In the cult science fiction/comedy film “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” the eponymous time-traveling protagonists are charged with writing a song to unite the world and save humanity. Israeli tech entrepreneur Oded Omer may have had the same mission in mind when he set out on a music career. The virtuoso bass guitar player from Holon received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston and even performed across Israel. But Omer ultimately became a serial entrepreneur with an engineering degree from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from the Holon Institute of Technology. Oded Omer, co-founder and CEO…
Author: zenger.news
MUMBAI, India — Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana headed to Bhopal yesterday to start shooting for his next film, titled “Doctor G,” He flew out of Mumbai and will shoot for over a month in the central Indian city. Khurrana shared a few glimpses of him traveling on his Instagram stories. The actor shared how he was greeted in Bhopal with a pleasant surprise as he arrived at the hotel. He was given a special welcome, complete with a cake. “For my next, ‘Doctor G,’” wrote Khurrana on Instagram. The 36-year-old actor also shared images of the film’s script co-written by Anubhuti Kashyap,…
Italian police discovered a massive cannabis plantation hidden near the ruins of Pompeii after receiving several reports that people nearby could smell marijuana. Authorities confirmed that they found 18,000 marijuana plants, or 9 tons, of the illicit drug on the grounds of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii in southwest Italy’s Campania/Naples region. The plants were in the ruins of the Royal Bourbon Power Factory, commissioned by then-ruler of Naples, King Ferdinand II of Bourbon, in 1851. The facility was later used as a tobacco factory until 1980, when it was abandoned after an earthquake. Using drones, Italian police found an…
SLEAFORD, Australia — A rocket launch site in South Australia has been granted a license by the federal government, clearing the way for a sub-orbital testing facility to be established. Science Minister Christian Porter said the license for Southern Launch at Whalers Way, 680 kilometers (422.5 miles) west of the southern coastal city, Adelaide on the Eyre Peninsula, was an important step in establishing Australia’s commercial launch capabilities. “The global space launch services market is expected to reach AU$36.7 billion ($29.6 billion) by 2027,” said Porter said in a statement. “Australia has a unique opportunity to be part of this exciting and growing…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is tracking a Chinese surveillance ship making its way towards the northeastern Australian state, Queensland, ahead of a joint military exercise with the United States. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia respected freedom of navigation in international waters but was “very wary” of the ship. “They are in an area where they are allowed to be, and we know they are there, and we are keeping a close eye on it,” he said. When pressed, the prime minister conceded he was concerned about the ship. “We would not be watching them if we were not,” said Morrison.…
CANBERRA, Australia — A third possible Covid-19 exposure site, linked to virus-infected removalists, is being investigated in South Australia. However, Premier Steven Marshall said there have been no confirmed local cases linked to the two sites already identified, a service station and a cafe at Tailem Bend, about 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) east of south Australian city, Adelaide. Marshall said authorities are investigating a third possible site in the town. “We do not have confirmation of that,” he said. “We are still trying to piece together the information.” “We are just trying to ascertain if there was another stop in Tailem Bend. We…
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Covid-19 recession is the worst global economic crisis since the decade-long Great Depression of 1929 and has largely caused foreign direct investment in Australia to halve. A Productivity Commission report says it fell from more than AU$56 billion ($41.70 billion) in 2019 to AU$29 billion ($21.59 billion) in 2020. Foreign direct investment is where an overseas business or individual sets up an operation or acquires more than a tenth of an enterprise in Australia. The commission’s annual trade and assistance review puts the reduction down to Covid-19 dampening global investment flows. “Foreign direct investment has not been…
CANBERRA, Australia — Pricey teeth straightening involved crooked claims, as per the consumer watchdog which is taking a teledentistry to court. SmileDirectClub customers use in-home kits or visit the company’s retail shops before receiving teeth aligners for about AU$3000 ($2231). But the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on July 13 said SmileDirectClub left consumers believing some of the orthodontics could be reclaimed through private health insurance. “The treatment could be covered under two-item codes when most Australian funds only pay out if a dentist or orthodontist sees the patient face-to-face, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges,” said SmileDirectClub. More than 600 customers were…
BRISBANE, Australia — Job losses in the Australian state of Queensland’s regional media have prompted a “journalism rescue plan” from Katter’s Australian Party, which blames government inaction and private sector callousness for the industry’s decline. Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter said the plan aims to secure state and federal government support for regional journalists, photographers, and camera operators affected by the industry’s volatility in Queensland. He says journalists in regional areas were being left jobless in a once-thriving industry and rural and regional residents, unable to access local and reliable news content, would be the biggest victims. “A well-informed public…
SYDNEY — The number of Australian firms shutting up shop for the last time is on the rise. However, the business landscape is still better positioned than the outlook a year ago when the economy was deep in recession. The latest CreditorWatch business risk review shows that the number of businesses going into administration rose by 23 percent in the June quarter, but that is still 21 percent lower than a year earlier. “Businesses did not fall off a cliff as many feared at the start of the year,” said Harley Dale, chief economist, CreditorWatch. But CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan warns the extended…