Barclays is ditching passwords for telephone voice recognition.

Barclays customers will soon be able to access their telephone banking account using voice recognition instead of a password. The update will be available to all customers by the end of August. The Voice Security technology will replace passwords and pins with a customer’s voice print to confirm identification. Barclays said voice prints would be made up of over 100 unique characteristics based on the physical shape of a speaker’s mouth and throat. Earlier this year, the Financial Fraud Action (FFA) revealed that losses due to telephone banking fraud rose by 92 per cent in 2015 to £32.3 million and greater adoption of technologies such as voice recognition could help stem the flow. In March TalkTalk also announced that it would use voice recognition technology to verify customers’ identities using voice prints following a large-scale hack on its internal systems. Each time a customer calls, the technology will compare their voice against the voice print to establish a match using the first few words spoken. Barclays was the first European bank to launch voice recognition technology to customers in May 2013. HSBC also revealed plans to use voice recognition software for telephone banking. Many banks, websites and apps, including Lloyds, Amazon and Evernote, are also now using fingerprints to verify identities through technology such as Apple’s Touch ID, Google Pay and Samsung’s Finger Scanner. Continue

Modern-day slavery at Thai poultry farms risks 'polluting' supply chain.

Modern-day slavery at Thai poultry farms risks 'polluting' supply chain: Poultry meat importers risk “polluting their supply chains” by relying on Thai producers that abuse workers’ rights and must press them to uphold the law, according to a prominent migrant rights activist. continue

Rapid- low-temperature process can add weeks to milk’s shelf life.

Rapid, low-temperature process can add weeks to milk’s shelf life, a study conducted by Purdue University found that the rapid heating and cooling of milk significantly reduces the amount of harmful bacteria present in fluid dairy milk, and can extend its shelf life up to seven weeks. continue

Cockroach milk as a future protein supplement.

Scientists trial of cockroach milk as a future protein supplement. Scientists have discovered cockroach milk is four times more nutritious than cow's milk with a protein that releases energy slowly over a long period of time. Continue

Patagonia and Chris Malloy Made a Film About Agriculture .

Although climate change is a natural occurrence, the cause for alarm isn’t the fact that it’s changing, it’s the speed at which it’s doing so. Humans have created a life so full of comfort that it’s destroying the place we all call home, and the way we eat isn’t helping. Our farming habits are turning the fragile ecological balance upside down, and it’s all coming to a head. Patagonia, Chris Malloy, and Farm League got together to make a film about it. It’s called Unbroken Ground. The film “explains the critical role food will play in the next frontier of our efforts to solve the environmental crisis… [and] explores four areas of agriculture that aim to change our relationship to the land and oceans. Most of our food is produced using methods that reduce biodiversity, decimate soil and contribute to climate change. We believe our food can and should be a part of the solution to the environmental crisis – grown, harvested and produced in ways that restore our land, water and wildlife. The film tells the story of four groups that are pioneers in the fields of regenerative agriculture, regenerative grazing, diversified crop development and restorative fishing.” The film is part of Patagonia’s Provisions project, which, the words of founder Yvon Chouinard does a few things: “It only makes sense that we’d want to share some of our favorite food with our customers,” he wrote. “But that’s just the beginning; we also believe there is great opportunity—and an urgent need—for positive change in the food industry. With Patagonia Provisions, our goals are the same as with everything we do: We aim to make the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and perhaps most important, inspire solutions to the environmental crisis.” continue

Sokoto State Set For Partnership with Morocco On Power and Agriculture.

The Sokoto State Government has said that it has conclude plans to partner with the Kingdom of Morocco in the areas of solar energy and agriculture. Gov. Aminu Tambuwal stated this on Monday after a meeting with the Moroccan Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Mosidfa Bouh, in Abuja In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said Morocco is has been at the fore-front of technology on the continent with giant strides in some critical sectors. “Morocco has distinguished itself in some critical sectors, as such relationship between the two states will be of utmost importance to the two parties. He added that, “We sought a closer working relationship between our two states, especially in areas like solar energy and leather works. “Other areas are agriculture, especially irrigation, educational and cultural integration, as well as fertilizer management. “In terms of fertilizer, we informed the Ambassador that Sokoto has a large deposit of primary natural substances needed for making fertilizer,” the governor said. read

Nigerian farmers embrace biotechnology.

The National Vice President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Chris Onwuka , has condemned those campaigning against biotechnology in the country as he asked them to come up with scientific evidence to back their stance. Speaking at a Stakeholders meeting in Abuja recently, he said “a group came and were telling us recently that biotechnology is not good. I asked them to show us scientific evidence but they could not,” he told other stakeholders. The truth is that without biotechnology we cannot feed ourselves. What we farmers need is more yield. We already have a regulatory agency just as there is NAFDAC. It is their job to tell us what is good and what is not good. They are capable,” he added. Also at the meeting were representatives of the academia from all geopolitical zones of the country, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Consumer Protection Council, Genetics Society of Nigeria and the Nigeria Agricultural Society among others. Onwuka said the unequal distribution of technology between the developed world and developing countries like Nigeria consistently make it unnecessary to compare their priorities with ours. By 2030, Nigeria’s population will be 250 million and without a technological intervention, and with continuous decrease in arable land due to urbanization, desertification and erosion, farmers’ yield are definitely going to decrease. continue