
AI experts lobby UN on lethal autonomous weapons
 As companies building the technologies in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics that may be repurposed to develop autonomous weapons, we feel especially responsible in raising this alarm. We warmly welcome the decision of the UN’s Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) to establish a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems. Many of our researchers and engineers are eager to offer technical advice to your deliberations.

We commend the appointment of Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill of India as chair of the GGE. We entreat the High Contracting Parties participating in the GGE to work hard at finding means to prevent an arms race in these weapons, to protect civilians from their misuse, and to avoid the destabilizing effects of these technologies. We regret that the GGE’s first meeting, which was due to start today (August 21, 2017), has been cancelled due to a small number of states failing to pay their financial contributions to the UN. We urge the High Contracting Parties therefore to double their efforts at the first meeting of the GGE now planned for November.

Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare. Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend. These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways. We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close. We therefore implore the High Contracting Parties to find a way to protect us all from these dangers.

Output: Artificial intelligence and robotics experts from across the globe have signed an open letter to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, warning that the technologies may be used in developing autonomous weaponry. The experts aim to reduce the risk of creating a destabilising arms race and to protect civilian entities from harm caused by misuse. The group warns that lethal autonomous weapons could be the “third revolution in warfare”, asking that the United Nations prevent and protect against this possibility.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Google experiments with free access to FT and NYT news stories
 It's no secret that Google and conventional news outlets have a fraught relationship, and that's in no small part due to the problems publishers have turning Google searchers into paying customers. Why subscribe when you just read an article for free? It might soon give you more incentives to sign up, though. The company is conducting tests with the New York Times and Financial Times that would encourage and streamline subscriptions. They're not necessarily good if you prefer free news, but they might influence your decision if you're sitting on the fence.

Most notably, Google would help publishers find out who might subscribe, determine how much those people are willing to pay and accelerate the subscription process. While it's not clear exactly how this would work, the company tells Bloomberg that it would involve both ad targeting and mobile payment services. Don't be surprised if you can skip some of the usual hassles involved in paying for access.

Google is also experimenting with lowering the number of articles you can read for free on a given site when you click its stories in search results. The internet giant currently requires that news sites offer at least three free articles per day if they want to sign up for more prominent positioning, but it's testing lower numbers to see how well they work. You should hear more about this in September.

There's no guarantee that any of this will help, of course -- there's a good chance that many people will simply avoid reading subscription-focused sites altogether instead of reading the few pieces they do today. However, this might help ease tensions with those publishers who argue that Google has a grudge against any content it can't show (and run ads against) on its search pages. If nothing else, it'll help answer whether or not there's much Google can do to cajole you into subscribing.

Update: Google tells us that it isn't testing anything yet regarding subscriptions -- it's still "very early days" for that, a spokesperson says, and the company is holding discussions with publishers. The only experiments going on right now are with free access to articles.

Output: Google is running tests with the New York Times and the Financial Times about potentially reducing the number of free articles on news websites users can read on Google. In the longer term Google and publishers may also experiment with mobile payments and ad targeting as ways of encouraging readers to subscribe. Google currently requires that news publishers offer at least three free articles per day to gain a higher listing.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
TokenOne expands to US to tackle identity theft and fraud
 Spies using this method would send their note and the recipient would burn or swallow the page on their "pad" after deciphering the text, as the paper was made of celluloid or rice paper.

For TokenOne users, this means they only need to remember one secret pin and then an app will generate them a unique password upon every use.

"The problem with passwords is we all have too many of them, so we write them down, or tell someone else," Mr Cuff said.

"From a market perspective, we operate through a distributor in Australia and their resellers and we want to continue to do that here and overseas. We want to go from thousands and tens of thousands of users to millions and what we really want to do is get rid of 100 billion passwords."

Making business more secure

The consortium tackling fraud in e-commerce is aiming to develop a new set of guidelines to help the retail industry do business more securely.

Advertisement

A 2016 study by Javelin Strategy and Research found e-retailers were spending more than 7 per cent of their annual revenue combating fraud.

TokenOne, which was founded in 2013, has already been backed by Singtel Innov8, along with some of Australia's wealthiest families and former Commonwealth Bank chief information officer Bob McKinnon.

The start-up is going through a capital raise at the moment and is near closing a $5 million round, targeting family offices, high net worth individuals and strategic offshore investors, rather than venture capitalists.

The company has also secured retired FBI assistant director Charles "Chuck" Archer to its advisory board.

Mr Archer said hundreds of millions of people had been the victim of data breaches due to weak or stolen passwords.

"From my years using one-time pads myself as an undercover agent in the FBI, TokenOne's clients can be confident they are protected by the most secure alternative to passwords I have seen," he said.

Output: Australian cybersecurity firm TokenOne has been chosen by the US National Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence to take part in a consortium dedicated to combating fraud in the e-commerce sector. TokenOne has used one-time pad principles to generate unbreakable authentication codes, and was picked alongside major cybersecurity businesses RSA and Splunk. The consortium will create a set of guidelines for the retail industry to follow for more secure business practices.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Marketers prepare for augmented reality to go mainstream
 This past weekend in New York, the United Nations created a Facebook Live filter for World Humanitarian Day that let users overlay their real-time clips with augmented reality, particularly scrolling copy that told stories about civilians who have been affected by conflict. In Times Square, AR-enhanced videos aired on one of the iconic, commercial intersection’s large billboards. The endeavor was powered by Facebook’s 4-month-old AR system, dubbed Camera Effects Studio, which is getting the attention of brand marketers.

Output: Marketers are preparing for the introduction of augmented reality (AR) into mainstream advertising, with leading platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat expanding their AR options. Facebook has created a system named the Camera Effects Studio, which can create real-time clips with augmented reality overlays. Snapchat’s virtual overlays are increasingly popular, and Apple's iOS 11 mobile operating system will have new AR feature ARKit, when it is released next month. The number of AR users in the US is predicted to increase by 36% between 2017 and 2020.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Tencent attributes stellar Q2 results to gaming and ad revenue
 Mobile gaming and advertising revenues were the key drivers behind Tencent’s stellar second-quarter results, with the Chinese internet giant posting 59% growth in revenues and 70% growth in profits.

The results, which again outstripped analyst expectations, build on a strong first quarter, with the gaming and entertainment giant posting revenue of RMB 56.6bn ($8.4bn) and profits of RMB 18.25bn ($2.7 bn).

Tencent’s hugely popular Honour of Kings smartphone game helped boost online games revenues by 39% to RMB 23.86m. While overall revenues for Value Added Services (VAS) grew 43% to RMB 36.8bn year-on-year.

Online advertising revenues jumped 55% year-on-year to total RMB 10.15bn and media advertising revenues grew 48% to RMB 4.07bn driven by the growth in traffic for Tencent Video and News services.

The increased popularity of live streaming, video and music helped grow revenues from social networks which topped RMB 12.95bn – a 51% increase.

WeChat’s total global users grew to 963 million monthly active users, an increase of 19.5% year-on-year and 25 million users compared to Q1. Meanwhile, QQ monthly active users dropped 5.4% to 850 million.

Tencent’s payment division Tencent Pay experienced “rapid” increase in transactions and along with the company’s cloud services contributed 177% revenue growth year-on-year.

Ma Huateng, chairman and CEO of Tencent said the company’s strong revenue growth was enabling it to reinvest in innovations and new technologies, specifically AI.

“We have also been increasing our investment in cloud services and AI technologies, which will enable us to serve our users and business partners even better into the future,” said Huateng.

“Artificial intelligence is a strategic initiative and we will continue to make long-term investments to strengthen our competence in machine learning, computer vision, speech recognition and natural language processing. Given the intensifying competitive nature of the industry, we expect our investment in new initiatives such as payment, cloud services and AI to increase, enabling us to serve our users and business partners even better into the future,” said a Tencent statement.

Output: Chinese internet company Tencent has reported strong Q2 2017 results, with revenue growth of 59% and profits up by 70% on a year ago. The company recorded CNY56.6bn ($8.4bn) of revenue and profits of $2.7bn. Smartphone games revenue rose by 54% to CNY14.8bn. Online ad revenues rose 55% year on year to CNY10.15bn. Social network revenues hit CNY12.94bn, a 51% increase, and messaging service WeChat's global user numbers rose to 963 million a month.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Multi-episode video performs well on Facebook Watch
 People would rather watch multi-episode video shows and other serialized programming than one-off videos, publishers are finding, which bodes well for Facebook’s new TV-like tab, Watch.

Mashable, for instance, has a show called “Art Of The Scene,” which looks at famous movie scenes. The episodes can run for 10 minutes or longer. On Facebook, the series has twice the average watch time of Mashable’s non-serialized, standalone Facebook videos, according to the publisher. Three other Mashable series, “Sharp Science,” “Bad Days” and “Scamalot,” have an average watch time two or three times longer than its non-serialized videos, the company said.

Those numbers have led Mashable to create themed playlists around its standalone videos. For instance, videos about technology and services that make people’s lives easier are now grouped under the “Operate Yourself” playlist. Mashable Studios president Eric Korsh said the publisher plans to create more themed playlists filled with the short clips it’s making for Facebook every day.

News and issues publisher Attn, meanwhile, has found similar results with its monthly video series “America Versus,” which compares U.S. policies to those in other countries. Views and shares for “America Versus” average 30 times what Attn gets for its one-off Facebook videos, the company said.

“We have been doing [the monthly release for ‘America Versus’] for well over a year, and we’re seeing huge dividends,” said Matthew Segal, co-founder of Attn. “It’s led us to believe that serialized programming on Facebook not only can but does and will work.”

Serialized programming could be an answer to one of Facebook’s biggest problems, which is that people are spending less time on its platform. People — especially younger people — are spending more time on Instagram and Snapchat, leading Facebook to launch products such as Facebook Live and Facebook Watch, which are designed to get people to watch longer videos. The average watch time for Facebook Live videos is three times that of on-demand clips, according to Tubular Labs.

Some publishers argue that serialized, multi-episode programming can boost engagement on Facebook.

Babe, a women-focused publisher from Tab Media, has an animated video series called “Is It Just Me?” that depicts text conversations between characters. The average “Is It Just Me?” episode gets more than 129,000 engagements (likes, comments and shares), which is eight times the average number of engagements for standalone Babe videos. What’s more, 60 percent of the show’s Facebook views lasted 30 seconds or longer during its first season (episodes of “Is It Just Me?” range one to two minutes in length).

Joshi Herrmann, editor-in-chief of Tab Media, said Babe has focused on serialized and episodic video series, and it’s paid off: In the past two weeks, the number of engagements per 1,000 fans for Babe is more than 10 times the average number of engagements among 11 competitors, including Bustle, Refinery29, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Teen Vogue and Seventeen, combined. (Tab Media pulled all of the Babe data cited in this story from Facebook’s API.)

“All Babe has done is basically original videos in a series format instead of the one-off, viral format,” Herrmann said. “The industry has concluded that you have to go to Instagram and Snapchat to engage people, especially younger users. Our data shows that it’s still possible to get amazing engagement on Facebook.”

It’s the best-case scenario for Facebook, which is banking on multi-episode series for its next big stab at video. The company recently rolled out its Watch platform, which will feature video series from media companies and video creators. Facebook is funding some of this programming, including two shows from Attn and two shows from Mashable.

There’s still no guarantee that Watch will succeed. Facebook users may have grown accustomed to seeing autoplaying, silent videos in their News Feeds, but they still don’t go to Facebook to explicitly watch videos like they do on YouTube. And while serialized programming might drive up engagement and time spent with video series in the News Feed, people aren’t necessarily going to Facebook to specifically watch new episodes of “America Versus” and other series. In many cases, they know they have watched and enjoyed previous episodes, so they’re more likely to sit through new episodes, said Segal.

But if Facebook users are willing to spend longer watching episodic video programming — as they seem to be — then it suggests that Facebook has a chance to develop a new user behavior on its platform, where people are choosing to go to watch videos.

“The News Feed is a hits business — not in the sense of a series, but in the sense of any individual unit of content,” said Korsh. “It’s hard to create loyalty [in a show] in that environment, but I think Facebook can do it on Watch. That’s why they’re creating this different experience.”

Output: Viewers on Facebook’s TV-style tab, Watch, are preferring multi-episode videos and serial programming over single videos. Facebook has noted twice the average watch time for publisher Mashable’s serialised Art of the Scene show over its standalone videos, with new publisher Attn reporting much better results for its monthly America Versus video series. The support for serialised programming could be the remedy for Facebook’s retention issue, as viewers spend less time on the social platform and more on Instagram and Snapchat.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
YouTube challenges Twitter with Breaking News feature
 YouTube has introduced a ‘Breaking News’ carousel to its mobile apps and homepage, a move that could indicate parent company Google wants to make it easier for users to source important content on a platform where 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute.

YouTube introduces ‘breaking news’ feed

The new section looks similar to a recommended channel on the web homepage, and as a scrollable carousel in the mobile app between suggested videos. It was first pointed out by Android Police.

Output: YouTube has launched a Breaking News carousel across its mobile app and homepage offerings. The carousel resembles the company's Recommended Channel section, a scroll-friendly carousel in the app between suggested video content. It is not yet known if the news segment is being populated through algorithms. The feature could be the first step towards YouTube becoming a contender as a breaking news platform, challenging Twitter's dominance.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Helix and Illumina Accelerator form innovation ecosystem
 Personal Genomics company Helix has partnered up with Illumina Accelerator, a business accelerator focused solely on creating an innovation ecosystem for the genomics industry. As part of the collaboration, they’ll team with entrepreneurs with an eye toward innovation and the development of DNA-driven products and insights for consumers.

The partnership is all in the family: Helix originally spun out of Illumina in 2015.

Startups have until Sept. 1 to apply, but there’s expected to be competition: They’ll face a pool of highly qualified companies who’ll be evaluated by the Illumina Accelerator team.

“From an entrepreneur’s perspective, cost pressures, stringent regulatory and data security requirements, and continually evolving sequencing technologies are barriers to designing, developing, scaling up and commercializing DNA-powered products for everyday life," Helix CEO Robin Thurston said in a statement. "Through our collaboration with Illumina Accelerator, we hope to provide breakthrough startups with the resources, infrastructure and support to transform their ideas into compelling consumer applications and services that make genomics relevant and accessible to every person based on their unique interests.”

Last month, Helix launched the first online marketplace for DNA-powered products that offer insights on ancestry, entertainment, family, fitness, health and nutrition. Helix developed the marketplace by partnering with a wide array of companies, ranging from established healthcare institutions to app developers, to build or enhance their products and services using DNA.

What this means for select startups developing these DNA-centric products is that they’ll now have access to Helix’s team of experts in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics, applied genomics, software and product development, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, consumer marketing, and business development.

“Illumina Accelerator is focused on driving value for genomics startups by providing access to vital resources such as capital, sequencing and genomics expertise, coaching, and local lab and office space,” said Dr. Mostafa Ronaghi, Illumina’s senior vice president and chief technology officer and co-founder of illumina accelerator, in a statement. “By working with Helix during our seventh funding cycle, select startups will have unparalleled access to Helix’s commercial market expertise and sequencing platform for their consumer applications.”

llumina Accelerator operates on a six-month funding cycle, during which selected startups receive business guidance, seed investment, and access to Illumina’s software, fully operational lab space in the San Francisco Bay Area, sequencing systems and reagents, and match funding through the $40 million Illumina Accelerator Boost Capital.

“Helix’s mission is to empower every person to improve their life through DNA, and a core component of building our diverse marketplace is to enable innovative developers to integrate DNA insights into their products and services,” said Helix co-founder and vice president Justin Kao in a statement. “We are proud to collaborate with Illumina Accelerator to stimulate innovation in personal genomics by helping selected startups harness their creativity and build best-in-class DNA-powered products for everyday use.”

Output: Personal genomics firm Helix has joined forces with Illumina Accelerator to provide an ecosystem for entrepreneurs focused on creating and developing DNA-driven products and consumer insights. Start-ups have until 1 September to apply to be part of the incubator and those selected will gain access to the firms' expertise, resources, support and infrastructure to help them progress their ideas and develop consumer applications and services.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
NBC connects with young audiences through Snapchat
 In case you’ve been living under a rock, Snapchat is a free media messaging app where users can share images and short videos with their friends. It’s become very popular with the younger generation, who seem to enjoy endless hours of puking rainbows and making themselves into slices of toast.

In 2016, media giant NBC decided to capitalize on this popularity by producing original content for some of its hit programs just for Snapchat users. With the vertical video layout of Snapchat, NBC didn’t want to simply resuse video clips from programs. Instead, NBC decided to produce new content.

Recommended Videos

Popular singing competition The Voice was one of the first featured on Snapchat. The series includes clips from the show’s judges, as well as user-generated singing auditions. Prospective contestants can submit clips showcasing their talents at voicesnaps.com, where they will be reviewed by the show’s judges, who will pick some of the hopefuls to perform in the upcoming season.

But in addition to adding new content for existing shows, NBC has also decided to launch programming that is entirely exclusive to Snapchat, like its show Stay Tuned. First debuted in July, the twice-daily headline news show features around four to five news stories focusing on the day’s most important events. And thus far, it looks to be doing very, very well. According to NBCU, over 40 percent of Stay Tuned’s viewers are watching at least three times a week, and the show already boasts 29 million unique viewers. As TechCrunch points out, that’s about three times the number of viewers who watch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Around 60 percent of the show’s viewers are under the age of 25, which makes sense given Snapchat’s generally youthful user base. And while it’s still too soon to tell whether or not Stay Tuned is a sustainable success, early signs are quite positive.

All of this means Snapchat users are getting premiere access to mobile content from their favorite NBC programs, and some new ones, too. It also allows the network to reach millions of fans instantly right in the palm of their hand on an app they’re already using. It’s also a win for NBC’s advertisers who are associated with this premium content and get to reach users in a new and dynamic way. All this is in the hope of reaching a younger audience that simply doesn’t watch television as much anymore, in order to lure them back to the living room.

Editors' Recommendations

Output: News broadcaster NBC stays relevant to a younger audience through programming that is shown exclusively on social media app Snapchat. According to the company, over 40% of its show Stay Tuned's 29 million unique viewers watch at least three times per week. NBC also broadcasts its non-dedicated content such as The Voice on the platform. Around 60% of viewers are under 25 years of age. The platform is proving a boon to NBC and its advertisers, who can use it to reach a wider audience and a younger demographic.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Self-employed are increasing but small business insurance isn't
 A new survey out of the U.K. shows that self-employment is racing forward, but moves by small businesses to ensure they have insurance in place to address whatever risks may arise is lagging far behind.

A wider spectrum of small businesses – defined as sole traders or those with fewer than nine employees – are facing claims than ever before, claims figures from AXA indicate. In fact, the number of claims pushing the million-pound mark on the rise for small firms, suggests a company website post Thursday.

Size certainly seems to matter in what is being described as a rise in the uninsured economy in the U.K. Just four in 10 of the 405 surveyed businesses that began operations in the last three years had insurance (of any kind) in place during that period, AXA reports.

The most common reason that percentage is not higher, it seems, is that respondents consider themselves “too small” or “too young” for risk and, in turn, potential claims.

“We see no evidence in our claims figures that this is the case: we regularly settle injury claims on behalf of microbusinesses that top the million-pound mark,” points out Gareth Howell, managing director of AXA.

Specifically, 72% of respondents without cover report their business was “too small” to need insurance and 25% had not considered coverage at all. For comparison, just 8% say insurance was too expensive and 3% had forgotten to renew.

Related: Some seasonal small businesses have no insurance coverage heading into summer

Among other things, Howell expects claims to be affected by “a significant rise in property damage claims, as the value of fixtures, fittings and floorings is going up in British properties across the board.”

The trend toward self-employment shows no signs of abating, but many remain without any cover. As noted, four in 10 polled businesses have some coverage by their third year, which improves to six in 10 by the fourth year. However, that “still leaves a large slice of the country’s business activity unprotected.”

AXA reports the most serious gap is in employers’ liability insurance, which covers workplace injuries and illness. The survey found just 41% of those who have taken on eligible staff – includes full-time, part-time and temporary employees, labour only sub-contractors, volunteers, apprentices and interns – have this cover.

“We anticipate that claims against small firms will increase in value, and they are affecting a wider spectrum of occupations than ever before,” Howell points out.

Young businesses in the economy “can be less prepared for pitfalls and mistakes than firms that have been around longer. Insurance should be considered an essential piece of financial protection from day one,” he contends.

Other findings include the following:

“non trade” claims – related to such things as an employee slipping on a loose carpet, someone hurting their back lifting a heavy parcel, falling from step ladders or even being scalded by a hot drink spill – have more than doubled since 2014; and

just a quarter of freelance professionals in their first three years of business have professional indemnity cover – covers costs for compensation following alleged professional negligence, including breaches of intellectual property and data protection laws.

Related: About half of Canadian small business owners and C-suite execs not confident in secure destruction systems for paper or electronic media: survey

Output: The number of self-employed workers in the UK is rising but small businesses’ insurance provisions are not keeping up, according to insurer Axa. With the largest risk posed by a lack of liability insurance for workplace injuries and illness, figures from Axa have shown that it regularly settles claims involving sole traders or businesses with fewer than nine employees of at least £1m. Out of 405 surveyed companies, only four in 10 that had started trading within the past three years have taken out insurance, with the businesses often considering themselves too small or young to experience risk.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
TalkTalk UK residents spend ten hours a year waiting on computers to load
 Loyalty and Marketing News: Load rage – UK workers wait 10 hours a year for loading PC’s

We’ve all had the frustration of a computer that dwindles itself awake, but recent research has shown that when totalled up, the time spent is no joke and can be seriously de-motivating. The average Brit will spend the equivalent of nearly two years of their life waiting, including time spent dealing with supermarket queues, delayed flights and waiting impatiently for phones to charge.

From a working perspective, if you want to increase motivation then speak to your IT team – it seems that from the 1500 UK residents surveyed, on average we will spend TEN HOURS a year waiting for laptops and computers to load and 45 minutes every month will be spent waiting for video buffering to stop, according to the study by TalkTalk. At home, or perhaps at work as well, 11 minutes a week will be spent waiting for our phones to update and the equivalent of nine hours a year will be spent twiddling thumbs while TV and films painstakingly download.

With many of us online shopping, streaming films or watching live TV on the internet while using other devices at the same time, the demands of modern homes have surpassed standard broadband and this may well apply to your workplace.

Waiting time is dead time, and it’s also highly demoralising – in retail environments, 14 percent of us have spent so long hanging around that they have shouted at a shop assistant and 23 percent have cried in frustration that they were having to wait so long.

Laurent Kretzschmar, Head of Product at TalkTalk said: “We all lead increasingly busy lives and our time is valuable.

“Although technology and connectivity have accelerated so many aspects of our lives, with countless devices all connecting to our internet. Fibre broadband gives you the speed and the bandwidth you need, giving you some precious time back.”

Incentive and Motivation offers the latest news in employee benefits, rewards, incentive programmes and recognition. Discover the best employee engagement platform, learn about communicating your incentives or the latest tech in the HR space. Popular posts:

Output: A study by TalkTalk has found that the average UK resident will spend 10 hours a year waiting for laptops and computers to load. The study also found that 45 minutes per month are spent waiting for video to buffer. Additionally, 11 minutes each week are spent waiting for phones to update, and nine hours every year are wasted waiting for TV shows and films to download, according to the study. TalkTalk claims that their Fibre broadband offering will slash these waiting times.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
San Leon Absence of news noted around San Leon’s accounts and takeover bid
 At the launch of the start of the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby 2017 at Shelbourne Park were three generations of the Byrne family — Imelda Byrne (84), son Michael (right) and grandson Phillip with their two greyhounds Eva and Catunda Alonso

What a week it has been for followers of Providence Resources.

The oil and gas explorer is drilling two prospects off the south-west coast, and its share price was battered after it struck water at the first.

By now it should be there or thereabouts at the second target, and some sharp rises in the share price this week got people wondering whether the market was about to hear some good news.

Shareholders took to internet message boards to swap theories about what was going on. The movements of the vessels supporting the drillship, the gargantuan Stena IceMax, were pored over in great detail.

In the end, the week closed with no new news - here's to another week of furious speculation.

Another company from which news is being awaited is Oisin Fanning's San Leon Energy - where shares are still suspended from trading after it failed to publish its accounts on time, blaming procedural reasons.

The deadline was June 30 - seven weeks later they still haven't appeared.

The company said on June 30 that it had received a conditional takeover offer from a Chinese company which expected to be able to make a formal offer within 45 days. No news there either - perhaps this is the week.

Can Eir and SuperValu score telecoms win for the Irish?

Eir is trying a new tactic in the battle between phone/broadband/TV providers.

The elder lemon of the Irish telecoms world has teamed up with SuperValu to become part of the supermarket's loyalty programme.

The deal will see SuperValu give rewards points to customers who connect their Eir broadband or landline account with their points tally. Points can also be used to claim discounts on Eir bills.

Eir has been putting up a big fight against Rupert Murdoch's Sky, John Malone's Virgin and Vodafone in the fiercely-competitive market.

Eir is a big player here but it's small fry compared to the global presence of its rivals - likewise SuperValu versus Tesco or the German discounters.

Will this combination prove a win for the Irish?

Going to the dogs is all sweetness and light again

Ergo found itself at Shelbourne Park this week as heats got under way for last year's Irish Greyhound Derby.

It's been a tough year for the Irish Greyhound Board after its decision to sell off Harold's Cross was greeted with massive protests from disgruntled greyhound owners and breeders. Live racing even ceased at Shelbourne Park - the flagship venue for greyhound racing - for a period.

The sale process took place with Dr Sean Brady - who readers may remember was chief executive of Irish Sugar when the plant in Carlow was closed - in situ as interim chief executive. Choosing the Department of Education as preferred bidder was a PR bonus - who could be against building more schools? Eventually a deal was worked out and there was no sign of any acrimony at the track on Thursday night. A large contingent from Bank of Ireland was among those present. That bank has just gone to the dogs.

Output: An absence of news is noted around Oisin Fanning's San Leon Energy, which is yet to publish accounts that were due by 30 June. No further information has been forthcoming from the company which announced on 30 June that it had received a conditional takeover offer from China Great United that was expected to be able to make a formal offer within 45 days.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Brands avoid mainstream news sites due to political sensitivities
 Political tensions have reached a point where some brands are perceiving mainstream news outlets as too controversial, leading media buyers to pull ads from those sites.

One campaign manager at a holding group media agency said a major automaker decided last month to stop serving ads in the news category in case the content didn’t align with the brand’s values. Then, after violence erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, the agency blocked keywords including “Nazis” and “Charlottesville” in programmatic campaigns for the brand. This exec, like the other three media agency executives interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity due to political sensitivities.

The executive said the blocked news category contains hundreds of publishers, including foxnews.com, which also is the only mainstream news site that has been on the agency’s blacklist since March.

“We’ve singled out Fox News because the client thinks that the site is controversial,” the exec said. “We blacklisted it, along with sites like Breitbart and Infowars, for brand safety.”

Brands asking their media shops to blacklist spoofed domains and obviously problematic sites like Breitbart from their ad rosters is nothing new. The difference is that now, media buyers are preventing their ads from showing up on any news sites, which would include mainstream ones like CNN and New York Times. Fox News was the only mainstream news site that these sources said was specifically blocked in their programmatic buys by certain clients.

“I think the definition of ‘mainstream’ is changing,” said a president of a New York-based media agency. “Because of the news proliferation, we have more content to monitor and determine what is appropriate for the client.”

Some publishers have said that they’ve been able to keep advertisers content by moving their ads to other, non-news parts of their sites. But the executive from the New York-based shop said many brands today don’t want their ads to appear in any news environment, period. One brand recently asked his team to specifically blacklist Fox News because the property is “extremely right-leaning.” “The brand can get safe eyeballs elsewhere,” said the agency executive. The exec added that there were other reasons the brand stopped advertising on Fox News.

Fox News didn’t respond to a request for comment by deadline.

An svp of a Chicago-based media shop, meanwhile, said some of his clients have decided to pull ads from political coverage altogether. For instance, two financial services clients pulled programmatic ads from politics news on any site.

“In our experience, Foxnews.com has never been singled out by a client on a programmatic buy — it is a trusted source for many in the U.S., just as more center-left-leaning sites are trusted by others,” said the executive at the Chicago agency. “That said, we do blacklist extremely politically divisive sites on both sides of the current debate.”

Media agency executives said they’re constantly discussing with clients whether to block certain mainstream news sites temporarily or permanently. Eric Bader, managing director of consulting firm Volando, said pairing ads and content has become much more complex. For example, he said, The New York Times would almost never be explicitly put on a blacklist for any top 200 ad spender, but the site still has lots of coverage and commentary on terrorism, violence and racism that some brands want to avoid.

As for brands boycotting Fox News specifically, Bader thinks doing so is more of a political decision than a practical one because a lot of content on Fox News is apolitical and the site still has a lot of loyal readers.

“Advertisers may just be using Fox News as a symbol of rejecting offensive content or ideas,” he said. “[It’s] a pretty political move for a brand to publicly reject a publisher, but the calculation is likely to be ‘better safe than sorry.’”

Output: Brands have started moving away from mainstream news sites to avoid association with specific political views, pulling ads from programmatic campaigns that include mainstream publishers such as Fox News, CNN and the New York Times. Controversial and potentially offensive sites like Breitbart and Infowars have long been blacklisted by advertisers, but as brands become more cautious about political image and coverage grows increasingly polarised, more traditional news sites are also being blocked.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
IC Markets offers CFD bitcoin trading
 IC Markets, an online provider of foreign exchange and CFDs trading, has become the latest broker to add Bitcoin (symbol BTCUSD) trading to its platform. The growing popularity of cryptocurrency trading is prompting retail brokers to add Bitcoin to their range of tradable instruments over the past few months.

Learn how to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum safely with our simple guide!

The move comes at a period when Bitcoin has been gaining more and more popularity in the trading world. Its price skyrocketed as daily Volatility Volatility In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Traders In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Traders Read this Term remained attractive for traders. The price of Bitcoin has risen from just below $1000 at the beginning of the year to over $4200 as of writing.

The Bitcoin network did face a challenge at the beginning of this month when it split into two separate blockchains. After the challenge was overcome, the cryptocurrency remained unscathed and the increasing confidence of traders and investors in this market pushed its value to new all time highs.

Bowing to the growing popularity of Bitcoin, brokers have started adding cryptocurrency trading to their platforms and IC Markets has become the latest to follow suit. Bitcoin is offered as a CFD, which means that there would not be physical delivery of Bitcoins as in an exchange deal. IC Markets also offers Leverage Leverage In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders Read this Term of up to 1:20 on Bitcoin trading.

The Director of IC Markets, Angus Walker, commented: “We’re pleased to be giving investors the opportunity to go long or short Bitcoin with an Australian owned and regulated broker. This allows traders to focus on their trading instead of the risks and complexities of using an unregulated Cryptocurrency exchange.”

With this addition, IC markets hopes to capture some of the cryptocurrency's trading volume, that has seen an explosive growth both in price and market cap over the last few months.

Output: Online foreign-exchange and CFD trading provider IC Markets has become the latest retail broker to offer bitcoin trading. Traders can go long or short bitcoin with leverage of up to 20:1.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Great Wall Motor Company mulls over bid for Fiat Chrysler
 China’s Great Wall Motor Company has said it is interested in bidding for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which owns brands including Jeep and the truck maker Ram.

A company official confirmed it was pursuing all or part of FCA after the US publication Automotive News reported that a “well-known Chinese automaker” had made an offer this month, triggering a jump in FCA’s Milan-listed shares.

“With respect to this case, we currently have an intention to acquire,” a statement from Great Wall said on Monday. “We are interested in [FCA].”

I think Great Wall Motor is eyeing a global strategy, not just the United States

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive, is seeking a partner or buyer for the Italian-American group to help it manage rising costs, comply with emissions regulations and develop technology for electric and self-driving cars. An acquisition by Great Wall Motor would be audacious, and one of China’s highest profile manufacturing deals to date.

FCA said there had been no approach from Great Wall and was focused on driving ahead with a four-year growth plan.

It said: “In response to market rumours regarding a potential interest of Great Wall Motors in the Jeep brand, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors in connection with the Jeep brand or any other matter relating to its business.”

Earlier on Monday, two sources said Great Wall had asked for a meeting with FCA, with the aim of making an offer for all or part of the world’s seventh-largest carmaker. Citing an email from Great Wall’s president, Wang Fengying, Automotive News reported that Great Wall had contacted FCA to express interest specifically in the Jeep brand.

The industry publication said the Chinese company had not made a formal offer or met FCA’s board. Automotive News quoted a spokesman as saying: “Our strategic goal is to become the world’s largest SUV [sport utility vehicle] maker.” “Acquiring Jeep, a global SUV brand, would enable us to achieve our goal sooner and better [than on our own].”

FCA shares rose 3.9% to €11.12 in early Milan trading, outperforming a flat market. Great Wall Motor shares were up almost 3% in Shanghai.

Yale Zhang, head of the Shanghai consultancy Automotive Foresight, commented: “Jeep is the most logical choice since (Great Wall) wants to be the largest SUV maker in the world.” Ram could be an option, he added, but “the Jeep brand is recognised globally. I think Great Wall Motor is eyeing a global strategy, not just the United States.”

A move for FCA or one of its main brands, if successful, would allow Great Wall Motor to accelerate a planned push into the U.S. market, the two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

They said Great Wall Motor had been making plans for some time to enter the U.S. market, mainly by upgrading some of its key products and improving branding.

The company this year launched its Wei brand of potentially US-market-ready vehicles. Wei is the surname of the Great Wall founder and chairman Wei Jianjun.

Output: China's Great Wall Motor Company is considering entering a bid for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), which owns popular brands including Ram and Jeep, according to a company official. FCA's CEO Sergio Marchionne is said to be looking for a buyer or partner for the company to help it move into line with with emissions regulations, assist with growing expenses, and drive innovation in EVs and autonomous vehicles. An acquisition by Great Wall would be a significant manufacturing deal, however FCA denied it had been approached by the firm in relation to any part of its business.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Saudi payments firm PayTabs raises $20m to expand
 Saudi incorporated online payment processor PayTabs has raised $20m in an investment round to support its expansion efforts.

The company said in a press statement it planned to expand to more than 20 markets over the next two years in the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Africa and Europe.

It will also use the funds for product development in areas including digital payments and engage in acquisitions to boost its product and service portfolio.

PayTabs, which was founded in 2014 and had head operations in Bahrain, said it also expected to create more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next two years.

“Our mission is to transform the face of financial services in infinite possibilities. PayTabs wants to provide secure and flexible financial solutions to small and medium enterprises, and large corporations to help them flourish and grow their revenue in multiples,” said founder and CEO Abdulaziz F. Al Jouf.

The participants in the investment round were not disclosed.

Middle East and North Africa start-ups attracted $140m in investment through 87 transactions in the first half of the year, excluding online shopping platform Souq.com and ride app Careem, according to a recent report by start-up community platform Magnitt.

The company said the region was in line to match if not exceed last year’s funding in start-ups, with e-commerce (16 per cent), technology (13 per cent) and fintech (10 per cent) the most attractive sectors for investors.

Output: PayTabs has secured $20m in funding to support plans for expansion across more than 20 markets. The Bahrain-based company will also use the funds to develop its payment platform and expand its product and service portfolio through acquisitions, it said. Over the next two years, PayTabs will create more than 4,000 "direct and indirect" jobs, it added. Its expansion plans are focused on the Middle East and North Africa, southeast Asia, India, Africa and Europe.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Goldman Sachs trebles bonds in algorithmic trading programme
 Investment bank Goldman Sachs has expanded the use of algorithmic trading in its fixed income division in a move that will treble the number of bonds included in the programme to 7,000.

The bank is also planning to spread the use of algorithms from corporate bonds to junk bonds later this year.

The industry's use of trading algorithms has grown in recent years but has largely been focused on equities and favoured by high frequency trading hedge funds looking to trade at high speeds.

However both large investment banks and investors are now looking to expand their use of algorithmic trading to other asset classes in order to automate more of their activity and free up traders for larger and more complex transactions.

Goldman's algorithms trawl the bond market for publicly available pricing data on bonds which is then used to automatically generate prices for investors.

The technology has "allowed us to address [thousands of] inquiries in a systematic and automated fashion and enabled our traders to focus more on more challenging situations," said Amy Hong, head of market structure and global credit at Goldman to the Financial Times.

Goldman is not alone in its bid to automate more of its bond trading activity. Stricter regulations on the market and tighter capital adequacy rules have cut margins for dealers and investors and led many to overhaul their systems in favour of more automation, particularly around more commoditised parts of the market.

A 2016 survey by Greenwich Associates stated that 80% of US corporate bond investors in the US now use some form of electronic trading.

But while Goldman has also grown the size of its bond trading activity, becoming one of the top three participants in sub-$1m debt instruments (also known as oddlots) on the bond trading platform MarketAxess, other parts of the bond market are still proving somewhat resistant to the use of wholly electronic trading and some dealing firms are insistent that human intervention is still a necessary part of bond trading.

Michael Healy, co-founder at Millennium Advisors told the Financial Times that his firm uses technology to assist traders pricing bonds, but that execution still requires human intervention. “The way dealers win more trades, oddlots or otherwise, isn’t by adding incremental automation. You do it by simply pricing more bonds, more aggressively — the same way dealers have always gained market share."

Output: Goldman Sachs has trebled the number of bonds included in its algorithmic trading programme to 7,000 and is planning to expand into junk bonds from corporate bonds this year. The largest investors are automating more of their activity, freeing up traders to work on larger and more complex trades as they expand from equities into other asset classes. Stricter regulations and tighter capital adequacy rules have cut margins and led many to greater automation. About 80% of US corporate bond investors in the US use some form of electronic trading, according to a 2016 survey by Greenwich Associates.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Talk Talk Data breach victims edge closer to lawsuit against TalkTalk
 Lawyers acting for around 50 people defrauded by scammers after a major data breach at TalkTalk in 2014 are discussing their next move, which victims hope could herald the start of legal action against the broadband firm.

Last week the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced it was fining TalkTalk £100,000 for failing to look after its customers’ data. The ICO said TalkTalk had breached data protection laws by allowing unjustifiably wide-ranging access to its systems by external companies, including Wipro, an Indian IT services firm it employed to deal with complaints and coverage problems. Staff there had access to large quantities of TalkTalk customers’ data including names, addresses, phone numbers and account details.

The ICO report referred to 21,000 TalkTalk customers who’d had their data breached. Fraudsters started to ring TalkTalk customers at home, quoting their account numbers, and were able to convince them that they were calling from the broadband firm. Customers, who were used to talking to Indian staff at the telecoms firm, were told there were internet problems that required a fix. The fraudsters conned the customers into giving them access to their bank accounts to make a £250 payment. Instead, they had their accounts cleaned out.

Graeme Smith lost £2,800 to scammers Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian

In 2015, Guardian Money featured the case of Graeme Smith who lived near Chester-le-Street in County Durham. He lost £2,800 to fraudsters who had obtained his account details. Since then several others have come forward, some of whom have lost larger sums.

TalkTalk has consistently denied responsibility for the frauds, arguing that these customers were duped in the same way as many others are by frauds that plague UK consumers.

Lawyers acting for the victims had been waiting for the ICO to rule on the data breach before starting legal proceedings. Sean Humber, a solicitor at information law specialist Leigh Day, who is bringing the group action, said his firm would be speaking to barristers shortly “before we make a decision regarding the action”.

“We welcome the ICO’s recognition of TalkTalk’s failure to protect its customers’ information, leaving them at huge risk of being targeted by fraudsters,” Humber said. “Customers of all companies, particularly those that hold large amounts of data online, should be able to trust that their personal and private information is safe.

“The ICO recognised that this data breach was of a kind likely to result in customers being scammed. Those affected may have claims for compensation under the Data Protection Act, and for a breach of their confidence, by arguing that the losses suffered were caused by TalkTalk’s failure to keep their personal information secure.”

TalkTalk said: “We notified the ICO in 2014 of our suspicions that a small number of employees at one of our third-party suppliers were abusing their access to non-financial customer data. We informed our customers at the time and launched a thorough investigation, which has led to us to withdraw all customer service operations from India. We continue to take our customers’ data and privacy incredibly seriously, and while there is no evidence that any of the data was passed on to third parties, we apologise to those affected.”

TalkTalk customers who have been scammed can contact Leigh Day on 020 7650 1200, or by emailing shumber@leighday.co.uk or abalasingam@leighday.co.uk

Output: Around 50 victims of the TalkTalk data breach in 2014 are considering legal action against the company. TalkTalk has argued that the customers' losses were not their responsibility, and that the scam closely resembled others run around the UK. Recently the Information Commissioner’s Office fined TalkTalk £100,000 ($129,000) for failing to look after customers’ data.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
UK scientists develop world's smallest surgical robot
 British scientists have developed the world’s smallest surgical robot which could transform everyday operations for tens of thousands of patients.

From a converted pig shed in the Cambridgeshire countryside, a team of 100 scientists and engineers have used low-cost technology originally developed for mobile phones and space industries to create the first robotic arm specifically designed to carry out keyhole surgery.

The robot, called Versius, mimics the human arm and can be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic procedures – including hernia repairs, colorectal operations, and prostate and ear, nose and throat surgery – in which a series of small incisions are made to circumvent the need for traditional open surgery. This reduces complications and pain after surgery and speeds up recovery times for patients.

The robot is controlled by a surgeon at a console guided by a 3D screen in the operating theatre.

Although surgical robots already exist, the new creation is much easier to use, takes up about a third of the space of current machines and will be no more expensive than non-robotic keyhole surgery, according to its maker Cambridge Medical Robotics.

“Having robots in the operating theatre is not a new idea,” said the company’s chief executive, Martin Frost. “The problem at the moment is that they are phenomenally expensive – not only do they cost £2m each to buy but every procedure costs an extra £3,000 using the robot – and they are very large. Many hospitals have to use the operating theatre around the robot. Their size can also make them difficult for the surgical team to use.

“They are also poorly utilised; they are only really used for pelvic surgery, and can’t be easily adapted to other types of surgery. In some hospitals they are only being used once every other day.”

For robots to revolutionise surgery, he said, they need to be versatile, easy to use and small so that surgical staff can move them around the operating room or between operating theatres, or pack them away when they are not being used. “Our robot does all of this and is the first robotic arm to be designed specifically for laparoscopic surgery,” Frost said.

One of the key benefits of the robot is that it works like a human arm and contains technology that detects resistance to make sure the right amount of force is used when the instruments are inside the patient.

“When science wants to solve a problem, it often turns to nature,” said Luke Hares, chief technology officer at CMR. “We took our inspiration from the human arm, the greatest surgical tool in history.”

The creators looked at the joints within the human arm, he said, in particular the wrist, mapping how they performed a role to allow the hand to move so precisely and flexibly. They then replicated these movements in Versius.

“Whereas traditional industrial robotic arms are large and the wrists have three joints, our robot is the same size as a human arm and has four wrist joints, giving the surgeon an unprecedented level of freedom to operate on the patient from whatever angle they want, versatility and reach,” Hares said.

To create this sophisticated and state-of-the-art device Versius’s creators used electronics from mobile phones to help the robot “think” and process information, and gear box technology originally designed for the space industry to help it move. “The other great benefit is that the robot doesn’t tire like a surgeon can,” said Hares.

The robot will be launched next spring and, once surgeons are trained, it should be available for procedures on patients by the end of next year.

CMR said it was already working with a number of NHS and private hospitals to introduce the robots. The current global market for surgical robots is worth approximately $4bn a year but this is expected to grow to $20bn by 2024.

Output: Scientists at Cambridge Medical Robotics have built the world’s smallest surgical robot, called Versius. The robot, which mimics the shape of the human arm, can complete laparoscopic procedures like hernia repairs and throat surgery. Carried out by a surgeon using a 3D-enabled console, the procedures result in fewer complications than traditional surgery, reduce post-surgery pain and speed the healing process. Less bulky and much cheaper than present versions, the robot is expected to launch next spring and be available for patient procedures by the end of 2018.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
EU data privacy rules set to create difficulties for AI research
 Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Many people wonder why Europe is so keen to protect people's privacy. The reason dates back from WWII, when French and German governments used centralized citizen files to target, and subsequently deport, Jews and other ethnic minorities. Following this, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights included an entire article about the right to privacy, which gave birth to many laws in European countries. The demand for uniform privacy regulations across the continent leads us to the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will take effect in May 2018.

Related: FBI: Your Kids' Internet Connected Toys Might Be Spying on Them

In a nutshell, the GDPR forces companies offering a product or service to a European citizen to follow Privacy by Design principles. It doesn't matter where in the world they are headquartered; if they want to do business in Europe, they will need to comply. The penalty for failing to do so is up to 4 percent of global turnover, which could amount to billions of dollars for large companies. This is why over 93 percent of US companies made this their top legal priority in 2017.

Although the GDPR applies to any use of personal data (defined as data that can identify someone directly or indirectly), it poses major challenges to artificial intelligence in particular, as machine learning algorithms often rely on user data to learn to do things.

In the GDPR there are four principles that makes it virtually impossible to do AI as commonly practiced:

Explicit consent.

Companies will now have to ask for consent in simple terms, rather than buried in legalese terms and conditions. This creates many challenges, in particular for cloud-based voice assistants. Voice is considered to be personal data, therefore devices that listen ambiently should in theory ask everyone in the room for consent before sending their voice to the cloud. Imagine the nightmare of having 10 people over for dinner, and having your Google Home device asking each of them for consent! One way to solve this is to process the user voice directly on the device instead of sending it to the cloud, therefore avoiding the need for explicit consent.

Related: These Companies Are 'Falling Short' on User Privacy

Right to be forgotten.

This means that anyone can ask for their personal data to be completely deleted. While this may be easy for a user account in a database, what happens when the data was used to train a machine learning algorithm? One might argue that the user data is still present in the form of outlier nodes in the neural network, and thus that they haven't been "forgotten." The easiest way to solve this would be to retrain the models without the user data, which is a quite costly process. A better approach would be to find algorithms that can "unlearn" specific inputs without retraining over the entire dataset.

Related: 3 Reasones Why Privacy Matters to Your Business, Your Brand and Your Future

Data portability.

I love this one because it means European residents will be able to access all the data a company has about them, and transfer it to another provider. The regulation states that the data subject can ask for her personal data to be transferred directly to a new provider, without hindrance, and in a machine readable format. Just like you can switch mobile providers while keeping your phone number, you will be able to switch social networks or search engines without any loss of data. This breaks the personal data lock-in that many services are using to keep us captive. It also opens the door to a massive data exodus when companies mess up: They would lose their data and hence their ability to train their AIs, while new providers would gain more data and thus improve their own AIs. In effect, it would speed up the demise of bad companies by creating an exponentially increasing gap when people switch over.

Related: Beyond the Privacy Fine Print: Making Privacy More Transparent

Algorithm transparency.

This one is particularly tricky, as it states that European residents have a "right to explanation" when an automated decision was made about them. The logic behind it is to avoid discrimination and implicit bias by enabling people to go to court if they feel unfairly treated. But, this would also effectively prohibit the use of deep learning, since it is currently a black box. Many researchers are working on explaining how neural networks make decisions, as this will be a requirement before we can hope for AI to enter areas such as medicine or law.

While the above regulations certainly introduce some new problems for those working in AI, the GDPR also creates a lot of opportunity -- by giving people control over their data, while breaking digital monopolies that prevent innovation beyond incumbent companies.

More than just ethically beneficial for Europe, the GDPR is also a way to reclaim digital territory, and make companies all around the world start respecting a fundamental human right that they have been ignoring for 70 years: privacy.

Output: The EU's General Data Protection Regulation, due to take effect across Europe in May 2018, will enforce data protection requirements that could obstruct artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners. The legislation's four principles of explicit consent for data usage, the right to be forgotten, the right to personal data portability between companies and algorithmic transparency are designed to make companies show more respect for privacy. However, the principles will obstruct the use of large datasets to train cloud-based neural nets and AI practitioners who do not fully understand how their deep learning networks operate will have difficulty complying with the algorithmic transparency principle.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
19% decrease in FTSE 100 executive pay: Deloitte
 Median CEO pay package down by almost 20%;

Bonus pay-outs are down and 10% of companies have reduced pension allowances for new executive appointments;

Increase in the number of shares directors are required to hold;

91% of companies received more than 80% votes in support of their remuneration.

The median pay of FTSE 100 chief executives has fallen by almost 20% from £4.3 million in 2016 to £3.5 million this year, according to a preview of Deloitte’s annual FTSE 100 executive remuneration report.

The median salary increase remains at around 2%, as it has for the last few years. However, the number of CEOs receiving an increase in excess of three per cent has halved since 2016.*

Stephen Cahill, vice chairman at Deloitte, said: “The fall in executive pay demonstrates that remuneration committees are making a real effort to address shareholder concerns. This is the first cycle where the legislation introduced in 2013 and primarily voted on during the 2014 AGMs will have taken effect. It seems to show that the current legislation is working.”

Bonuses and long-term incentives

The median bonus opportunity of 150% of salary has remained steady in FTSE 100 companies since 2007. However, in the top 30 companies, over the past four years the median bonus opportunity has fallen from 200% to 185% of salary.

The median potential long-term award has also fallen from 235% to 225% of salary for executive directors in FTSE 100 companies. For the CEOs of the largest companies, the fall in the long-term potential award is more significant, with a decrease of almost 10% from a median of 400% two years ago to 365% this year.

Cahill commented: “We are beginning to see signs that overall pay may be falling, particularly in the largest companies. Alongside the decrease in incentive potential, companies are also beginning to respond to shareholder concerns about pension, with over 10% of companies reducing the pension provision for new executive appointments. Shareholder pressure to simplify remuneration arrangements also accounts for some of this change. For some companies, consolidating a number of different incentive plans has resulted in a decrease in the overall quantum.”

Actual bonus pay-outs in respect of performance are also slightly lower this year at 71% of maximum compared with 77% last year. Long-term awards pay out at a lower level than the annual bonus. Awards made in 2014 have typically paid out between 10% and 60% of maximum with a median of 40% and a quarter of these awards did not pay out at all.

Improving remuneration policies

In the last four years, over half of FTSE 100 companies have increased the number of shares they expect their directors to hold. These guidelines are designed to more closely tie executive salary with the profitability of the companies.

CEOs are now typically expected to hold shares with a value of 2.5 x salary, rising to 4 x salary in the top 30 companies. In fact, directors often hold shares in excess of these guidelines, with half of CEOs and a third of executive directors holding shares with a value of more than 500% of salary.

It is now commonplace for incentive plan awards to be paid in shares which must be held for a number of years. In four out of five FTSE 100 companies any annual bonus earned is partly paid in shares which are not typically released for three years. In three out of five companies, participants will receive no shares from long-term plans for at least five years. Alongside this, companies are introducing stronger measures to enable them to clawback incentive awards in certain circumstances, after they have been paid.

All of these changes are designed to better align directors’ pay with the experience of the shareholders. As a result, 91% of companies received more than 80% of votes in support of their remuneration report, with just one company failing to secure a majority.

Cahill commented: “During the four years since the Government introduced new disclosure requirements, we have seen a very welcome improvement in the level of engagement between companies and their shareholders. With many companies renewing their policies this year we are seeing further moves to incorporate the best practice provisions shareholders now expect. This has meant that, despite predictions of a stormy AGM season, most companies have received a high level of support from their shareholders.”

Cahill concluded: “The current framework is working well and we do not believe further regulation is needed to move things forward. Any future changes, if required, would be better encouraged through the Corporate Governance Code, ensuring that companies have sufficient flexibility to make changes that best support the overall aims of the business.”

End

Note to editors

* Excluding the number of recent appointments where there are planned increases to bring the salary to market levels.

About Deloitte

In this press release references to “Deloitte” are references to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”) a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.

Deloitte LLP is a subsidiary of Deloitte NWE LLP, which is a member firm of DTTL, and is among the UK's leading professional services firms.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

For more information, please visit www.deloitte.co.uk.

Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Output: CEO salaries at FTSE 100 firms fell by 19% to an average of £3.5m ($4.5m) over the last year, down from £4.3m, according to a survey by Deloitte. The decrease resulted from a reduction in the amount executives could earn from bonuses and share plans. Overall, median salaries increased by approximately 2%, but the number of salary increases of 3% or more declined by 50%. Deloitte said that at the largest 30 companies, the “bonus opportunity” had declined from 200% to 185% of salary over the last four years.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
19% decrease in FTSE 100 executive pay: Deloitte
 Pay for Britain’s top bosses has fallen by almost a fifth, suggesting companies may be reining in excessive rewards as the government reviews options for further reform.

The median pay for chief executives at FTSE 100 companies, which includes bonuses and other long-term incentives, fell 19% to £3.5m in 2016, from £4.3m a year before, a survey by Deloitte found.

Total pay fell as companies trimmed the amount bosses could earn from bonuses and share plans. Median salaries rose by about 2% but the number of salary increases of 3% or more halved.

The coalition government introduced rules in 2013 that forced large public companies to put a three-year pay policy to a binding shareholder vote, report bosses’ pay more clearly and show the relationship between the pay of the chief executive and the average worker.

Theresa May promised to introduce further curbs when she campaigned for the Tory leadership last year. Critics said her proposals, published in November and still under review by ministers, were weaker than promised after lobbying by business.

Stephen Cahill, Deloitte vice-chairman, said falling pay showed the existing rules were working because last year’s packages were the first drawn up since the 2013 measures. Cahill said: “The fall in executive pay demonstrates that remuneration committees are making a real effort to address shareholder concerns. It seems to show that the current legislation is working.”

The Deloitte survey echoes a recent report by the High Pay Centre that calculated average chief executive pay fell 17% last year to £4.5m. But that report said the average employee would have to work for 160 years to earn the annual pay of a FTSE 100 chief executive.

Deloitte said the median amount bosses could earn as an annual bonus last year was 150% of salary – little changed for a decade. But at the biggest 30 companies the “bonus opportunity” fell from 200% to 185% of salary in the past four years. Amounts on offer under long-term share plans also fell.

Public anger over bosses’ pay increased during years of falling living standards for ordinary workers. Big shareholders responded by voting against pay deals, leading to a series of revolts at annual meetings last year before May made her pledge.

Deloitte found a calmer set of shareholder meetings this year as nine in 10 FTSE 100 companies had more than 80% support on pay. But shareholders voted against pay reports at Pearson, the educational publisher, and Crest Nicholson, the builder.

Tim Roache, general secretary of the GMB union, said the gap between bosses and workers was unfair and bad for the economy.

“These figures mask the reality of a grotesque pay gap between the rich and the rest that has grown unchecked for years. It’s in everyone’s interest to tackle this inequality. The money earned by ordinary workers is not spent on luxury yachts or hoarded away in tax havens – it is spent in the high street and in the communities in which they live and work,” he said.

Output: CEO salaries at FTSE 100 firms fell by 19% to an average of £3.5m ($4.5m) over the last year, down from £4.3m, according to a survey by Deloitte. The decrease resulted from a reduction in the amount executives could earn from bonuses and share plans. Overall, median salaries increased by approximately 2%, but the number of salary increases of 3% or more declined by 50%. Deloitte said that at the largest 30 companies, the “bonus opportunity” had declined from 200% to 185% of salary over the last four years.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Scientists remotely control mice using magnetic fields
 Imagine someone remotely controlling your brain, forcing your body’s central processing organ to send messages to your muscles that you didn’t authorize. It’s an incredibly scary thought, but scientists have managed to accomplish this science fiction nightmare for real, albeit on a much small scale, and they were even able to prompt their test subject to run, freeze in place, or even completely lose control over their limbs. Thankfully, the research will be used for good rather than evil… for now.

The effort, led by physics professor Arnd Pralle, PhD, of the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, focused on a technique called “magneto-thermal stimulation.” It’s not exactly a simple process — it requires the implantation of specially built DNA strands and nanoparticles which attach to specific neurons — but once the minimally invasive procedure is over, the brain can be remotely controlled via an alternating magnetic field. When those magnetic inputs are applied, the particles heat up, causing the neurons to fire.

The study, which was published in the most recent edition of the journal eLife, includes experiments where were performed on mice. Using the new technique, the researchers were able to control the movement of the animals, causing them to freeze, lock up their limbs, turn around, or even run.

Despite only being tested on mice, the research could have far-reaching implications in the realm of brain research. The holy grail for dreamers like Elon Musk is that we’ll one day be able to tweak our brains to eliminate mood disorders and make us more perfect creatures. This groundbreaking research could very well be an important step towards that future.

Output: A group of scientists at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences has developed a technique for remote-controlling brain function, according to research published in the Journal eLife. Led by physics professor Arnd Pralle, the team implanted custom-built DNA strands in mice, allowing neurons to be remotely controlled by an alternating magnetic field. In the experiments, the mice could be made to run, turn around or lock their limbs. The findings could have significant implications for future human brain research.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Adblock Plus wins court case against German media companies
 Last year, Facebook modified its code for presenting ads, so plugins couldn't identify them as ads and block them. Image: Adblock Plus

Germany's Eyeo, the maker of the popular Adblock Plus browser extension that's used by hundreds of millions of people, has won another round of victories over media companies that sued it in the country.

Adblock Plus, as the name suggests, prevents ads from appearing in front of its users' eyes, unless their publishers are on a whitelist of companies that only use "acceptable ads". Adblock Plus means ads that don't pop out, auto-play video, and do other annoying things to attract people's attention.

Most controversially, the largest publishers in terms of ad impressions have to pay Adblock Plus a cut of their ad revenue to be on the whitelist -- the standard rate is 30 percent -- although their ads still need to meet the standard criteria for acceptability. The company says 90 percent of those on the list are there for free.

A host of publishers and broadcasters, which depend on advertising for their revenue, have sued Adblock Plus over the past few years, including Axel Springer, Die Zeit, Handelsblatt, RTL Interactive, ProSiebenSat.1 and Süddeutsche Zeitung.

All failed, with one partial exception: in June last year, Bild publisher Axel Springer got the Cologne higher regional court to rule it was illegal for Eyeo to charge Springer for the privilege of whitelisting.

On Thursday, a Munich appellate court ruled against RTL Interactive, ProSiebenSat.1 and Süddeutsche Zeitung in their most recent attempts to finally take down Adblock Plus.

Crucially, the court also said the outfit's "acceptable ads" whitelisting practices were themselves acceptable. This position contradicts the earlier ruling, by the Cologne court, in the Springer case.

RTL Interactive and ProSiebenSat.1 have been given leave to take their appeals against their fresh defeats to German's highest court, the federal constitutional court in Karlsruhe.

"With most of the lawsuits, they have a layered approach," said Eyeo public affairs chief Laura Sophie Dornheim.

"First of all they want to get ad-blocking forbidden completely. If that's not possible, they want ad-blocking with whitelists forbidden. For me, this is really just a vehicle to get to Adblock Plus, as it's the only company in German jurisdiction that they can get hold of."

However, the court did say online publishers are free to take countermeasures against Adblock Plus, for example, by shutting out readers who have the extension active in their browser. Many publishers do that these days.

A year ago, Facebook also started fighting back against ad-blockers by modifying the code for presenting ads on its site, so that the plugins couldn't identify them as ads and block them.

Adblock Plus figured out a way to bypass Facebook's new mechanism, the whole thing went back and forth for a few rounds, and the current status is that Adblock Plus can't block ads on the social network.

"We are working on a fix, but we want the next solution to be more permanent," Dornheim said. "There are other blockers who do manage to block ads [on Facebook], but they are interfering more with the code of the site, sometimes causing the design of the website to more or less crash or be less usable, and we don't want to do that."

"We respect the publishers' settings and their decisions," she added. "We intentionally do not circumvent paywalls. Publishers have a right to choose who they're serving their content to."

Previous coverage

Read more on ad blocking

Output: German company Eyeo, which makes the popular Adblock Plus browser extension that prevents ads from appearing in front of users – has won a victory over media companies that sought to have its software declared illegal. A Munich court has ruled against RTL Interactive, ProSiebenSat.1 and Süddeutsche Zeitung, which have to pay Eyeo to be on its whitelist of publishers of acceptable ads. The court ruled that Adblock Plus’s "acceptable ads" whitelisting practices were acceptable. However, the court also said companies are free to take countermeasures against Adblock Plus, such as excluding readers who have the extension active in their browsers.