Banks stop N100 inter-bank ATM charge

Abuja – The Banker’s Committee on Tuesday in Abuja unanimously agreed to stop interbank ATM charge of N100.

Briefing journalists at the end of their meeting in Abuja, the Managing Director of First Bank, Mr Bisi Onasanya, said the decision was in line with “popular trends’’ in other parts of the world.

“Presently when you use the ATM of a bank other than your bank, there is a charge of N100 which is borne by the account holder.

“We have decided that we will work out the modality and ensure that with immediate effect we would pass on this cost to the respective banks which bear the cost of providing services.

“No matter where you are withdrawing your money from, you will not be subjected to any charge for using the ATM.

According to him, the new policy does not cover withdrawals inside the banking hall when the ATMs are off.

“But for transaction on what we call “not on us’’, when you are an FBN customer and you use the ATM of a GTB bank, it is free and it will no longer bear any cost.’’

Mrs Agnes Olatokunbo, Director of Banking Services at the Central Bank, said the apex bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would conduct a joint examination of stockbroking firms to ensure financial stability.

“Presently, the CBN supervises the bank but in the interest of financial stability, we will be working jointly with SEC to supervise stockbroking firms, especially those owned by holding companies under the new banking reforms.’’

Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of Union Bank, Mr Emeka Enuwa, said the banks had also decided to support mortgage liquidity facility for civil servants and private sector employees.

Enuwa expressed the committee’s support for the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to provide more affordable housing to civil servants and the middle class.

“The cost of acquiring a house for an individual, as a civil servant, is quite difficult and getting a mortgage over a long period of time had not been that easy.

“What this programme intends to achieve is to make it much easier for civil servants and private sector employees to assess financing to acquire homes for themselves at an acceptable duration and reasonable interest rate.’’

Speaking on the modalities for assessing the credit facility, Enuwa said the details would be provided subsequently as the framework had just been agreed on.

On other decisions reached at the meeting, Dr Shehu Mohammed, acting Managing Director of Keystone Bank, said the committee also agreed to make “significant donation’’ to flood victims across the country.

Mohammed said the meeting considered the issue of the recent flood in the country and decided that respective banks should make donations through the Federal Government fund-raising committee headed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote. (NAN)

Bad Apple: Judge accuses computer giant of 'lack of integrity' in row over botched Samsung statement

• Sir Robin Jacob said Apple published 'false and misleading' material after failing to comply with court statement
• Says Apple's claim it would take two weeks to make changes to its website showed a 'lack of integrity'
• Apple also removed code from its side that 'hid' statement until users scrolled down

By MARK PRIGG

A senior judge fired more arrows at Apple today in the latest round of a legal row between the technology giant and rival Samsung.

Sir Robin Jacob said Apple published 'false and misleading' material and he suggested that bosses showed a 'lack of integrity' by saying staff would need two weeks to make 'minor changes' to the company website.

He made his criticisms after the Court of Appeal heard details of the dispute between Apple and Samsung at a hearing in London.

Apple has been slammed for telling judges it would take two weeks to make changes on its website. The firm also today removed code that 'hid' its statement at the bottom of a page

A SCROLLING APOLOGY

Apple also today removed a piece of code from its UK website that had allowed them to keep an apology to Samsung out of immediate sight.

The code which was removed had the effect of forcing the user to scroll down to see a notice of the verdict discussed in today's statement.

Appeal judges made a ruling earlier this month - when they expressed 'amazement' about the amount of time Apple wanted to post information on its website.

They gave written reasons for their decision today.

Apple was instructed by judges to publish a statement acknowledging that it had lost an earlier legal fight with Samsung.

The two firms returned to court on November 1 after Samsung complained that the notice Apple posted on its website did not comply with a court order and should be altered.

Apple said the notice did comply.

But three judges - Lord Justice Longmore, Lord Justice Kitchin and Sir Robin - agreed with Samsung and said Apple should post another statement.

The appeal court was analysing the latest stage of a dispute centred on computer technology produced by Apple and Samsung.

 

More...

• Have Apple written code that deliberately hides their online tablet 'apology' to Samsung?

Apple complained that the Samsung Galaxy Tab was too similar to its iPad.

But a judge at the High Court in London ruled in July that the Samsung Galaxy Tab was not 'cool' enough to be confused with Apple's iPad.

Last month, Apple failed to overturn that ruling in the Court of Appeal.

Visitors to the website had to scroll down to see a link that would explain the Californian technology giants reaction to their legal loss to Samsung

The judges upheld a decision by Judge Colin Birss QC, who concluded that three Samsung Galaxy tablet computers did not infringe Apple's registered design.

Judge Birss said: 'They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool.'

He decided that consumers were not likely to get the two tablet computers mixed up.

In the latest litigation, Samsung said Apple had published a notice on its website acknowledging defeat on October 26 - in 'purported compliance' with a Court of Appeal order.

But the firm complained that Apple had added an account of court proceedings in Germany and the United States which was 'inaccurate and misleading'.

Judges agreed. 'What Apple added was false and misleading,' Sir Robin said in today's written decision.

The difficult to find statement that Apple are linking to on the homepage of their website in the UK

'There is a false innuendo that the UK court's decision is at odds with decisions in other countries whereas that is simply not true.'

He said Apple had asked for two weeks to post a new notice.

'(We were told) that 'for technical reasons' Apple needed 14 days,' said Sir Robin.

'I found that very disturbing: that it was beyond the technical abilities of Apple to make the minor changes required to its own website in less time beggared belief.

'In end we gave it 48 hours which in itself I consider generous.

An Apple iPad (left) is displayed next to Samsung's Galaxy tab. Today Apple was told it must post a second statement on its website after a court decided its first version did not comply.

'We said the time could be extended by an application supported by an affidavit from a senior executive explaining the reasons why more was needed. In the event no such application was made.'

The judge added: 'I hope that the lack of integrity involved in this incident is entirely atypical of Apple.'

Lord Justice Longmore and Lord Justice Kitchin said they agreed.

At the November 1 hearing, Lord Justice Longmore had told a lawyer representing Apple: 'We are just amazed that you cannot put the right notice up at the same time as you take the other one down.'

And Sir Robin Jacob had added: 'I don't believe the instructions you have been given. 

'This is that Apple cannot put something on their own website?'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2230564/Judge-accuses-Apple-lack-integrity-row-botched-Samsung-statement.html#ixzz29je25UyY
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Twitter forces 'large number' of its 500m users to reset their passwords after mistakenly saying accounts were hacked

• Mistake followed large scale hacker attack that hit several BBC shows, comedian David Mitchell and blog TechCrunch 
• Twitter refused to reveal how many of its 500m accounts were affected by original hack or its password reset mistake

Twitter has been forced to apologise for mistakenly resetting 'a large number' of its 500m user's accounts following a major hacker attack on the social networking site.

Users including the BBC's Today show and comedian David Mitchell were hit by the large 'phishing' scam

However, while investigating the issue, Twitter says its security specialists had reset a larger number of passwords than they intended.

Twitter tried to calm users after accidentally saying that 'a large number' of their 140 million accounts were compromised

WERE YOU PHISHED?

Some of the attempted hacks used phrases like 'serious gossip' or 'that video' or 'saying bad things [about you]' with a link to a phishing or malware site.

In order to avoid such scams, users were advised to check that the proper Twitter website, http://twitter.com, was visible in the web browser bar instead of a similar alternative.

'In instances when we believe an account may have been compromised, we reset the password and send an email letting the account owner know this has happened,' Twitter said in its blog on Thursday.

'In this case, we unintentionally reset passwords of a larger number of accounts, beyond those that we believed to have been compromised.'

Among the victims of the original hack was the technology site Techcrunch, which has 2.5m followers, and tweeted a link which could helped the problem spread.

The Twitter account belonging to BBC Radio 4's Today programme also told followers it was 'trying to get to the bottom' of problems relating to their feed.

Other BBC accounts have received the warning email - but it is not yet clear if any more were compromised.

Comedian David Mitchell tweeted that he had received the email, and that a tweet he had written publicising his column in the Observer newspaper had been removed.

The BBC's Today show was hit by the issue

Comedian David Mitchell was also affected

Some of the attempted hacks used phrases like 'serious gossip' or 'that video' or 'saying bad things [about you]' with a link to a phishing or malware site. 

Carolyn Penner, a spokeswoman for the social-networking site, declined to say how many Twitter accounts were affected by the error.

 

More...

• 'I'm moving to Colorado': Stoner star Seth Rogen takes to Twitter after marijuana legalized in two states
• Could Miss be replaced by a robot? Autistic pupils 'learn better from android buddies than human teachers'
• Black Thursday! Walmart announces it will start Black Friday shopping at 8 pm Thanksgiving night... their earliest time yet

She said that there had not been a security breach.

Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, regularly resets the passwords of accounts believed to have been infiltrated by hackers or suspicious websites.

Threatened: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has not spoken publicly about the issue but the company issued a statement urging online caution

The company used the mass email as an opportunity to remind users of some key security tips to avoid hacking in the future.

They suggested to avoid pitches from companies that promise to increase the number of followers as 'these sites have been known to damage user accounts'.

Another area for concern that they addressed were Phishing sites that steal visitor's data when accessed. 

In order to avoid such scams, users were advised to check that the proper Twitter website, http://twitter.com, was visible in the web browser bar instead of a similar alternative

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2230199/Twitter-forces-thousands-users-reset-passwords-mistakenly-saying-accounts-compromised.html#ixzz29jcv3wob
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

eBook of love: Smug couples get their own page on Facebook

• New pages available to all users from today
• Couples can see their relationship over time by visiting facebook.com/us

Facebook has launched the first 'couples pages' allowing people to chronicle their relationship on the site.

They bring together every event attended together, every picture and every post onto one page.

However, singletons shouldn't feel left out - Facebook has also revealed a similar service for friends.

Facebook's new friendship pages, which show pictures, events and mutual friends on a single page

HOW TO SEE IT

Friendship pages are being rolled out to all users from today.

To see them, visit a friend's page and click on the gear symbol in the top right.

If you've listed yourself as in a relationship with someone, you can also visit facebook.com/us to see your 'couples page'

The social networking giant says the new pages will allow users to see exactly which moments and pictures they have shared with friends on a single page.

'Starting today, we're introducing a new layout for friendship pages,' said Facebook's Arun Vijayvergiya.

'Friendship pages combine posts, photos and events that you and another person have shared. 

'Click the gear menu at the top of a friend's timeline to see a friendship page. 

'If you've listed yourself as in a relationship with someone, you can also visit facebook.com/us to see the friendship page you share with that person.' 

However, some users have warned the new pages could cause problems.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2230614/Facebook-launches-new-couples-pages-dont-worry-youre-single-friendship-pages.html#ixzz29jbi1ott
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Scientists discover how to make time pass faster (or slower)

• Findings could also explain why time flies when we're having fun

By DAMIEN GAYLE

A new understanding of how the brain processes time could one day allow scientists to tweak an individual's sense of timing.

New research suggests timekeeping in the brain is decentralised, with different neural circuits having their own timing mechanisms for specific activities.

Not only does it raise the possibility of artificially manipulating time perceptions, but the finding could also explain why our sense of time changes in different conditions - such as when we are having fun or are under stress.

Stop the clock: New research suggests timekeeping in the brain is decentralised, with different neural circuits having their own timing mechanisms for specific activities

Two researchers from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis trained to rhesus macaques to perform tasks requiring them to move their eyes between two dots in regular one-second intervals, New Scientist reported.

Despite having to external cues to help them keep track of time, after three months the monkeys had learned to move their eyes between the dots with average intervals of 1.003 and 0.0973 seconds respectively.

Using electrodes, the researchers then recorded brain activity across 100 neurons in the monkeys' lateral intraparietal cortex - the brain region associated with eye movement - as they performed the task.

They found that the activity of these neurons decreased between each eye movement in a regular way that allowed them to predict when the next movement would occur.

Animal testing: Scientists trained two rhesus macaques, like the ones pictured, to flick their eyes between two dots at intervals of nearly exactly one second, then looked at what was happening in their brains

MATHS CAN HURT YOUR HEAD

Fear of maths can activate regions of the brain linked with the experience of physical pain, a study has found.

The higher a person’s anxiety of a maths task, the more it increases activity in regions of their brain associated with visceral threat detection, and often the experience of pain itself, research shows.

The authors say that previous research has shown that other forms of psychological stress, such as social rejection or a traumatic break-up, can also elicit feelings of physical pain.

However, they say their study examines the pain response associated with anticipating an anxiety-provoking event, rather than the pain associated with a stressful event itself.

Ian Lyons and Sian Beilock, from the University of Chicago say their results, published in Plos One, indicate the maths task itself is not painful but merely the thought of it is highly unpleasant to certain people.

A slower rate of decrease in the activity of the neurons corresponded with a macaque overestimating the length of a second, while a faster rate of decrease meant they would move their eyes before the time was up.

The results of the experiment suggest that scientists may one day be able to manipulate the subjective experience of the passage of time by tinkering with the neural connections that indicate its passage in our brains.

And it also suggests an explanation as to why, under certain conditions, the subjective sense of how much time has passed feels different.

When an individual is under stress, for example, it affects that amount of chemicals such as adrenalin in the brain. Scientists know adrenalin affects the rate of activity of neuronal activity.

'And in our model, a change in the activity decay rate is all you need to have a different sense of "what time" it is,' lead researcher Geoffrey Ghose told New Scientist.

Dr Ghose and his colleague Blaine Schneider now plan to test whether the neurons they have identified are the ultimate mental clock for the dots task by interfering with their behaviour to see if that affects the monkey's timing.

Read more:

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2228221/Scientists-discover-make-time-pass-faster-slower.html#ixzz29jlcdVec
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook