(CNN) - A groundbreaking new initiative is helping small business owners in Somalia link with donors through a mobile phone money transfer system.

E-Cash, a program backed by charity Oxfam, offers the convenience of avoiding long waits at money changers, and erases security issues that go with carrying cash in the street.

The initiative, which launched last year and already has 2,500 beneficiaries, targets vulnerable communities, such as women whose husbands have left them and who are breadwinners for their families, as well as disabled people.

(CNN) – In the impoverished and crime-ridden Mexico City suburb Ciudad Netzahualcoyotl, a pioneering education center is tutoring students through a mix of computer programs and teaching.

It is one of 70 learning and innovation hubs first established in 2009 which now have around 350,000 users, most of whom have never used a computer before. Mois Cherm, CEO of the company behind the project, ENOVA, who was been named Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Economic Forum, says that the aim of the centers is to harness technology in educating low-income citizens.

Mexico has the lowest education standards of any major country, a fact often blamed on teaching unions which have a huge power over hiring and regulation.

As well as providing computers, the company, which is for-profit, creates its own programs with a tech hub in Mexico City.

(CNN) - Egyptian scientists say they have developed the first insect repellent material in the region, which has the power to protect people from being bitten by any bug, including mosquitoes.

Mohamed Hashem and his team at the Egypt National Research Center developed the textile, which he says is infused with what a natural and environmentally friendly material. Hashem would not reveal the exact composition of the substance, but said that it had the power to kill insects that were exposed to it for prolonged periods.

Insect repellent materials already exist in the West, but this development will allow regional manufacturers to buy it for much less, and Hashem says there are plans for it to be used by the Egyptian armed forces.

(CNN) —  OurCrowd is an Israeli company trying to change the way start-ups are funded.

The company is structured as a hybrid venture capital and crowd-funding platform, allowing investors from around the world to invest directly in Israeli start-ups.   FULL POST

Editor's note: Victor Basta is the MD of Magister Advisors, an M&A advisory firm to the technology industry. The firm has worked on 16 transactions since it was founded three years ago, including the sale of C3 to Apple for $250 million and LoveFILM's $320m exit to Amazon. Below is his view on Apple's future.

After last week’s earnings, it is even clearer that Apple is not the company you think it is. Its future value will not be as a hardware designer and innovator. It will more likely be as a great software and services business, underpinned by the everyday actions of the hundreds of millions of credit card-enabled users subscribed to the iTunes store. FULL POST

(CNN) – Silicon Valley veteran Ivan Nikkhoo gives his take on what the decline in PC sales means for tech sector.

(CNN) – Two videos were unleashed in recent days driven by social media campaigns. Korean rapper PSY released “Gentleman,” his long-awaited follow-up to “Gangnam Style.”

More controversial is the release of “Ding Dong,” from “The Wizard of Oz,” sent into the charts as an irreverent response to the death of Margaret Thatcher, which was fuelled by a Facebook campaign.

Anthony Decurtis, contributing editor Rolling Stone, talks to CNN about viral videos and what makes something go 'viral.'

(CNN) – Julia Coronado of BNP Paribas says it's clear that bailout concerns stretch far beyond Cyprus. “The numbers out of Cyprus in and of themselves are not that large … but it’s a reminder of the ongoing issues that are yet to be resolved, and how complicated these issues are,” she tells CNN. “The road stretches long before us, and that’s a worry.”

(CNN) – Bitcoins got a boost in popularity on the heels of the crisis in Cyprus, where people had little access to traditional banking. But as awareness of the digital money grows, so does the volatility.

CNN's Maggie Lake looks at New York bar that is trying to raise the awareness of a currency called bitcoins.

(CNN) – Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says China will begin to revise its future policy on North Korea.

Rudd outlines three reasons for this shift including North Korea’s nuclear weapons program aggravating regional U.S. allies; the potential for an escalating conflict should North Korea attack South Korea; and the damage to China’s foreign reputation as a supporter of the regime.

Rudd adds that China faces huge challenges in transforming its domestic economic growth model to meet the workforce demands for higher wages and living standards.