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Superdirect.com, the ambitious challenger in the market of grocery pick-ups, has closed its pilot store in Eindhoven on 1 May, the sole pick-up point so far. It is unclear whether it will relaunch at a later date.
All bark and no bite?
"On 1 May, our pilot pick-up store in Eindhoven will shut down. We have gathered a lot of information about online retail and delivery point distribution, but from now on, orders can no longer be placed and our service will halt", it states on the Superdirect.com website.
Customers can no longer use the pick-up point, except for groceries they have ordered up until the closure. No reason has been given for the sudden closure. Spokesperson Wilco Jansen also refused to divulge whether it had something to do with a lack of turnover.
It does seem like the ambitious Superdirect has burnt itself a bit, as Peter Pompen and Henk Niemandsverdriet had huge plans when they started superdirect.com: it wanted to be the challenger for the traditional parties involved in food and promised to be a "game-changer".
Restart within Sligro's lap
Superdirect.com aimed to get several hundred stores in the Netherlands, with a statement at the end of 2013 in which was stated that it planned to come to 14 new locations in 2014, but apparently that statement was overzealous.
It is unclear whether the formula will be restarted. Wholesale chain Sligro, which owns a majority in superdirector.com and served as its supplier, has already been notified of its closure, but it is not impossible that Sligro will use the "gathered knowledge of online retail and delivery point distribution", as stated by the Superdirect entrepreneurs, within its own ranks.


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Bogota, Colombia, May 2nd, 2022—A new investment will help diversify Colombia's energy sources while promoting renewable energy projects and boosting economic resilience in the country. IFC's US$10 million investment in the form of preferred equity in Vatia, a leading Colombian electricity retailer and aggregator, will improve access to cleaner energy, contributing to the country's climate commitments.
In its first engagement with a retail power aggregator globally, IFC will also assist the company to obtain financing of up to $36 million in long-term debt. IFC's support will allow Vatia to acquire greenfield solar assets and strengthen its capital position, expanding and diversifying its generation capacity in Colombia. This will help displace carbon-intensive and more expensive thermal generation, reducing around 55,000 tons of CO2 emissions equivalent each year. In addition, IFC's investment will enable smaller businesses and commercial and industrial users to implement energy efficiency plans and additional savings.
As part of its energy policy, aimed at ensuring energy security, low prices, and reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, Colombia aims to achieve 25 percent penetration of non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) by 2030. Despite considerable potential for NCRE, the resources remain largely untapped—less than 0.5 percent of the energy mix in the country.
Luis Fernando Sanvodal, Vatia's CEO, said: "We welcome IFC's long-term funding that is not readily available in a domestic market given the nascent business model. It will help demand aggregators like us play a key role in promoting NCRE, either through our own generation or by acting as off-takers for new projects. Additionally, aggregators can provide long-term contracts, a key hurdle in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, with high hydro penetration and price volatility depending on weather patterns."
IFC will also ensure the adoption of corporate governance and environmental and social practices in line with IFC's Performance Standards.
Adil Marghub, IFC head of infrastructure and energy for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: "Globally, end-users increasingly bypass traditional incumbents and get their energy from alternative sources, either directly from generators or retail aggregators. By supporting a leading market player, IFC is promoting a crucial change in the market structure, with retailers playing an increased role in the energy market. This will allow Vatia to serve more customers while highlighting the financial viability of the energy retail aggregation model in the region, contributing to the country's energy supply diversification."
Colombia is IFC's second-largest committed portfolio in LAC and seventh largest worldwide, with over US$3 billion in new financing over the past five years alone. In the fiscal year ended in June 2020, IFC's long-term investments in the region totaled a record $7.1 billion, including a record US$4 billion mobilized from other investors, enabling investments to foster sustainable growth across the region, create jobs, and fight the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vatia is an energy retailer and generator in Colombia, concentrated in the regulated market, with more than 33,000 users and an annual demand of around 1,300 GWh/Year, of which 400 GWh/Year come from NCRE sources. Vatia promotes the reduction of energy consumption through energy efficiency programs and expects to generate revenues of US$162 million during 2022.
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record US$31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

domain: news


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Action on Hearing Loss will change its name back to RNID after research found the old name was more popular than the new one.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) rebranded as Action on Hearing Loss for its 100th anniversary in 2011, in order to better reflect the fact that it supports people with varying degrees of hearing loss.
However, brand research involving 6,000 people found that the old name was still more popular and more trusted, even after almost 10 years. People felt that “the current brand did not reflect the charity’s history or communicate the amazing work it did”.
The charity is currently focusing on the impact of the pandemic on deaf people, for example by raising awareness and campaigning on the barriers to communication caused by face coverings. This has “highlighted the need to be a strong brand”, according to the charity.
Its new strategy and brand purpose will be: “Together, we will make life fully inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus.”
Keeping costs low
The rebrand has been 18 months in the making and was led by the in-house brand team with the support of an external brand consultant and of creative agency SomeOne in London for design.
Rebranding as Action on Hearing Loss cost the charity £260,000 in 2011, but this time costs were lower – £69,000, according to the charity. Action on Hearing Loss had an income of £39.5m in 2018-19.
A spokesperson for the organisation said it was “determined to carry out the brand review as cost-effectively as possible”. This was achieved through various cost-saving measures, including building the website and social media in-house, using the budget of the charity’s Christmas campaign to promote the new brand, and working with agencies offering reduced fees or pro-bono work.
The charity was founded in 1911 as The National Bureau for Promoting the General Welfare of the Deaf and changed its name to The National Institute for the Deaf in 1924. It later received a royal patronage, and in 1961 the Queen approved the addition of the word “Royal” to its name.
The new brand will launch on 2 November. The charity will retain The Royal National Institute for Deaf People as its legal name.
‘Making it clearer who we are for and why we exist’
Mark Atkinson, chief executive of Action on Hearing Loss, said: “Returning to RNID and redefining our purpose is a critically important step in our journey to make life more inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss and tinnitus. RNID continues to be a well-known and much-loved charity and I am proud that we have the confidence to make bold and radical changes which are crucial to our ambition to grow our audience reach and impact.
“RNID will be a stronger voice for deaf awareness and invest in campaigning for change. We will connect people to the information and advice they need. And we will continue to fund new treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
“Our new purpose, name and identity is about making it clearer who we are for and why we exist. Because now, more than ever, it’s vital that people across society understand the challenges deaf people and those with hearing loss and tinnitus face.”


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Hulu Adds NBC Network, Kardashians to Its Live Online TV Service
(Bloomberg) -- Hulu added Comcast Corp.’s NBC and E! channels to its forthcoming live TV service, securing popular programming like “Sunday Night Football,” “Mr. Robot” and “Keeping up with Kardashians” ahead of the product’s debut in the coming weeks.
With the agreement announced Monday, Hulu will be able to offer more than 50 channels, including all four major broadcast networks, as well as ESPN and FX, and has now reached accords with all four of its owners -- Comcast, 21st Century Fox Inc., Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc.
Founded as a way for people to catch up on last night’s TV, Hulu is now trying to combine a live TV service with its vast library of on-demand programming and its own originals. The company could introduce the service as soon as this week, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private plans. The deal with NBC includes more than 10 of the company’s TV networks, including USA and MSNBC.
“NBC Universal is home to many of today’s leading sports, news, entertainment and lifestyle networks -- brands that not only draw large audiences but also drive pop culture,” Hulu Chief Executive Officer Mike Hopkins said in a statement. “With this agreement in place, Hulu will soon provide an affordable, complete live TV package that includes all four major broadcast networks, the top-rated cable news channels, a massive sports offering and our deep existing premium streaming library for under $40.”
Thanks to popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, most U.S. residents watch less live TV and more on demand. But at least a half dozen companies, including Hulu, DirecTV, Dish Network Corp., Sony Corp. and YouTube are convinced they can lure people back to live TV packages by offering a slimmer selection of channels at a lower cost than the average cable package. They’ve also all tried to improve upon the presentation of on-demand programs.


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QuackQuack; one of India’s primary dating platform today announced that they are witnessing a surge of 80% in their user-base post the lockdown period.
The platform has over 8 million active users and is on-boarding 18,000 new users per day since the lockdown period. The user chats on the app have also gone up from 350k chats per day to 500k chats per day. The dating platform is witnessing an increase in user-base from professions like Sales/Marketing (+50%), Business (+25%) and Students (+25%).
The platform also reported an increase in time spent in browsing/viewing profiles on their platform since 22nd March 2020 which has gone upto 25% and there is also a 30% increase in daily active user base as compared to pre-lockdown.
Speaking about the ongoing trends Mr. Ravi Mittal, Founder of QuackQuack stated that “During this tough time we are glad that people are opting for online services to make their stay at home comfortable. As an organisation we have also witnessed about a 80% increase in our daily new user base, while also leading to 20% hike in our revenues”
He further added “We would also request our users to stay at their homes and not take any risks. Virtual is the safest distance and we are providing you with the best platform for online dating in India. So, what are you waiting for? Your online date must be just a click away”
The platform appeals to the youth of the country ranging between 21-30 years and about 60% of their users are from the Tier- 2 & 3 cities. They also have a strict moderation policy to safe-guard women users. Their backend moderation team is equipped to weed out fake profiles and they suspend close to 10% new signups everyday on suspicion.


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HONG KONG — The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Assn. of Asia (CASBAA) on Wednesday announced during its annual convention that it’s launching a group to focus on the deployment of mobile TV services in the region.
“The CASBAA objective is to create an environment where the regulatory and business issues surrounding mobile TV can be debated with hard information exchanged to encourage the distribution of paid video content to as many mobile TV subscribers as possible,” said CASBAA chief exec Simon Twiston Davies.
Participating members include mobile content providers such as Turner Broadcasting, ESPN Star Sports, CNBC Asia, BBC World, Star Group, Walt Disney Television Intl. and Sony Pictures TV Intl. The group also will include Hong Kong platform operator PCCW, handset manufacturer Nokia and chipset supplier Sun Microsystems.


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Swapping some sodium for potassium in table salt could prevent millions of deaths, flags study
30 Aug 2021 --- Nutrition groups worldwide are urging the F&B industry to replace table salt with a reduced-sodium, added-potassium substitute. The call follows a large-scale dietary intervention study, which concluded that millions of deaths could be prevented each year with the “simple swap.”
“This study provides further ‘strong evidence’ that such interventions can work in real life,” Sonia Pombo, campaign manager at Action on Salt, tells NutritionInsight.
“The food and nutrition industry should make this switch immediately for the benefit of public health.”
This recommendation is echoed by lead investigator of the latest study, Professor Bruce Neal of The George Institute for Global Health: “Switching table salt to salt substitute is a highly feasible and low-cost opportunity to have a massive global health benefit.”
The study of 21,000 adults found that for those who used salt substitutes, there was a 14 percent risk reduction in stroke, 13 percent risk reduction in cardiovascular events (stroke and heart attack combined) and 12 percent risk reduction in premature death.
Building on previous findings
It is well-established that a reduction in sodium intake and an increase in potassium consumption lowers blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of strokes and heart diseases, explains Pombo.
Using a salt substitute – where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride – addresses both problems at once. Salt substitutes are known to lower blood pressure, but their effects on heart disease, stroke and death were unclear prior to the latest study.
The Salt Substitute and Stroke Study enrolled 21,000 adults with either a history of stroke or poorly controlled blood pressure from 600 villages in rural areas of five provinces in China – Hebei, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shanxi and Shaanxi between April 2014 and January 2015.
Participants in intervention villages were provided enough salt substitute to cover all household cooking and food preservation requirements – about 20 g per person per day – free of charge. Those in the other villages continued using regular salt.
During an average follow-up of almost five years, more than 3,000 people had a stroke. For those using the salt substitute, researchers found that stroke risk was reduced by 14 percent, total cardiovascular events (strokes and heart attacks combined) by 13 percent and premature death by 12 percent.
Easier said than done?
Sodium and potassium are not one-to-one replacements for each other, but a combination of both enables sodium reduction overall.
“Most salt substitutes used by the food industry contain 25 to 30 percent potassium chloride and 70 to 75 percent sodium chloride,” details Pombo.
“Potassium-based salt replacers are also widely available in the UK for the general public. These typically have around 60 percent less sodium than standard table salt.”
Building on industry salt reduction
Pombo further explains that salt reduction is often possible without salt substitutes at all. She notes that reductions of up to 20 percent often go unnoticed by the consumer.
The benefit of salt substitutes is that they can help companies to reduce the sodium content of their food further, especially those categories that have struggled to make reductions to date.
This is particularly relevant for foods with technological or safety requirements for salt, such as bacon and meat products, points out Pombo.
Cost of replacement
When it comes to implementation barriers, Pombo adds that price is most likely a key factor, as salt itself is such a cheap commodity.
“Despite this, many potassium salts are still affordable by all households in almost all countries.”
Neal chimes in that salt substitutes are “a bit more expensive” than regular salt. However, they’re still very low-cost – just a few dollars a year for households to make the switch.
The study also revealed there were no harmful effects from the salt substitute.
However, Neal points out that patients with serious kidney disease should not use salt substitutes, adding that they also need to keep away from regular salt.
Overall the benefits of salt substitutes outweigh the potential risks, according to the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), in collaboration with the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT).
SACN and COT carried out a comprehensive review and concluded the benefits of salt replacements would have a large impact at the population level.
“These organizations recommend that the government encourage the food industry to consider the use of salt substitutes to reduce the salt content of food,” Pombo says.
The advice is in line with The George Institute for Global Health’s recommendations. Notably, the World Health Organization also recently set global benchmarks across food categories to limit salt intake to 5 g per day.
Potassium chloride is just one ingredient of several that can aid in sodium reduction. This is according to Klaus Brockhausen, sales director business unit food at mineral salt supplier Dr. Paul Lohmann. He names potassium acetate, citrate, carbonate and tartrate as other ingredients to consider in replacement solutions.
By Missy Green
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Now that Google has put its ill-fated Google Health project to rest, we are wondering who will make the next big attempt to establish a personal health record (PHR) platform for healthy people. Many have tried and many have failed, and there is still no popular platform for gathering, analyzing and sharing health data.
Adam Bosworth founded Google Health in 2006 to provide an online place for consumers to store their own health data. Bosworth left shortly thereafter and went on to found Keas, a SF-based web startup which takes a more social approach to tracking one’s health via a competitive point system. In a recent interview on TechCrunch, Bosworth spoke about why he thought Google Health had failed, “It’s not social,” and “Google didn’t push to see what they could do that people would want.”
Google Health failed in part because the user interface did not motivate most users to upload their health data. By contrast, one of the fastest-growing health sites on the internet, PatientsLikeMe.com, has built its online health community to an impressive 105,000 subscribers, focused first on patients suffering from chronic diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). The implied reward for this was high given the unmet health need, so it was an easy choice for patients to take the time to enter their valuable data. Healthy people have no such incentive for using PatientsLikeMe, but many seem to want to get in on the action. Armed with smartphones and social network memberships, a new health-savvy generation is looking to catalyze the growth of a new movement.
For every startup entering this field, the million dollar question is “just how easy can we make it for people to enter data and track their health?” It practically has to be automated in order to go viral, a prerequisite for aggregating the “big data” that could lead to marketable conclusions. There is a new line of VC-backed startups tackling this daunting task.
Withings, based in France, has produced a Body Mass Index (BMI) weight scale which tracks BMI via iPhone or computer and even sends automatic tweets. Americans can get in-shape, and French people can laugh at the tweets of overweight Americans. With all parties happy, why haven’t we seen more development in this area of diagnostic innovation for healthy people? For one, there’s a large VC question around whether or not these startups can make a large ROI with their one-trick ponies. Won’t they be killed off by apps or hardware add-ons created for next-generation smart phones?
Consider Fitbit, a small, lightweight device that functions as a pedometer that tracks sleep and burnt calories throughout the day. One could argue that a small body clip is much more comfortable to wear than an iPhone 4, but Fitbit is primarily a consumer software play. Its hardware is no more than a tricked-out accelerometer, not unlike the ones found inside Nintendo Wii controllers. Recalling Flip Video, I can’t help but think the VCs at Softtech and True Ventures are losing some precious Fitbit-measured “actual sleep time” over certain prickly questions. Will next-gen smart phones eventually eat up FitBit’s market? Will Fitbit be lucky enough to get an exit before time runs out?
Withings, despite being partnered with the late Google Health, seems to have a flop-proof strategy of targeting diagnostic applications that are unlikely to be eaten up by new-fangled mobile devices. They recently released an FDA-approved blood pressure monitor that connects directly to the iPhone, and more impressively, already have two products on the market – with a baby monitor expected to hit the market later this year. While they may not be making big returns just yet, they might be able to become a leader in this space by putting up a solid enough barrier to entry.
What would need to happen for these companies to really take off? It’s probably going to involve a concerted effort from players in social networking to form better integrated health networks – a place for the data to live. Even though Google Health flopped, Adam Bosworth seems pretty confident about his new gig, but Keas is not exactly going viral just yet. So who’s left to take charge of the movement?
PatientsLikeMe is currently limited to the chronically ill, and Facebook doesn’t seem to be making strides in this direction anytime soon. One of the most promising new platforms is Google+, termed “the Facebook killer.” If successful, Google has a golden opportunity to use Google+’s platform to provide a framework for people to manage personal healthcare data. For example, Circles allows users to select specific people and groups for sharing personal data of all varieties, including health data. Importantly, the platform can aggregate anonymized data across a very large user base. Will Google+ eventually become the personal health data platform? I would love to see this happen, but so far there is no hint that anyone at Google is working on healthcare apps for Google+. We can’t wait to see some startups tackle this. It’s only a matter of time.
Rich Whalley (email@example.com) is an associate at CBT Advisors, a boutique consulting firm in Cambridge, MA. Rich graduated from MIT in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.


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Just months into his tenure as CTP director, Mitch Zeller told attendees of the 2013 NATO Show that his top three priorities would be menthol, deeming and substantial equivalence (SE). Though major regulations take time, Zeller made good on that vow by passing the final deeming regulations in May 2016. The deeming rule granted the FDA authority to regulate cigars, electronic cigarettes and other previously unregulated tobacco products. It was easily the most landmark regulatory action of Zeller’s time at the CTP so far.
While many convenience retailers expressed relief that these regulations were not more onerous—they did not, for example, include a ban on flavored products—many in the vaping industry likened the costly premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) requirement for any products introduced after the Feb. 15, 2007, grandfather date as an effective ban for the majority of vaping manufacturers.
“We believe our approach in this final rule is both reasonable and balanced,” Zeller said in a public statement. “This historic rule allows the FDA to use a variety of regulatory tools to improve public health and protect future generations from the dangers of tobacco use.”
Other notable regulatory actions credited to Zeller include:
—The FDA’s first SE and PMTA approvals.
—The FDA’s first Not Substantially Equivalent (NSE) orders removing products from the market.
—The FDA’s first No Tobacco Sale Orders to tobacco retailers failing multiple inspections.


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Akzo Nobel studies plans to build cellulosic ethers plant
The study – expected to be completed by the end of 2017 – is focused on creating a new facility to increase production capacity for EHEC cellulosic ethers to help meet growing global demand.
Rising consumption of water-based paint
A number of locations are being considered for the new EHEC plant, including options to expand operations at the company's existing production sites. “Demand for 'Bermocoll' is growing strongly due to the rising consumption of water-based paint and continued growth in the building and construction industry,” explained Geert Hofman, General Manager at Akzo Nobel's Bermocoll business. “Building a new facility will enable us to support that market growth.”
About “Bermocoll” product range
The “Bermocoll” range of products has been produced for more than 50 years and is today sold in more than 80 countries. Water soluble and virtually odourless, they deliver a number of benefits for water-based coatings, including improved viscosity, as well as better color stability and hiding power. Within the building and construction industry the product is also used also an ingredient in dry-mix mortars, helping to improve adhesion, flexibility, water retention and workability.


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FaceTime-Like Technology Heading to Android?
One of the most attractive features about the Apple iPhone 4 (and now the iPod Touch as well) is the FaceTime video conferencing technology. For those that are unfamiliar with this feature, it essentially allows parties to use built-in cameras on the handsets to place real-time video calls over WiFi. However, many people argue that being limited to WiFi is a major setback of the application. But I for one believe that WiFi communications technology is truly a step in the right direction for mobile communications.
Today, T-Mobile – one of the largest mobile carriers in the country – announced that they will be introducing WiFi-based audio calling on many equipped Android handsets. In short, this feature would allow end-users to place and receive phone calls and SMS message on their handsets, using WiFi connections when a cellular signal was unavailable. These calls (both foreign and international) would be priced lower than if they were carried out on the cellular network. For people in corporate environments or locations where cellular signals are less than sufficient, this new feature could be an amazing convenience.
But we have to really step back and ask ourselves if this is really that important of an innovation. After all, T-Mobile has had this same technology available with the Nokia E73 and a handful of BlackBerry models for some time now. But with the mobile wars between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android OS, this could be seen as somewhat of a win for Android. Why? You see, Google’s data-based Google Voice – which offered more or less the same functionality of WiFi-based calling – was rejected from the Apple App Store last year (though rumors of it being approved under Apple’s new guidelines have been floating around), supposedly because its availability would hurt AT&T’s business. So in this sense, WiFi-based calling on the Android OS is definitely a signification of openness.
At the same time, we really have to consider that many mobile carriers are pushing unlimited calling and texting plans (many of which are extremely reasonably priced), so WiFi-based phones really wouldn’t save that much money, especially considering that one would still need a mobile plan to take advantage of it. And while WiFi may be vastly available pretty much everywhere, the fact of the matter is that cellular technology is getting better with every passing day, ultimately meaning that there is less of a “grey area” where WiFi technology would be helpful.
At the heart of the matter, though, I think the important part about this story is the fact that WiFi-based communications technology is beginning to makes its way to the Android, meaning that Apple is potentially losing their edge; and that we may soon see FaceTime-like technology available on Android-based handsets.
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Onstage, CEO Alexander Ljung is set to reveal that users of the service now upload 10 hours of music and audio every minute. SoundCloud’s mission to become the ‘YouTube of audio’ appears to be progressing well, with the Berlin and San Francisco-based startup claiming to now reach 8% of the entire Internet population per month.
There were no new specific numbers announced for registered users. The company claims 15 million in May this year. Still, 180 million people consuming SoundCloud content shows how much of an impact the site has beyond its core user base.
The new version of SoundCloud’s site was first announced earlier this year and has been available to some users in a limited form since then. Now it’s becoming the default design, offering improved recommendation, new search and discovery features, and automatic “follows” for bands and artists that users like on sites they connect with, such as Facebook.


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This month, Robinhood’s crypto division was levied with a $30 million fine by New York state for violating laws around cybersecurity, money-laundering and consumer protection.
Learn how smart money is playing the crypto game. Subscribe to our premium newsletter – Crypto Investor.
Regulators said the company violated multiple regulations, including rules pertaining to virtual currencies, money transmission, transaction monitoring, and cybersecurity. The company is now required to hire an independent consultant to investigate and scrutinize any deficiencies in Robinhood’s compliance with New York state regulations.
“As its business grew, Robinhood Crypto failed to invest the proper resources and attention to develop and maintain a culture of compliance — a failure that resulted in significant violations of the Department’s anti-money laundering and cybersecurity regulations,” said the Department of Financial Services Superintendent Harris.
State regulators faulted Robinhood for poor staffing in its units fighting money laundering and bank secrecy, and said that the firm did not mobilize resources to counter risks, including operational risks related to virtual currencies. Robinhood also failed to beef up its cybersecurity program.
The news comes as Robinhood fired almost a quarter of its workforce during recent market turmoil that saw a 44% drop in revenue.
“We have seen additional deterioration of the macro environment, with inflation at 40-year highs accompanied by a broad crypto market crash,” CEO Vlad Tenev said in an announcement. “This has further reduced customer trading activity and assets under custody.”
That does not mean that Robinhood has slowed down on the crypto front. Last week, Robinhood unveiled support for popular altcoins Avalanche and Stellar. Both of the tokens saw their price spike as the company said it was listing the digital currencies.
Earlier this spring, crypto billionaire and FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried divulged that he had taken a 7.6% stake in the company, prompting rumors that he was looking to buy the popular trading platform.


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“Vehicle interiors contain a unique cocktail of hundreds of toxic chemicals that off-gas in small, confined spaces.”
USA Today reports:
Ever wonder about that “new car” smell? In a report Wednesday that tests more than 200 vehicles, an environmental group says this off-gasing of chemicals is notably lower in some cars such as the Honda Civic ,Toyota Prius and Honda CR-Z.
Overall, there’s good news. Cars are reducing their use of toxic chemicals, and the best have eliminated hazardous flame retardants and PVC (polyvinyl chloride), according to the fourth consumer guide on the topic by the nonprofit, Ann Arbor-Mich. based Ecology Center…
But it’s the dose that makes the poison and there is no evidence that anyone has been harmed by new car smell.


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Amazon is now offering Snapchat users the ability to digitally try on eyewear in categories like sunglasses, reading glasses, or seasonal glasses from a number of popular brands including Maui Jim, Persol, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Costa Del Mar and others.
Snap’s AR shopping investments. Snap has been investing heavily in AR shopping this year, including upgrades to allow brands and retailers the ability to change product information and pricing in real-time, access to better analytics, and the ability to easily create new shopping lenses.
Other brands following suit. Snap’s other brand partnerships include MAC Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, American Eagle, Puma, Chanel, Walmart, LVMH, eyewear brands Goodr and Zenni Optical, and Disguise.
Snap says that over the last year, its 250 million users engaged with its AR lenses over 5 billion times.
How it works. Snap’s self-service platform has a Lens Web Builder that allows brands to create shopping Lenses in a matter of minutes. This April, Snap announced it would begin offering retailers access to a new AR image-processing technology in its 3D asset manager that makes it easier and faster to build AR shopping experiences. The process uses AI and the brand’s own photography to turn standard photos into AR assets, Snap explained at the time.
Access the new Amazon Lenses. To access the new Amazon AR shopping feature, Snapchat users can find the new Lenses on the @amazonfashion public profile on the Snapchat app, through Snap’s Lens Explorer, through the new “Dress-Up” tab featuring AR shopping experiences, and through the Snap Camera Lens Carousel.
When users discover a pair of glasses they like, they can tap on a link at the bottom of the screen to make a purchase. This directs them to the Amazon app on their phone to checkout.
Why we care. Brands and advertisers promoting products can create Snap Lenses quickly and easily to let users try on products and purchase straight from the app. Snap isn’t reported to take a cut of the sale, so brands can test the platform without paying a percentage of sales.
The post Snap partners with Amazon for new AR shopping experience appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Dining with Denise: Save the Fried Pies!
And to think, a year ago, the only fried pies near Wichita were an hour drive south on I-35.
Now, they're about to be everywhere.
Back in December, Herb and Amber Callender opened a branch of Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies in Park City, and theirs has quickly become the top-selling store in the fried pie chain. People often wait in line for the little hand pies on the weekends.
Now, the pair has purchased a food truck, which will allow them to sell the pies all over, including at special events in Wichita. The truck's maiden voyage will be this weekend at the March Madness party on Commerce Street. The new truck, which has just been painted bright red all over, will be set up there Thursday and Saturday selling a variety of sweet pies to NCAA fans.
The fried pies truck also has been invited to set up at the Wichita Riverfest, where it will be parked on Douglas adjacent to the concert area for the duration of the event, which runs June 1-9. During the festival, the truck will be open evenings and weekends selling a variety of both sweet and savory pies.
The Callenders have other plans for the truck, too. They hope to set it up at food truck rallies in Wichita when food truck season gets underway, and they also will park it on occasion at Herb Callender's other business, Valley Liquor in Valley Center.
Even more pies will appear in Wichita soon. In early February, Shaker Dakhil announced that he'd purchased the right to franchise Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies in Wichita and surrounding areas and plans a drive-through pie kiosk at Northwest Center, 13th and Tyler. It should open this summer.


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And by “eyeing,” I mean Netflix actually wants to further its commitment to the content production side of the entertainment business, something they’ve already established with the House of Cards endeavor. While original programming is one thing, can Netflix help revive previously cancelled television shows like Reno 911! and give them new life?
That’s certainly one of their goals, but the success will depend, in all likelihood, Viacom’s willingness to play well with streaming video. You see, Comedy Central owns the rights to the Reno 911!, and guess who owns Comedy Central? The same company we discussed in relation to the furthering of their YouTube lawsuit earlier this morning. Of course, if Netflix can demonstrate an ability to monetize the content it produces, and share it with the copyright holders, Comedy Central and Viacom will probably approve.
The question is, can Netflix be an effective medium for original content? It certainly has the distribution tools at its disposal, but will people want to see a show that Netflix is largely responsible for in the sense of its creation?
According to the NYMag.com, the House of Cards coup for Netflix inspired the Reno 911! producers to pursue Netflix as a viable medium for creating and distributing new episodes:
The Reno 911! talks actually predate Netflix’s efforts to land new episodes of the similarly cancelled Fox series Arrested Development. In June, Shamberg and Sher (Contagion, Pulp Fiction, World Trade Center, Erin Brockovich) e-mailed Netflix’s chief creative officer, Ted Sarandos, to compliment him on his recently made deal with David Fincher and Kevin Spacey to remake the BBC hit House of Cards for Netflix. And the producers were interested in doing something with his service, too.
Considering the success television shows have had on Netflix’s streaming service — over 60 percent of the consumed streams are television shows — resurrecting Reno 911! on such a platform is something worth pursuing, especially if the demand for the show still exists.
According to the show’s producers, production costs of their episodes was not very high, which is another “plus” in the Netflix column. That being said, perhaps it’s Netflix’s position as a successful content distributor is what makes it a player in situations like these. Reno 911! producer Michael Shamberg offers his take on Netflix’s position in all of this:
I don’t know that [Netflix] is reinventing the entertainment industry, but the old models are breaking down, and money’s tight, so everyone’s trying everything.” [Emphasis added]
All things considered, one has to wonder if these new episodes of Reno 911! would be available for DVD rental.


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Now that Facebook has filed for the largest internet IPO in history, all anyone can talk about is what valuation the social networking giant deserves.
With the IPO months away, I’ll take a different tact for today… and that is, “What do suppliers and Facebook partners stand to gain the most from the behemoth’s extra $5 billion in cash?”
After all, IPOs are ostensibly a way to raise money to invest in growth. So where exactly is Facebook’s future growth and who will get paid to make that growth happen?
According to the S-1 filing, Facebook doesn’t have specific investments planned:
“We intend to use the net proceeds to us from our initial public offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes; however we do not have any specific uses of the net proceeds planned… We may use a portion of the proceeds to us for acquisitions of complementary businesses, technologies, or other assets.”
Of course, there’s an entire economy of companies trying to make money off of Facebook’s boom.
But they aren’t trying to earn checks from Facebook itself. Rather, they’re trying to extract money from its users. And Facebook – let’s be clear – isn’t going to spend a dime of its cash to attract users.
Facebook already has users. Lots of users. What it needs is innovative ways to handle users efficiently.
Such a reality leads us to the one place where Facebook will no doubt be investing: efficient data handling.
Storing conversations… puppy pictures… “likes”… interests… and the private details of all those friends amounts to a massive data load.
Facebook data consumes at least 60,000 servers and over 50 million operations per second. The company presently spends about $30 million per year leasing data operations from Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR).
But after years of leasing facilities, Facebook started running the network from its own $210 million datacenter in Prineville, Oregon in April 2011.
Months later, it started building a second datacenter at the same facility. And according to the IPO filing, “We are investing in additional Facebook-owned datacenters in the United States and Europe.”
At $200 million-a-pop, that’s at least $1 billion in spending.
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The Prineville facility built by Fusion-io is a wonder of engineering. But its most astounding advances come from power management.
Even though it uses more electricity than 10,000 households, Prineville is the most efficient datacenter to date.
The average datacenter runs at a 1.7 power usage effective rate. But Facebook’s facility runs near 1.05 – close to the perfect ratio of 1-to-1. Such metrics allow Facebook to save 38% on energy costs, which amounts to millions added to the bottom line.
So who’s the genius behind this incredible efficiency? California-based Power-One (Nasdaq: PWER).
Power-One earns 31% of its revenue from power sources like the one it makes for Facebook. The rest comes from its Renewable Energy Division, which manufactures power inverters for solar energy. As a result, the stock trades mostly in lockstep with the solar market – making it mouthwateringly cheap.
For a few years now, I’ve seen shares of power-inverter manufacturers for solar unfairly dumped by investors – the result of falling solar cell prices. If anything, cheap solar cells should increase the installation of inverters, which haven’t dropped in price.
When you consider that the solar-inverter market is estimated to grow from $5 billion to $7.5 billion over the next three years, the turnaround story almost writes itself.
Over the last two years, Power-One has increased sales by 145% and grown its patent portfolio to over 116 patents. It also started a lucrative licensing program to supplement manufacturing.
The company’s return on equity is 49%. And 20% of shares are held by insiders.
Despite such strong fundamentals, however, the stock is ripe for the picking at only 4.4 times trailing earnings and 1.28 times book value. What a value play!
While Facebook partner, Zynga (Nasdaq: ZNGA), jumped 22% on the day of the IPO filing, Power-One has yet to see a price surge from its Facebook connection.
Bottom line: The high-profile custom power supply, along with Facebook’s plan to continue expanding datacenters, suggests that Power-One’s shares will trade well north of its current $4.50 per share price.
Ahead of the tape,


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We bought the Sony Xperia Tablet Z two weeks ago while we were in Tokyo at the Ginza Sony Store, because we could not wait any longer to get one in our hands. The first thing that surprised us when we held the Sony Xperia tablet Z is its beautiful thin and light form factor.
For one, it is really comfortable to read for hours holding a 10-inch tablet, in comparison, the iPad feels heavy and it becomes tiring after a few hours of reading. In fact, the Xperia Tablet Z is the perfect device to read books and watch video while you are in your bath: just like the Xperia Z smartphone which launched earlier this year in Europe and Japan, the tablet is water and dust resistant. You can check the hilarious Chinese video showing someone cooking a soup with the Xperia tablet Z in it, and the device still works after that treatment…
Read full post →Sony Xperia Tablet Z Review
When unreleased or heavily rumored devices stop by the FCC, that’s the Federal Communications Commission for those who don’t know, it means that an official announcement by the manufacturer itself isn’t that far off. Toshiba has a new tablet that was first spotted back in February, apparently carrying the AT10LE-A moniker for now, this unreleased tablet has turned up at the FCC for approval. It was rumored that Toshbia AT10LE-A touts a 1.8GHz NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, the FCC filing reveals the same, along with details pointing towards Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/b/ac, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 support.
This 10.1 inch tablet will apparently come with Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean installed. There have also been rumors of a mini HDMI output, stereo speakers and a microSD card slot. The AT10LE-A looks like a codename of sorts, I doubt that it will be publicly released with such a complicated name. Toshiba hasn’t announced any plans of unveiling a new tablet any time soon, so we’ll have to wait until the do inform us of such plans. Though considering that FCC approval process has already begun, that shouldn’t take much time.
Seen at: engadget


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Three female entrepreneurs have partnered up to share not only a commercial space, but also costs and working hours, to create Unicorner, a host for their respective baby wear, event management and interior design services.
After each starting their own businesses online, the three entrepreneurs – Angelique Supka, Gabriella Schaffer and Nancy Wendt – dreamed of expanding into a brick and mortar shop.
But high costs and long working hours were among the challenges. “After several years of dreaming about opening up a shop I realised doing it alone will be very difficult” said Nancy Wendt.
At the start of last year, the entrepreneurs started creating a concept of combining their products and services to everyone’s mutual benefit.
“Being a mom is already a big job and having a shop where I needed to be every day, for eight hours or more, would not be feasible to combine with a family life,” said Gabriella Schaffer.
While MintMouse focuses on healthy first shoes and baby accessories, The Party Ville offers party planning services, party supplies and gifts, and Cinnammon Home brings the Scandinavian design to the homes and children bedrooms. “Even though each brand has its own products, they all target a similar audience and the concept of their brands is very similar.”
The business women have also thought of a place at their shop to be used as a pop up corner, where small businesses can exhibit their products at an affordable fee and increase their visibility. Workshops and small scale events are also being organised at Unicorner.
‘’Our aim is to help other small businesses that have the same obstacles as we had, to gain visibility and enjoy showing their products and services to the public in our shop” said Angélique Supka, also a founder of Mumpreneurs Luxembourg Asbl.
A lot of effort has been put into making the store a cozy and inviting place where customers are always welcomed with a smile. A place where you would want to spend time and perhaps enjoy a coffee while browsing around.
On 13 May 2017, Unicorner Concept Store welcomes the local public to join the shop owners at its premises on 35 Rue de Beggen to celebrate the grand opening of the shop. The event will take place throughout with children’s activities during the day and live music from 18:00.


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Hollywood Bowl, the operator of ten-pin bowling lanes, plans to float in London next month in a deal that will value the business at around £280m.
The Hemel Hempstead-based leisure company, which owns 54 centres across the country, is the largest ten-pin bowling operator in the UK, accounting for a third of the market.
Electra, the private equity firm that owns 85pc of Hollywood Bowl, plans to sell half of its shares in the flotation, which is being managed by Investec. The group's management will retain the majority of its 15pc stake.
Stephen Burns, chief executive, said the IPO would allow the group "to continue to build the momentum of the business, providing a solid platform for further growth".
The company was formed in 2010 when pub group Mitchells & Butlers sold its 24 Hollywood Bowl locations to rival operator AMF for £27m, raising another £12m from selling the freehold property interests at four of the sites.
Electra bought the group – then called The Original Bowling Company – in 2014 for £91m, before acquiring Bowlplex last year in a £30m deal that involved selling five of the 16 locations to appease competition authorities.
Hollywood Bowl's revenues grew by 9pc last year to £86m, with like-for-like sales 11pc higher than the previous year. In the six months to the end of March, revenues jumped by 25pc to £55m.
Bowling-related activities contribute 47pc of the company's revenues, with 28pc of sales coming from its food and drink offering and 23pc from amusement machines.
Mr Burns said the "healthy, competitive, family nature" of bowling has helped the activity to buck the trend of entertainment moving into the home, which has created challenges for leisure venues such as cinemas and shopping centres.
Hollywood Bowl is also investing £400,000 to £500,000 refurbishing each site and plans to open two new locations a year, starting with Derby and Southampton.
"We've helped bowling regain its share of the leisure market. Customers' perception of bowling had taken quite a dive but has started to regain," Mr Burns said.
"People go bowling 1.3 times a year, compared to eight visits to the cinema and 22 casual dining trips. We think we can improve that experience by converting a tired, outdated experience out of the dark and into the sunshine."
The ten-pin bowling market is the fastest-growing segment of the leisure market, according to the retail consultancy Pragma, achieving 6pc growth between 2013 and 2015, compared to 3pc across the sector.
Overall, it accounts for 0.3pc of the UK's £80.3bn leisure industry.
"I have been enormously impressed by the progress of Hollywood Bowl Group, driven by a committed and dedicated management team," said non-executive chairman Peter Boddy.
"However, there is a great deal more to come, and I firmly believe Hollywood Bowl Group has a very promising future. As a listed company, we will have greater flexibility to capitalise on the many growth opportunities identified and generate long-term value for all shareholders."


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An Upper East Side penthouse that fashion designer Vera Wang once called home is on the rental market for $60,000 per month.
A high-rolling renter could pay the same amount of money on a three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot pad at Vornado Realty Trust’s 220 Central Park South, a penthouse at 61 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village, or a three-bedroom apartment on the 54th floor of One57.
Wang lived lived at the penthouse at 35 East 63rd Street between 2015 and 2017 while she waited for renovations to be completed on her Park Avenue apartment, the New York Post reported.
The 6,312 square-foot penthouse has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and 4,000 square feet of outdoor space, according to StreetEasy. It was listed for $65,000 per month in May.
The Sackler family—whose company, Purdue Pharma, aggressively marketed OxyContin despite warnings it was addictive—expressed interest in the property last year, the Post reported, citing sources. However publicity around the company and its association with the opioid crisis became so intensive the family were “run out of town,” the Post reported.
Rory Nichols of Compass has the listing. [NYP] — Sylvia Varnham O’Regan


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If there’s one thing TVs absolutely do not need, it’s a TV OS from Big Cable.
Citing sources familiar with the plans, Protocol reported Friday that Comcast has been exploring using its X1 tech, which currently powers its set-top boxes and the company’s Roku knockoff, Flex, in smart TVs. According to the report, the company has been approaching TV makers about the possibility of using Comcast software in their third-party units, with talks beginning as early as January of this year.
Comcast did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment.
Protocol noted that one reason Comcast may be considering a foray into TV operating systems is to more firmly stake its claim on viewers as companies duke it out in the streaming wars. Another possible reason could be that it’s hemorrhaging cable TV subscribers. But if a Comcast TV OS really is a means of securing subscribers for services like its recently launched platform Peacock, well, good luck. Truthfully, this isn’t altogether surprising—though it is ambitious and wildly misguided.
Right now, Peacock is one of two major 2020 streaming releases that has not yet made its way to Amazon or Roku’s platforms. In Roku’s case, stalled support reportedly stems from exorbitant fees and disagreements over standalone apps (versus subscriptions through Roku itself). And shutting Comcast’s tentpole service out isn’t just a streaming device or app issue, either. Roku and Fire TV power a number of popular TVs on the market, meaning that if any of those TV users actually want access to Peacock, they need to buy a different set-top box or stream it from a non-TV device. (Comcast wouldn’t merely be competing for TV makers against these just two OSes, either. The TV OS space is already a fairly crowded one.)
That’s to say nothing of the fact that Comcast has not historically instilled in consumers any meaningful amount of trust. Its own streaming device, Flex, is essentially a Roku imitator done Big Cable-style. Rather than merely charging you for the device and sending you on your way, Comcast instead imposes long-term agreements and hidden costs that add up to far more than you’d pay to simply buy a normal-ass streaming device like a Fire Stick or Roku. Shady shit like this is exactly why people decided to cut the cord to begin with!
God knows what a Comcast TV OS would even look like, but the company’s track record does not exactly instill confidence that it wouldn’t also somehow wind up being a scam—if anyone actually falls for it.


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Shopify Inc., Canada’s largest e-commerce company, announced Tuesday that it will start selling new hardware for brick-and-mortar retailers, as it attempts to recover from an overly aggressive bet on the speed at which the economy would move online.
The device, called POS Go, resembles a smartphone and will allow retailers to provide wireless checkout anywhere in store, while also allowing merchants to view analytics and data on such things as sales, inventory and product information.
It’s one of Shopify’s most significant product announcements
Posted: [ Read More... ]
is driving ahead with its plan to become a travel “superapp”.
The San Francisco-headquartered firm announced Wednesday that it is adding trains, buses, planes and car rentals to its U.K. app this year. The move is part of a pilot that could be expanded to other countries at a later date if it goes well.
While Uber won’t provide these travel services itself, it will allow users to book them through its app following software integrations...
Posted: 04/07/22 [ Read More... ]
The region is home to the largest concentration of online shoppers in the country. The facilities, key to delivering packages on time, are reshaping neighborhoods.
An e-commerce boom turbocharged by the pandemic is turning the New York City region into a national warehouse capital.
In just two years, Amazon has acquired more than 50 warehouses across the city and its surrounding suburbs. UPS is building a logistics facility larger than Madison Square Garden on the New Jersey waterfront...
Posted: 03/17/22 [ Read More... ]
Brands like Warby Parker, Stitch Fix, FIGS Inc, and Allbirds Inc. Launched a new type of retail by selling "direct to consumer" – on the internet — rather than through traditional retailers. These companies' values rose well into the billions, riding on the promise of little overhead, no intermediaries, and a limitless pool of clients. They appeared to be invincible. Today, however, they're tumbling hard and there's no sign of a bottom in sight.
DTC companies are being hit hard by...
Posted: [ Read More... ]
grew up in Akron, Ohio. Chris Anderson
made his start in southern California. Now they’ve come together to lead Innotescus
, a tech startup that is redefining video’s role in artificial intelligence. And you won’t find them in their old home towns anymore.
Instead, they have set up shop in Pittsburgh.
Never mind the Pennsylvania city’s long-ago legacy as a steel town. Today, Pittsburgh is rich with expertise in fields such as robotics,...
Posted: 06/25/21 [ Read More... ]


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Netflix signs deals with Airtel, Videocon d2h, Vodafone
Aiming to bring more locally-produced series and films to its Indian viewers, global internet TV network Netflix on Monday announced strategic partnerships with Airtel, Videocon d2h and Vodafone. The move is to offer Netflix services over the top (OTT) through these companies' direct-to-home and mobile platforms.
"India is more movie-centric and among the top three markets in terms of mobile usage. We are investing heavily on content and will soon open an office in Mumbai," Reed Hastings, Co-founder and CEO of Netflix, told reporters here.
Netflix launched its service globally in January 2016, including in India.
"In 2017, we will work on making our Indian service better in every dimension. What's unique about Netflix is that we have got international originals and we will focus on premium content," Hastings added.
With these partnerships, Netflix's critically-acclaimed programmes like 'House of Cards' and 'Narcos and The Crown' will be easily accessible to consumers across direct-to-home and mobile platforms throughout the country.
"In the months and years to come, we look forward to bringing our Indian members more compelling stories from all over the world, an ever-improving viewing experience and incredible joy," Hastings added.
Bharti Airtel will integrate the Netflix app into its direct-to-home service throughout the country.
"Airtel has been a pioneer in bringing the best of global content and products to its customers. We are delighted to partner Netflix to bring their popular content to our customer on one of our key digital platforms," Said Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel.
Netflix will also be integrated into the Videocon d2h set-top box, allowing viewers to instantly access Netflix by clicking a dedicated Netflix button on the remote control.
"We are delighted to have Netflix as a partner on our HD Smart Connect STB. This partnership strengthens our DNA of innovation by providing an instant TV screen experience for Netflix users in a seamless manner," added Saurabh Dhoot, Executive Chairman, Videocon d2h.
In the mobile space, Netflix will partner with Vodafone on pre-paid programs and will enable payment integration, allowing Vodafone customers in India to pay for their Netflix subscriptions via their monthly bill.
"We are proud to be the first mobile partner of Netflix in India and look forward to offering its rich content to further delight our millions of customers", said Sandeep Kataria, Director Commercial, Vodafone India.
Coming soon on Netflix will be Marvel's "Iron Fist" and new seasons of "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards".
Later this year, members will have exclusive access to Netflix original films such as "War Machine" starring Brad Pitt and Sir Ben Kingsley; "Okja" starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano; "Our Souls at Night" from acclaimed Indian director Ritesh Batra and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda; and "Bright", starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton.
"Working with some of India's top artists, we cannot wait to bring more locally-produced series and films to our more than 93 million members households around the world," Hastings told reporters.


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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) could soon land in the universe of the giant Facebook. The company has revealed its plans to dive into the Metaverse, along with the resources to make this virtual world a reality.
Facebook and metaverse: NFTs, an integral part of the user experience?
On October 28, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook’s ambitions for the curious metaverse. The social media giant plans to create its own virtual worlds . This framework includes a place for non-fungible tokens , although at this stage the vision for the latter is still unclear in the presentation made by Mr. Zuckerberg. The latter mentioned the ” digital goods ” that will be part of the user experience.
wow! metaverse and nft getting more and more mainstream! https://t.co/jteMia3ie9— NFT collector (@nftartcrypto) October 31, 2021
These NFTs could be part of Novi’s offering, according to the earlier comments of Facebook’s chief financial officer, David Marcus. Novi is Facebook’s initiative to offer financial services, and in particular to support the growth of its stablecoin Diem (ex-Libra) offering.
A project and resources: the metaverse as a logical evolution of Facebook’s DNA?
Facebook will dedicate a fund of 150 million dollars to an education program to support the development of new technologies and to train its users in the use of augmented and virtual reality tools . Facebook has explicitly stated that it plans to spend around $ 10 billion over the next few years to bring its plan to create a metaverse to fruition.
- Blockchain and Crypto: What is an exchange?
- South Africa: Pension funds will soon no longer be able to invest in bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin (BTC) – Lightning State of Play : Blockchain Guide
Facebook announced in July 2021 the creation of a team working on the metaverse . Zuckerberg further made it clear that this metaverse project is the “next frontier” to cross in the development of the social network :
“Today we’re seen as a social media company, but in our DNA we are a company that builds technologies to connect people, and the metaverse is the next frontier, just as social media was to. our beginnings. “
Zuckerberg also shared the figures illustrating the expectations of the social network in this metaverse :
“We hope that over the next decade, the Metaverse will reach one billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars in digital commerce, and provide jobs for millions of creators and developers. “
David Marcus had announced the color by indicating that Bitcoin (BTC) was not of interest to Facebook, but that Novi could store NFTs . The social network will certainly provide details on the integration, use, and possible monetization of non-fungible tokens on its metaverse in the future.


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Apple TV+ is gaining but it has a long way to go before it catches the big streaming services.
As reported by JustWatch (via 9to5Mac), Apple TV+ has gained one percent market share in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2021. That has resulted in a total of a two percent market share gain over the course of last year. The streaming service now commands 5% of the streaming service market in the country.
While it is good news to see that Apple TV+ is gaining a foothold in a saturated market, it still has a long way to go to catch the big services. HBO Max, which is in fifth place and just ahead of Apple’s streaming service, currently has a 12% market share.
For comparison, HBO Max has 12% of the streaming share in the United States, while Hulu and Disney+ (both owned by Disney) dominate 13% market share each. Amazon Prime Video comes in second with 19% share. Unsurprisingly, Netflix remains in first place with 25% – although the number of subscribers dropped by 2% compared to the previous quarter.
In 2021, the SVOD market saw extreme growth in competition. Apple TV+ ended the year on its highest market share to date, and added 2% throughout the year. Netflix and Prime Video continually lost market share as other platforms such as HBO Max, Paramount+, and Discovery+ gained momentum. Adding +5%, HBO Max had the most successful year in 2021.
Apple TV+ is available for $4.99 per month which is now four times cheaper in the United States when compared to Netflix’s similar-quality tier. The service is also available as part of any of the Apple One subscription bundles.
100% exclusive content for the price of a cup of coffee.
With TV+, you can watch well-produced, big-budget TV shows from famed directors, and starring award-winning actors and actresses across all your Apple devices and with up to six members of your Family Sharing group.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.


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Dubai - Designated spaces will be provided where tourists can easily reclaim taxes.
The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) on Saturday announced conditions and procedures for the tourists to claim their VAT refunds when exiting the country.
The Authority said the tourist needs to have purchased goods from retailers registered in the system which will go live soon.
It said designated spaces will be provided where tourists can easily reclaim taxes through a fully electronic system, without any human involvement.
"Upon leaving the country, the tourists will be able to reclaim taxes paid on their purchases in a fully electronic system. without any human involvement. The tourists shall submit the required documents and obtain a refund via credit card or in cash from the global operator," the authority said on Saturday.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director-general, FTA, said the system operator will be signing agreements with retailers to provide them with the necessary technology to connect with the FTA, as well as with airports, land and sea ports of entry.
"Designated spaces will be provided where tourists can easily reclaim taxes. The digital system determines the taxes that are eligible for a refund and then reimburse tourists," he added.
The UAE Cabinet last week endorsed VAT refunds for tourists from the fourth quarter which is expected to drive growth in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The FTA revealed that the project is nearing its final preparation stages and the system relies on an advanced integrated digital system to set up a direct connection with points of sale, as well as with all UAE ports of entry, allowing the global operator to coordinate among retailers registered with the FTA, and enable tourists to submit refund requests for their purchases.
Anurag Chaturvedi, managing partner, Chartered House, said the UAE tax refund process is in line with global best practices where tourists will get the refund automatically credited to their bank account or credit card.
"Tourists will have to designate their preferred mode of settlements at the time of purchase and the merchant will make this choice specified into the tax system. The UAE ports and customs department will verify the taxable supplies at the time of exit to confirm the refund applicability," Chaturvedi said.
Meanwhile, the FTA said that the retailers who meet the requirements set by the FTA are free to register in the system if they choose to. And if a tourist decides to make a purchase with the intention of applying for a refund of the tax from a supplier registered for tax refund system, then the supplier must provide them with the necessary documents to do so, most notably a tax invoice that meets all legal requirements. The tourist then submits the claim with the system operator directly and obtains the refund from the operator where sufficient evidential documentation has been provided.
Conditions for tax refund>Goods in question need to have been supplied to the tourist within UAE
>Tourist must have the explicit intention to leave UAE in 90 days from the date of supply, along with the purchased supplies
>Goods in question must be exported out of the UAE by the tourist within three months from the date of supply
>Tourist needs to have purchased goods from a retailer registered in the system
>Purchase process must be carried out - and the goods exported - according to the requirements determined by a decision of the FTA
>Goods in question must not be exempted from refund


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There are two new sources for food news, one audio, the other visual. Whetstone Radio Collective, a network for podcasts founded by Stephen Satterfield, a writer and media entrepreneur, started with a narrative about climate and food on Dec. 8, with nine more programs covering topics like rituals and culinary traditions, mezcal and ancestral foodways in Indigenous communities. It’s part of Whetstone Media, which also publishes a magazine. Broken Palate is an online food newsletter on the Substack platform that made its debut last week and plans to feature four to five posts a week on assorted topics relating to food, dining and people. It was created by the New York restaurateur John McDonald, who helped start Tasting Table 10 years ago before selling it last year. For now it’s free, but a paywall is going up.
Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.


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The German government forecast Wednesday that the country's economy will shrink by 2.25 percent this year, which would easily be its worst performance since World War II as exports decline sharply amid the global downturn.
The new forecast for Europe's biggest economy was down drastically from the government's previous prediction, made in mid-October, of 0.2 percent growth.
"There is no precedent in postwar history for this economic decline that we unfortunately have to forecast," Economy Minister Michael Glos told reporters.
He predicted that exports – a key driver of German growth over recent years – would slump by 8.9 percent in 2009.
As the world's leading exporter, "we have profited greatly from upswings in the world economy and obviously, when things go the other way, we are an economy that is particularly affected," Glos said.
The worst postwar annual economic performance to date was a 0.9 percent decline in West Germany's gross domestic product in 1975. The worst since German reunification was a 0.8 percent fall in 1993.
The economy went into reverse in last year's second quarter and slipped into recession in the third quarter.
Glos said Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, believes the economy shrank about 1.75 percent in last year's final quarter compared with the previous three months as the global financial crisis intensified.
Germany's Federal Statistical Office has said that the economy grew by 1.3 percent last year, only about half the previous year's rate, weighed by rapidly weakening exports.
Glos gave no forecast for Germany's economic performance in 2010 and said the government would produce one in April at the earliest. However, he said he expected the world economy to be growing again by then.
In an effort to limit the impact of the global crisis on Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government last week drew up a new euro50 billion ($65 billion) stimulus package.
The plan includes investments in infrastructure, tax relief, reductions in health care contributions and bonuses for families with children. It adds to an earlier plan worth euro23 billion, which was criticized at home and abroad as too cautious.
Thursday's forecast showed Germany's unemployment rate growing to an average 8.4 percent this year from 7.8 percent in 2008. It forecast that domestic demand will decrease by a modest 0.1 percent.


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Nug Avenue Plans To Launch Second Store In Los Angeles
Los Angeles marijuana delivery service Nug Avenue is opening its second distribution and delivery hub in the city.
Sugarmade, Nug Avenue’s parent company, announced the purchase of the property that will serve as Nug Avenue’s second retail location and two pending cannabis-related commercial licenses.
“Our initial Nug Avenue location has been open for nearly six months and has established a strong brand with tremendous growth in membership – already exceeding 10,000 members and growing fast,” Sugarmade CEO Jimmy Chan explained. “We are very excited to announce the upcoming location of our new Nug Avenue delivery hub, which is in a prime position to serve the downtown LA area.”
Delta 9 Cannabis Opens 10th Manitoba Store
The new store, which kicked off cannabis sales on August 26, is located at the Arena Plaza Mall at 379 Main Street in the City of Selkirk.
The store offers a wide range of cannabis products, including dried cannabis flower, cannabis oil, edibles, drinkables, vape pens and concentrates, to name a few.
Ayr Wellness Hits


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Hoehn's Bakery -- a Highlandtown go-to for doughnuts -- returns after 6-month hiatus
The aroma of baked goods is back at the corner of Bank and Conkling streets.
Hoehn's Bakery, a beloved Highlandtown destination for doughnuts, crullers, slab cakes and more, reopened Wednesday morning after a nearly six-month-long temporary closure.
Cameron Knight was first in line when the doors were unlocked at 7:30 a.m. By then, the scent of pastries was already wafting out onto the street.
In a scene that's become routine during the pandemic, he phoned in his order -- two honey-glazed doughnuts, two powdered doughnuts and two Boston cremes -- and passed his credit card through the bakery's open door to pay for the goods.


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Atlanta-based Exposition Development Company Contracted for Trade Show Development in Linyi, China
Exposition Development Company, an Atlanta-based trade show consultancy firm based in Atlanta and run by industry veterans David Audrain and Stephanie Everett, has been contracted by Business One Global Trade Center (B1GTC) to develop several new exhibitions and markets in Linyi, China.
B1GTC is in the midst of building a 30 million square foot massive development that will include an exhibition and events center, permanent showrooms, service apartments, 5-star hotel, an International village, and an international brands outlet mall In Linyi, the largest wholesale market center in Northern China.
Audrain and Everett will provide the expertise and connections to develop partnerships with associations and show organizers with market sectors that wish to extend their reach into the domestic China and greater Asian markets.
ExpoDevCo also will provide teams to assist with marketing and sales to international markets, as well as bringing logistical and operational expertise to the shows to be held in Linyi.
“What B1GTC is creating in Linyi is unique, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them on the development as they create what I am sure will become a new standard in the industry,” said Audrain, president & CEO of ExpoDevCo.
The privately owned development will have a model in which a complete supply chain will be provided for manufacturers and suppliers, where the exhibitions, the permanent showrooms, wholesale distribution, and sales representation, are all provided in partnership through B1GTC, so that international companies have a guarantee of sales development into domestic China and greater Asian markets.
“We welcome the opportunity to have the experience and knowledge that David, Stephanie and the ExpoDevCo team bring to what we are building in Linyi,” said Henry Hwang, CEO of B1GTC.
He added, “We are investing billions of dollars in the creation of this new concept and business center, and we will be able to provide market access and support to international businesses and organizations of a level that has never before been available to them.”
Steven Wissinger, senior vice president of global sales and marketing for B1GTC, said the $1.5 billion development currently is in Phase I, which includes four buildings, totaling approximately 3 million square feet.
“Phase 1 will open at the beginning of August 2014, which includes our exhibition and convention center and 3 market centers with permanent showrooms,” he added. “Phase 2 has just been graded and construction has begun on 6 additional market centers which will house permanent showrooms, adding another 4 million square feet. Phase 2 should be completed by December 2104.”
Wissinger also said that most venues in China are government owned, while B1GTC is completely privately owned.
“All major venues in China are currently majority government held companies. Being a privately held firm in China gives us enormous flexibility on how we can conduct business,” Wissinger said.
He added, “At the same time, Business One enjoys the full support of the local, regional and central governments.”
Another major plus Audrain and Wissinger pointed out for the trade center is there will be no upfront cost to manufacturers showing their products there.
“There will be virtually no risk for those exhibitors who occupy a permanent showroom in one of our first-class market centers,” Wissinger added.


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The Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP) – listed on the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) – has reported a 35 per cent increase in total revenue for this fiscal year compared with the previous period.
According to PPAP’s annual estimated financial reported filed at the CSX on Monday, total revenue reached some $29.828 million, up from $22.109 million.
CSX Market Operations Department acting director Kim Sophanita told The Post that she believed the increase signalled that the port will remain an attractive option for investors at the CSX and will likely issue higher dividends to shareholders.
“PPAP has been always an outstanding listed company as it always reports very positive business performance. This in turn will add value to the company through investor trust and confidence,” she said.
Sophanita credited a sound macroeconomy and business improvements for the gains.
The PPAP report said container throughput reached 275,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), a 29 per cent increase when compared with the 213,571 TEU throughput reported last year.
Meanwhile, the number of cargo vessels entering the port increased by 29 per cent to 2,350 from 2,023.
Cargo-fuel and gas throughput experienced a 22 per cent increase to 3,810,665 tonnes from 3,134,996 tonnes.
Some 51,828 international cruise ship passengers also travelled to the port this year, a 17 per cent increase when compared to last year’s 44,290.
Total cruise ship throughput increased two per cent, up to 2,290 vessels from 2,249.
PPAP director-general Hei Bavy was not able to provide The Post with a comment on Wednesday.


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The Government Procurement Service has received more than 250 responses to the tender notice for G Cloud services, according to the official overseeing the programme.
Andy Nelson, chief information officer at the Ministry of Justice, said there had been 250-300 responses to the notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. The notice was issued at the end of September to test the market for services through a short term framework.
The news will dampen speculation that the duration of the framework, just six to nine months, would not be enough to attract interest from suppliers. But Nelson did not provide any details on the responses.
Speaking at the Public Sector Enterprise ICT conference in London, he told delegates that standardising services and moving towards a 'pay as you go' model of procurement would would provide the biggest hurdle to take-up of the G Cloud. But he made it clear that the government was determined to move towards using a centralised procurement model for cloud based ICT services.
"We really want to do this but we're still learning," Nelson said. "We are shifting away from theory and starting to put real things out there."
Nelson noted examples of cloud working in the public sector, including Warwickshire County Council's provision of email services via Google mail and AlphaGov, the government's digital service, which is hosted on the public cloud.
He also said that plans for cloud service applications store were on track and would go live in basic form in March 2012, and that there should be 50 accredited apps available to access by the end of the year.
"Conceptually (commoditised services is) exactly where we're heading." he said. "Clearly standing it up in government framework with consumer usage is different. But conceptionally that's where we're going".
The store is expected to work in a similar way as the Apple app store, with customer reviews and clear pricing.
Last month, the Cabinet Office published Government Cloud Strategy, which set out plans for half of Whitehall's new ICT spending to be in cloud services by 2015.
This article is published by Guardian Professional. For weekly updates of news, debate and best practice on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.


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Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong.
Germany has banned the sale of single-use plastic items, following the European Union directive from 2019 to ban all single-use plastics by 2021. Items to be removed include plastic cutlery, straws, food containers, balloon holders, and cotton buds.
Germany’s Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the move was part of an effort to end “throw-away culture” as up to 20% of garbage collected in parks and other public places consists of single-use plastic, mainly polystyrene containers. Germany’s single-use plastics ban will officially go into effect on July 3, 2021.
Plastic can take decades to degrade and break into microplastics which have been found inside the bodies of marine life, birds, and other animals including humans.
Several governments around the world have taken action to reduce single-use plastics as plastic waste from masks, gloves, food containers, and plastic shopping bags has surged amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan has introduced a mandatory fee on single-use plastic shopping bags. Single-use plastic bags have been banned in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Queensland, a state of Australia, will ban plastic straws, cutlery, stirrers, and plates. Costa Rica aims to eliminate all single-use plastic by 2021. And Wales will consider banning single-use plastic items as part of their mission to achieve zero waste by 2050.
Read more recent news about plastic waste, including birds ingesting plastic waste, squirrels building nests with plastic, and the excess of plastic waste caused by the coronavirus.
For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Also, don’t forget to download the Food Monster App on iTunes — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!


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PRAGUE, June 10 (CTK) - The Czech News Agency CTK has sold 100 percent in Ceska kapitalova informacni agentura (Cekia) to CEE DATA, CTK announced in a press release today.
Cekia is a leading Czech provider of databases of companies and business information.
CTK bought Cekia in 1999 from a group of shareholders led by the Prague bourse.
"CTK has made the decision [to sell Cekia] in connection with its long-term strategy to focus on its chief activity that is providing a quality news service from all areas of life," CTK's general director Milan Stibral said.
Cekia's new owner and CTK have agreed on close cooperation in the future, particularly in the development of their joint product, Prodata.
CEE DATA belongs to Central European Capital LLC, together with which Cekia has been drawing up a chart of Czech companies ranked by value added.
Their new joint project is a chart of the 1,000 largest companies by sales in eight new EU member states launched this year.
The new owner should help Cekia move to foreign markets.
In the short-term, Cekia will consolidate its position of market leader in providing quality and independent information about companies. In the medium-term, it will expand to other markets in Central and Eastern Europe, Georg Hotar, CEO of CE Capital said.


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What began as an idea in December 2015 is now the driving force behind India’s leading real money mobile game. Co-founders Bobby and Priya had a vision of changing the real money gaming industry by providing players with a safe and secure platform. As a result, Rummy Passion was launched in 2016 and has since grown to become one of the best online rummy gaming platforms for both beginners and experts.
Since its launch in December 2015, Passion Gaming has come a long way to become India’s most popular online skill-based gaming company. The Passion Gaming team is an eclectic group of focused individuals with vast experience managing online multiplayer games in India, the USA and the UK. With two offices across the country and headquarters in the beautiful city of Chandigarh, India, the company has grown to over 90 employees and five million registered players.
Passion Gaming has always been on the cutting edge of innovation. It was the first real money gaming company to offer an Instant Money Withdrawal feature in the online Rummy space. Passion Gaming was also the youngest amongst its peers to be awarded the Electronic Gaming Federation’s (formerly TORF) seal of approval.
On the sixth anniversary, Passion Gaming CEO and co-founder Bobby Garg described the company’s future roadmap: “Passion Gaming was founded with the goal of revolutionising the real money gaming industry by providing an unrivalled experience in a completely safe and secure environment. We’ve come a long way in the last six years, and our goal now is to meet, if not exceed, international standards for a fantastic gaming experience. In addition to innovating and improving the current game, we also plan to expand into new gaming verticals,” he said.


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(Photo : LatinosPost/Keerthi Chandrashekar)
T-Mobile has some big plans for 2013 that should help the carrier slow the hemorrhaging of customers it has been plagued with recently. With T-Mobile planning on debuting its LTE network in 2013, a device has been spotted in the wild that could be an LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Samsung Galaxy S3 model SGH-T999L can be seen on the Bluetooth SIG website (thanks to the folks over at Ubergizmo). Model SGH-T999 is the T-Mobile Galaxy S3 variant, which has no LTE support, so the 'L' tacked onto the end could stand for LTE. Of course, none of this has been confirmed, so as of now, treat a T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE handset as rumor. We'll most likely have to wait until the SGH-T999L gets FCC certified before getting a peek under the hood to see it the phone is LTE capable or not.
T-Mobile has been ramping up its networks in an effort to give its customers more coverage with faster speeds. While its recent offerings have been 4G, the company has promised that LTE service will be rolling out in 2013. T-Mobile's LTE network won't be nearly as big as Verizon's, AT&T's, or Sprint's, which have all had a solid head start, but it will finally give T-Mobile customers access to network speeds and LTE handsets previously unavailable to them.
T-Mobile is planning on scrapping contracts and starting to sell Apple products such as the iPhone in 2013 and a cheap LTE version of the Galaxy S3 would be a great incentive for T-Mobile to offer customers. So while there's no telling whether T-Mobile will offer an LTE Galaxy S3, or simply opt to wait until the Galaxy S4 with LTE releases, it's still clear the carrier is looking to shake things up in 2013, and an LTE Galaxy S3 could help Magenta do just that.


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Calgary – Idendego Inc., a developer and marketer of advanced personal and business online protection software programs, has moved into the company’s new Calgary headquarters, it was announced by Idendego CEO Alena Pastuch.
Idendego corporate offices are located at 1144 29th Avenue N.E. in Calgary.
The company’s new offices houses its team of software designers and programmers, as well as technical support and administrative operations.
Idendego is in the final stages of launching the company’s personal ID protection mobile phone applications, as well as its menu of innovative protection programs guarding against ‘cyber predators’ and corporate ID theft.
Said Pastuch: “As we prepare to launch our slate of personal and business protection software, we are pleased to officially unveil our new Idendego corporate offices which will be headquarters for our team of industry-recognized software design professionals. “
Idendego Inc. is committed to the development and marketing of state-of-the-art digital ID protection software for personal and business applications, including mobile phone programs designed to keep track of children and business software designed to protect against online ID theft. Headed up by CEO Alena Pastuch, Idendego is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.


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Even with sales at Japan department stores up over the past two months, overall sales have still been down over the past decade (has it been that long?). As sales at department stores continually decrease apparel brands are looking for new sales channels. Ecommerce has been one strong sales channel for many brand and now outlet malls are growing in popularity; not just with customers but with apparel brands too.
Apparel company Sanyo-Shokai is one company embracing outlets as a solution to excess inventory due to lack of sales at department stores in Japan and is planning to increase its outlet presence to three doors by 2013. Sanyo-Shokai is hoping its plan to increase its outlet doors will pay-off with a 10% decrease in inventory by moving non-selling merchandise from department stores to outlets and double sales to 10 billion yen by 2013.
TFD is so inspired by Sanyo-Shokai that we are going to visit Asahibashi outlet in Okinawa today. Will we buy any Sanyo-Shokai brands? Probably not but we won't be leaving empty-handed either.
Information Sanyo-Shokai Ltd. & Nikkei


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Tag Archives: devil may cry 5
Tue, Oct 22, 2013 | 09:49 BST
Dragon’s Dogma director Hideaki Itsuno has expressed interest in a PS4 sequel to his original RPG-action romp. He’s also interested in working on Rival Schools 3 and Devil May Cry 5.
Wed, Sep 15, 2010 | 07:44 BST
This is really starting to click into place now.
Tue, Sep 14, 2010 | 20:12 BST
That sound you can hear is two and two being put together.
Mon, Sep 13, 2010 | 11:49 BST
Capcom’s bringing the goods to Tokyo this week, confirming it will announce four new games at TGS.
Thu, Sep 02, 2010 | 16:06 BST
It seems Capcom’s Keiji Inafune has confirmed the existence of Devil May Cry 5, after saying in an interview the next game in the series will have a “western touch” to attract potential UK-US buyers.
Tue, Jun 01, 2010 | 08:19 BST
According to a rumour from PSM3, anyone expecting a massive return from Dante in the next two years may find themselves a bit short.
Mon, May 24, 2010 | 21:27 BST
Tue, Apr 13, 2010 | 09:22 BST
According to a rumour in the latest issue of Game Informer, Ninja Theory, the developer of Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, is working on a fifth Devil May Cry.
Mon, May 25, 2009 | 11:32 BST
The Capcom Unity twitter page, @Capcom_Unity, has said that the second of it’s mystery E3 reveals will not be Devil May Cry 5.
“Hot rumor bust of the day: Capcom E3 Mystery Title #2 is not — repeat, NOT — Devil May Cry 5. Now, what do you think it is?” said the tweet.
Cubed3 has listed all the the hints so far:
- Capcom fact # 1: It’s NOT Devil May Cry 5
- Capcom fact # 2: It’s an action game
- Capcom fact # 3: It’s from an established Capcom franchise
- Capcom fact # 4: It’s not a remake
- Capcom fact # 5: It’s being developed by Capcom Japan
Only a week to go until we find out. We can hardly wait.


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ZURICH -(MarketWatch)- Luxury goods group Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA (CFR.VX) Friday said the possible effects of the current economic uncertainty on its performance for the rest of this year are difficult to predict, but that the company is well equipped to withstand any difficulties.
"Today it is extraordinarily difficult to predict what is going to happen," said Chief Executive Johann Rupert.
Rupert was speaking after Richemont earlier Friday announced first-half earnings that beat analysts' expectations, with profit up 10% and sales 29% higher.
The European and U.S. economies will struggle for a considerable time, he told a conference call.
"Whether we see a long and deep recession or a flip to inflation, I just don't know," Rupert said. "But with our balance sheet we have constructed we can withstand any real problems."
In Europe, he said his company, whose brands include Cartier and watchmaker Piaget, has experienced "remarkable demand from tourists."
"But domestic demand in Europe is sluggish," he said.
Richemont will continue to invest in its manufacturing and retail operations, he said.
Rupert said he expects the U.S. to bounce back quicker than Europe. He was also positive about China, which is now one of its biggest markets.
"We have luxury brands that are very desirable in China," he said.


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OCALA - Two local Bennigan's Grill & Tavern restaurants were closed Tuesday. The national chain filed for bankruptcy and liquidation in federal court.
OCALA - Two local Bennigan's Grill & Tavern restaurants may close as part of a national shutdown.
Bennigan's and Steak and Ale restaurant chains filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy - seeking liquidation - in federal court in Texas Tuesday morning.
The chains are operated by Metromedia Restaurants Group in Plano, Texas. A CBS affiliate that published one of the initial stories on the shutdown reported that independently owned franchises remained open.
In Ocala, Tony Oswell, general manager of the State Road 200 restaurant, said he was notified of the closing Tuesday morning.
"I was just told to close the doors, and that's all I know," he said. Oswell said he didn't know if he or his staff still had jobs. Employees reporting to the restaurant Tuesday morning were surprised to find it closed.
An employee answering the phone at the Bennigan's at 3155 W. Silver Springs Blvd. would not comment.
Another Bennigan's employee, who did not wish to be identified, said both restaurants would be closed.
A national spokesman for Metromedia would not comment when contacted by telephone, but said there may be an announcement later on Tuesday.