Author: Jana Ruthberg

Known for their tech-savvy ways, Millennials have found a way to forgo hard cash in turn for mobile payments amongst themselves. Ebay’s mobile-payment app, Venmo allows users to wire money back and forth on-the-go by linking the app up to their credit cards and bank accounts. While purchasing the app is free, Venmo makes money by generally docking 3% of the transaction from the sender. This somewhat social app has blossomed this quarter, handling $316 million in mobile payments, up 62% from the last quarter. In an age group that constantly finds themselves splitting tabs in social settings, Venmo solves…

In order to settle claims that the upscale department store mistreated black costumers, Barneys New York agreed to pay a $525,000 penalty. After the retailer was reported to have targeted black costumers with unwarranted, intense scrutiny and falsely accusing them of committing fraudulent crimes, they had to pay for such damages. The company was found to have racially targeting black and Latino shoppers following a 9-month long investigation prompted by accusations of two black shoppers that the store falsely accused them of credit card fraud. One shopper, Trayon Christian, a college student from Queens, filed lawsuit after he was arrested…

To kick off Fall 2014’s New York Fashion Week, H&M has announced a collaboration with actor Kate Mara and celebrity stylish Johnny Wujek. The best friend duo will be curating H&M storefront windows at nine New York store locations. The window display designs will be inspired by their love for New York City and driven by their own personal styles. The displays will juxtapose Mara’s more approachable, chic style with Wujek’s more bold and quirky approaches. Inspired by New York’s flashing lights, endless skylines, and bridges, the window displays will mirror this New York-inspired lifestyle and showcase the brand’s new…

Tony Spring, the new chairman and CEO of Bloomingdales appointed in February, sat down with Women’s Wear Daily to discuss his plans for helping the department store grow and flourish in the upcoming months and years. The hands-on CEO has worked with the store for 27 years, starting as a trainee, advancing as a home buyer, and climbed on to take on various top marketing, stores, and operations jobs. Among his developments as CEO, the September 10 launch of what is called 100% Bloomingdale’s, might be the biggest yet. The collection features over 1,000 styles designed for and sold exclusively…

In efforts to improve U.S. trade and investments in Africa, President Obama will announce plans at the three-day U.S.-Africa Business Forum in D.C. for over 90 U.S. companies to invest a combined $14 billion. The investments will go toward banking and finance, construction, clean energy, and information technology projects, according to a White House official who spoke with Reuters. The business summit brings together U.S. companies such as Ford Motor Co., General Electric, Chevron Corp., Citigroup Inc., Morgan Stanley, and Wal-Mart with several African companies. Just under 50 African heads of state will be attending as well. The official stated, “These…

With steep earnings upwards of $51 million, Sandra Bullock holds the top spot as the highest-earning actress in Hollywood between June 2013 and June 2014. In 2013, the “Miss Congeniality” actress starred in the risky, yet wildly successful blockbuster, “Gravity.” The film riled up $716 million at the global box office and landed seven out of 10 of its Oscar nominations. The movie’s success catapulted Bullock high above other actress’ earnings. Behind the “Blind Side” actress is “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence at an estimated income of $34 million. The quirky star also recently appeared in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,”…

According to a report from Bloomberg, over the past month, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has declined, reaching an all-time low in eight years. This trend may indicate that the job market is picking up speed as demand is increasing. This could in turn increase wages and catalyze consumer spending. A report from Bloomberg states, “The four-week average jobless claims (INJCJC), considered a less volatile measure than the weekly figure, dropped to 297,250, the lowest since April 2006, from 300,750 the prior week.” “Employment growth remains healthy,” and the reading is “consistent with a strong labor market,”…

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to heighten, protests around the world, both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, have stirred up a lot of controversy. One such anti-Israel, pro-Palestine protest in Germany has created sky-high tension for invoking a World War II, Holocaust-like atmosphere, and using old anti-Semitic slogans to express disapproval of Israeli tactics. Protests have erupted throughout the continent. Most recently, in France, despite the outlaw of anti-Israel protests, youths have taken to violent looting of Jewish businesses, and in London, where over 45,000 camped outside the Israel embassy to advocate for Palestine. John Berman, co-host for a CNN…

According to a report from the Council on Contemporary Families titled “Gender Revolution Rebound Symposium,” what is known as the “Stalled Gender Revolution” of the 1990s and early 2000s is now over. This so-called stall in gender equality progression occurred after an active period from about 1970 to 1990 where women increasingly entered the work force and closed in on education and income gaps. Then, in the 1990s and 2000s, progress not only paused but also reversed. Highly educated women “opted out” of high-power, high-paying careers to stay with children over the fear that their kids would be harmed by…

Patrick Sawyer, 40, was the first American to pass away from what some health officials call the “deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.” Prior to this past week, the deadly virus had been contained to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—all West African countries—where 670 estimated deaths, according to the World Health Organization have occurred. Yet, Americans visiting the region are catching the virus, which spreads through minimal contact with infected bodily fluids, calling even greater attention to the outbreak. Sawyer, a naturalized citizen and top government official visiting Liberia and Nigeria for conferences, collapsed after getting off his plane in Nigeria.…

According to a report by The Washington Times, a trouble-making 3-year-old boy from Oregon hopped into his family’s Jeep Wrangler. After somehow putting the gear into neutral, he drove down the street, through an intersection and eventually crashed into a neighbor’s house. The tiny toddler then proceeded to hop out of the car, trot on home and plop himself in front of the television for some cartoons. While this story sounds more like something from The Onion, it is legitimate. Luckily there were no injuries from the incident, and the police found the boy in just his diaper, sitting on…

Lyft, rival car service to the ever-expansive company Uber, has officially arrived in NYC to compete against the reigning driving service. The move to the Big Apple came only after the company agreed to use commercially licensed drivers, similar to a deal struck with Uber two years ago that ensured drivers are properly licensed commercially and registered. The driving company ran into trouble when New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, which is responsible for regulating cabs, succeeded in temporarily halting Lyft’s originally planned launch on July 8 on the premise that drivers were not properly licensed and registered with the…

The self-proclaimed “Best Damn Band in the Land” is forced to march on without director Jonathan Waters in the unofficial season kickoff with the Columbus Symphony. The Ohio State University band’s ex-director is currently under investigation after allegations revealing the band’s “sexualized” culture, including rituals that forced students to march in their underwear, be called sexually explicit nicknames and perform sexual skits—all while Waters turned a blind eye. Waters, who has led the 225-member band for the past two years and has directed some impressive half-time shows, including one that landed the Buckeyes a spot in an Apple commercial, has…

On Wednesday, July 23, the lethal-injection execution of convicted murderer Joseph R. Wood III lasted nearly two hours before the man died, sparking renewed criticism of this inhumane method of execution. Wood was convicted and given the death sentence in 1991 for shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend Debra Dietz and her father, Eugene Dietz, at their body shop in 1989. His death sentence was carried out at the Arizona State Prison Complex in a two-hour, prolonged process that reportedly left him “gasping and struggling to breathe” for much of that time, his lawyer Dale Baich told The Washington Post. The…

According to a report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed Wednesday, July 23, into a residential building in Taiwan’s Penghu Islands off the west coast. Officials have reported that at least 48 passengers in the plane died in the crash despite reports from Yeh Kuang-shih, Transportation Minister of Taiwan, that claimed there were no deaths. The TransAsia Airways Flight GE222 held 54 passengers and four crew members, including two French nationals according to the director-general of the Civil Aeronautic Administration, Jean Shen. The flight had been delayed due to inclement weather conditions from the typhoon in…

For the two dozen states that opted out of the expanded health care under the Affordable Care Act, financial troubles for alternative medical care providers have emerged. According to Forbes, reports from Fitch Ratings indicated that gaps are widening between states that adopted the law’s Medicaid expansion and Republican-led states that refused to go along. The health law has set up a system where the federal government pays for the full cost of Medicaid for the first three years. The state will pick up some costs by 2017, but by 2020, the federal government is set to cover at least…

Crumbs Bake Shop has not completely crumbled to the ground just yet, despite recent announcements that they would be closing their remaining 48 locations this past week. In efforts to save the scraps of the dessert company, Marcus Lemonis, chairman and chief executive of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises, as well as star of CNBC’s The Profit, joined with Fischer Enterprises—the same company that bought Dippin’ Dots—to make efforts to buy and save the once-thriving cupcake business. Lemonis took to Twitter to hint at his plans. Responding to news that the bake shop was closing, he wrote: “Stay tuned.…

New York-based cupcake chain Crumbs Bake Shop is officially crumbling to its close in all locations around the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. The bakery, which had just under 50 locations in 10 states had been experiencing sinking sales since 2012 when they closed dozens of stores. On July 1, the NASDAQ Stock Market dropped the company, refusing to trade any more shares. The company failed to meet the minimum of $2.5 million in shareholder equity. The cupcake shop, known for its massive cupcake concoctions reportedly notified its employees on Monday about the closing of their remaining locations.…

According to a report by NBC, on June 20, a 70-year-old man who was separated from his hiking group along the Taiwanese river was located by searchers who tracked his 10-year-old Nokia cellphone. The man, named Liu Quanming, was lagging behind his group when he fell from the path. Xie Tinglong, a police official in Taichung, which is located in western Taiwan, told NBC, “Liu lagged behind the rest of his hiking group and then got lost. He soon lost his way, slipped and fell down the mountain into the ravine below.” The Keelong City resident lost his cellphone when it…

According to a report from Bloomberg, retail giant Walmart will start selling products marked with a label that indicates a company is owned by a woman this September. The huge company is honoring a pledge made in 2011 that stated they would source $20 billion to start carrying products from women-owned U.S. businesses by 2016. Walmart will begin by selling a lingerie brand named Smart & Sexy and Maggie’s Salsa—both businesses owned by women in the United States. Like kosher, gluten-free or organically certified labels, the company asserts that a women-owned business label will attract buyers who aim to express…

Unsurprisingly, the “Run the World” singer, Beyoncé, well, runs the world—the superstar has reached the number-one spot on Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the world’s most powerful celebrities. Beyoncé, fittingly known as Queen B, earned an estimated $115 million between June 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014—the magazine’s allotted time frame for measuring celebrity earnings. The annual list, comprised of the world’s top musicians, artists, actors, athletes, authors and models, is compiled after tons of research that measure income and fame levels. According to Forbes, earnings are estimated by doing research with celebrity agents and lawyers to calculate entertainment-related revenue for…

The CEO to the growing driving service Uber, Travis Kalanick, honored Pride Week, which celebrates the LGBTQ community, by officiating free weddings for same-sex couples in San Francisco. Uber showed their support—and publicized their product—by offering free transportation to a free wedding ceremony, as well as a free honeymoon. In a blog post, the company wrote, “We’re thankful to be based in San Francisco, a city that recognizes love doesn’t have to look any certain way. In honor of Pride Week, we’re celebrating the inclusive idea that love is love with something that lasts a lifetime.” The company partnered with…

All-American brand Juicy Couture, best known for its matching velour tracksuits and the occasional casual girly dress, has recently announced that they will be closing all stores in the U.S. The struggling parent company, Fifth and Pacific Companies sold the label for $195 million to Authentic Brands Group last fall, a licensing company that owns the rights to brands of icons Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Yet, despite the transfer, the brand’s business saw no improvements. While the rhinestone tracksuits held their reign for some time, the brand just never expanded. The labels co-founders Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, who…

Calling all Scandal fans! It looks like even us commoners can have a little taste of Olivia Pope’s wardrobe. Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope on ABC’s hit political drama, Scandal has teamed up with the show’s costume designer, Lyn Paolo and head of design at The Limited, Elliot Staples to create a collection of Pope inspired pieces. The 42-piece collection is inspired by the character’s endless white outerwear options, flattering wide leg pants, and work-friendly blouses. In a press release according to US Magazine, Washington says the line “embodies the elegance and power of the Scandal aesthetic for real-life…

She Started It – a documentary co-directed by Insiyah Saeed and Nora Poggi – over the course of one year, details the journeys of four young women entrepreneurs who have recently created their own successful startup companies. The message behind the film is to inspire and empower young women to delve into the world of technology and business and to give rise to a new generation of female leaders. In the Filmmaker’s Statement on their website, the directors quote: “The Kauffman Foundation estimates that women have formed only 3% of tech startups. Only 4% of Fortune 500 companies are run…

According to The New York Times, on Saturday, June 21, witnesses and officials in northeastern Nigeria reported that 60 girls and women, and more than 30 boys were kidnapped from Kummabza, a village about 100 miles from the capital of Borno State, Maiduguri. This incident follows a similar incident in April from the militant group, Boko Haram, which seized hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok to protest Western education and treatment of women and to promote a traditional Islamic state. In a 57-minute video, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, claimed responsibility for the April kidnappings of over 270 schoolgirls and…

Yael Stone opened up to Huffington Post about the graphic sex scenes she performed in Netflix’s hit drama series, “Orange Is The New Black,” calling the “authentic” scenes a “privilege” to be a part of. Stone plays inmate Lorna Morello, a young Long Island native who is completely lovesick over her “fiancé” Christopher. Throughout the first season, the Aussie actress had quite a few realistic sex scenes, which she enjoyed and backed as necessary to the plotline. She told Huffington Post: “The sex scenes are also a privilege, and we have to see it that way. If it’s written by…

On Monday, June 23, an Egyptian court sentenced three Al-Jazeera journalists to seven years in prison. The defendants, Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy, and Egyptian Baher Mohammed, were all convicted of supporting and conspiring with what is considered a terrorist organization, or the Muslim Brotherhood. The trio was also accused of fabricating and spreading false news and endangering national security. Mohammed, as the team’s producer, was sentenced to an extra three years in maximum security with charges of possession of ammunition – allegedly merely a spent shell. The journalists were first arrested in December 2013, as part of efforts…

North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, after learning about the new comedy film, “The Interview,” which follows the plot of two men who have paired up to assassinate Jong-un, has condemned lead actors of the film, Seth Rogen and James Franco. The comedy, set to be released in October 2014, unfolds when the hilarious duo, who play two late night talk show hosts, are given the chance to interview Jong-un, yet before making their trip are recruited by the U.S. Secret Service to assassinate the North Korean ruler. The film jokes about the many myths surrounding the hyper-secretive Communist nation.…

As teenagers, most of us are struggling with how to cope with high school Geometry and Chemistry, but for Angelo Casimiro, a 15-year-old Philippines resident, he has far surpassed high school struggles. The teen has developed shoes that can provide a charge for your phone or any USB device, simply by walking or jogging. Angelo explains, in his video entry to the Google Science Fair 2014, that: “The average human takes 7,000 steps a day. So I asked myself, ‘Maybe it’s possible to harvest electricity through our footsteps. Maybe I can charge my phone or my flashlight with it.’” And…

In the early hours of Thursday, June 19, Facebook experienced a short international outage, leaving millions of users with an error message. Facebook members from the U.K., Israel, China, Singapore, and India were most heavily impacted, according to a report by the Hollywood Reporter, but areas in Asia and the Middle East also expressed problems with the site. The message simply read: “Sorry, something went wrong. We’re working on getting this fixed as soon as we can.” Most regions reported that the social networking site was functioning again only a half-hour later, but even so, users turned to Twitter to…

On Friday, June 20, President Barack Obama will announce his decision that allows legally married gay couples to receive the benefits and rights of the Family and Medical Leave Act in all 50 states, even those that do not recognize gay marriage. The Family and Medical Leave Act is the statute that allows those employed to take 12 weeks of “unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons” according to the United States Department of Labor. This means that gay couples are given the right to care for their sick spouses without penalty or threat of losing their jobs.…

Last week, YouTube’s #1 makeup tutorial guru, Michelle Phan detailed her steps toward success in Forbes Magazine. The YouTube star who joined the video-making website in July 2008, currently has over 6.5 million subscribers and over 900 million views. She started by filming short video tutorials of herself applying makeup to create certain looks, and over time created not only a huge fan base on YouTube, but also started her own makeup line with L’Oreal called “EM by Michelle Phan.” Forbes magazine calls the beauty expert a “millennial mogul,” yet asserts her success is easy to replicate. Upon asking Phan…

According to a report by the Washington Post, on Thursday night in the West Bank, three Israeli teenage students went missing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Saturday attributing the kidnappings to “a terrorist organization,” and said that Israel would be holding the Palestinian government responsible for the kidnappings and “responsible for any attack coming from its territory.” Teams have been sent to the West Bank to search for the missing teens, two aged 16 and one 19, all students at yeshiva, a religious school. It is believed that the three students were hitchhiking in a part…

All hail Netflix. Just when you thought you couldn’t love Netflix anymore, they announce that they are bringing back your all-time favorite childhood science series, “The Magic School Bus.” According to The New York Times, Netflix will be streaming 26 half-our installments of the new and improved, “The Magic School Bus 360°” with more modern animation and with brand new concepts. Like in the old versions, episodes will follow the science teacher, Ms. Frizzle and her class on their fun flying field trip adventures. The fan-favorite children’s program was originally a Scholastic book series and was then made into a…

Advertising and marketing techniques these days are only getting more and more questionable. How can consumers truly know if the products they are purchasing are really what they seem? According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, this spring, a debate regarding Coca-Cola’s marketing of a “pomegranate-blueberry juice” has sprung up. Recently, the Supreme Court has allowed this complaint to come under lawsuit. Coca-Cola has been targeted by juice maker, Pom Wonderful LLC, for marketing a Minute Maid beverage as “pomegranate blueberry flavored, which contains barely any pomegranate or blueberry. Instead, the beverage contains 99.4% apple juice and grape…

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, addressed parliament this week to urge politicians to work together to provide greater legal protection and treatment to women in the wake of various horrific gang rape incidents this past month and in past years. Poorly handled incidents such as the gang rape and lynching of 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls last month in Uttar Pradesh, and the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi in December 2012 stirred up outrage. Women’s rights groups and other advocates claim these attacks have reached epidemic levels. The prime minister calls for action against the “politicizing”…

In an experiment by the Royal Society in London, a super computer has passed the “Turing Test” for the first time by tricking investigators into thinking it was a 13-year-old human boy during a text conversation. The “Turing Test” was made in 1950 by a computer science expert and Second World War codebreaker, Alan Turing, who said that if a machine wasn’t distinguishable from a human, then it must be capable of thinking. The test says that 30% of human participants must be fooled in a five-minute conversation in order to pass the test. Five machines were tested to see…

Travis Kalanick, CEO and cofounder of the San Francisco based car service app ‘Uber,’ raised $1.2 billion from BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, Wellington Management, Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Menlo Ventures, and Summit Partners to amass a valuation of $18.2 billion according to Forbes. This number makes Kalanick the newest tech billionaire and puts the company in the lead for Internet startup companies. With a valuation of $18.2 billion, the Uber founder would only need to own about 5.5% of Uber’s shares to be worth $1 billion—or to be a billionaire. Yet, according to Forbes, odds are, Kalanick is…

After a horrific six-vehicle accident this past Saturday, June 7, which placed comedian, Tracy Morgan, in intensive care, injured several others, and killed fellow comedian and friend to Morgan, James McNair, reports reveal more about the truck driver who was at the root of the accident. According to police reports, the accident was caused by a truck driver for Walmart who was dozing off to sleep and failed to see the slowing traffic. The driver, identified as Kevin Roper, 36, of Georgia, was charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto. He was…

Apparently love can be crippling, as seen with the collapse of the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. The bridge is a tourist attraction where lovers from across the world come to attach a lock with their initials to its railing then throw the key into the Seine river below, symbolizing their everlasting love. Yet this past Sunday, June 8, part of the railing on the footbridge collapsed under the weight of the locks—and love. The phenomenon that has inspired over 700,000 couples to fasten metal locks onto the bridge has stirred up controversy in Paris. For some time now,…

This Thursday afternoon, June 5th, at about 3:20 p.m., a suspect, identified as Aaron Ybarra, wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt, armed with a shotgun and a knife, fired several rounds inside of an engineering building at Seattle Pacific University. The suspect killed a 20-year-old student at the university, and injured three others. While the gunman was reloading his shotgun, before he could do more damage, a student security guard, identified as Jon Meis, fired pepper spray at the man, and was able to pin him down forcefully until the arrival of police. Police officials have noted that the suspect is…

This Thursday, June 5th, ten activists from the Pro-Immigration Organization, “United We Dream”, planted themselves down with signs, hollering chants in the middle of a busy intersection near the White House. Their protests called for the halt of deportations of illegal immigrants, smack dab in the middle of traffic, at the corner of 16th and H Streets NW, which would usually prompt police action. Yet this time, D.C. police allowed the protestors to peacefully execute their First Amendment rights. The group remained on the street for almost four hours telling stories, singing, and chanting until they migrated to just outside…

In efforts to curb acknowledgment or remembrance of the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, officials in China have blocked Google services to curb searches about the incident. In an e-mail to Bloomberg News, Greatfire.org, a website that monitors Chinese internet, writes: “In an effort to prevent the dissemination of information related to this event, the Chinese censorship authority have severely blocked most Google services in China, including search and Gmail. Our gut feeling is this disruption may be permanent.” Just how far is the Chinese government willing to go to curb recognition of the protest 25 years ago? According to…

For years, big and small companies alike have resorted to creating fan pages on Facebook to up their online presence and to attract the loyal support by receiving personal stamps of approval in the form of “likes” from users. Over thirty million small businesses are updating their pages monthly, according to the social networking site’s own research, and Facebook wants to convert these small business owners who use the site for free marketing into paid advertisers. In efforts to recruit small businesses to advertise through Facebook, the website held what has been dubbed as the “Facebook Fit” program, designed to…

Here in the U.S., we’re all pretty much accustomed to the menu at Micky D’s. Burgers, nuggets, fries, breakfast sandwiches… that’s pretty much it. But with over 68 million costumers daily in their 35,000 franchises in 119 countries, the menu is bound to have some interesting cultural curveballs here and there. Here are some of the most interesting items on McDonald’s menus throughout the globe that you can’t find here in America. 15) Canada- Poutine, Atlantic Lobster Roll (for limited time). 14) Israel- Corn Sticks 13) Brazil- Cheese Bread 12) China- Taro Bie 11) Taiwan- Corn soup 10) Turkey-…

Criticism over President Barack Obama’s decision to swap five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba for a captured U.S. soldier in Afghanistan raises the question of whether the president broke any laws or set dangerous precedence. The swap of Idaho native, Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for Taliban prisoners is criticized for the belief that the man deserted his cause and cost the lives of at least six soldiers who attempted to search for him. Former comrades accused Bergdahl of walking away from his unit. “Whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American…

A year after its planned release, the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, South Korean based Samsung Electronics, released the first Samsung Tizen smartphone called the “Samsung Z” to rival the Android. In contrast to its Android counterpart, the Tizen version does not have “Google Play Store” access, yet this might be a chance for Samsung to create its own store and expand to a world beyond the “Droid.” The new gadget has a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen display at 1280×720 pixels, 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with a microSD card expansion slot, 4G compatibility, both rear-facing…

Poorly handled recent rape and assault incidents in India have left people wondering just how corrupt and insensitive the Indian police forces are in regards to the treatment of women. It was 8 pm, on May 27th, when two cousins, a 12-year-old and 14-year-old, went outside to use the bathroom, as they did not have a bathroom in their northern Indian home. Suddenly, the uncle of one of the girls heard the two screaming, and rushed outside to see four men dragging his daughter and niece away. When demanding the men return the girls, a suspect held him at gunpoint…

This past Thursday, Muslim consumers in Malaysia called for a boycott on Cadbury, a British food company, and its parent company Mondelez International, after traces of pork DNA were found in both the Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Milk Roast Almond chocolate products after random testing. According to Islamic rules, Muslims are forbidden from consuming pork of any variety, and food products are regularly checked to ensure they subscribe to Islamic law, known as halal. After a news conference in Kuala Lumbur, groups decided the company had gone too far and over 800 stores were asked to halt sales of Cadbury,…

By now, we’ve all heard of the almighty Uber driving service, and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock. The startup app provides a quick and easy option for transportation that can be reserved through the click of a button on your phone, and the cost is automatically billed to the customer’s credit card. The service currently exists in over 100 cities around the world. Starting this summer, the transportation app will now be incorporated as a core feature in AT&T’s Android cell phones. Just like phones comes with embedded weather or news apps, Uber’s transportation app…

The Municipal Court in the Phnom Penh convicted 25 factory workers and activists of instigating violence during protests that challenged the government in January. Shortly after, however, the defendants, who had been detained since their arrests earlier this year were released. In January, workers and activists gathered to demand higher minimum wages from $80 a month to at least $160 for those working in garment factories which led to a harsh crack down by Cambodian officials. At least four died from the protest when military police opened fire with assault rifles to stop the strike. Human rights groups were quick…

According to a report by Dallas-based cyber-security company iSight Partners, for about three years Iranian hackers have been using social networking websites to contact U.S. officials to create relationships and extract data and information. The report reveals the Iranian group fabricated a news organization called NewsOnAir.org that included fake journalist personas that would interact with U.S. diplomatic, government and military officials through Facebook, LinkedIn, and other outlets to target and gain access to e-mail accounts and personal information. Targets also included officials from Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the U.K. The site posted news articles and sent links to officials…

Nestlé, Swiss food company, the largest food company in the world—yes the same Nestlé that makes the cookies—has just made a $1.4 billion deal with Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., a skincare product company, in order to expand its new dermatology unit. The deal includes commercial rights to sell Restylane, Perlane, and Emerval, Dysport, and Sculptra—all fancy names for injectable facial treatments for wrinkles. For about two decades, Peter Brabeck-Lemathe, Chairman of the brand, has aimed to transform the company into a global model for health and well-being. The question lies in whether cosmetic face treatments– that sound a lot like what…

Thursday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill into law making Tennessee the first state to mandate use of an electric chair for execution when lethal injection drugs are unavailable. The legislation passed by a landslide with a 23-3 vote in Senate and a 68-13 vote in the House. Recently, after European suppliers of lethal injections boycotted the U.S. from using their drugs for executions, controversy began to stir over the method and alternatives. U.S. companies manufacturing lethal drugs have begun to shut down to avoid being associated with support of the death penalty as well. The 32 states that…

This past week several young Iranians were arrested in Tehran for recording a music video dancing along to Grammy winning, Pharrell Williams’ hit song, “Happy.” Their version of the music video received 30,000 hits before being removed from the original account. Despite the widespread approval and enjoyment the video received, Tehran officials aimed to censure the young adults. Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia made a statement about the video: “After a vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police decided to identify those involved in making that clip,” and subsequently arrest them. The creators of the clip…