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Microsoft’s 2017 E3 briefing was outstanding, and revealed a lot about the future of the Xbox One platform – while also celebrating its past. Microsoft announced the Xbox One X, a slew of games for the Xbox One that will be optimized for it, and finished off their show with a surprising announcement. The original Xbox will be reborn with backwards compatibility on the Xbox One family of consoles. It isn’t known what the full launch lineup will be when this feature rolls out later this year, but they did showcase Crimson Skies – so it seems like a safe bet that will be in the launch lineup and possibly even be a free giveaway game for a bit.
One issue that the Xbox 360’s backwards compatibility brought up was digital rights expiring – which has already ensured that some games, including Microsoft’s own Forza Horizon, had limited digital lifespans on the Xbox One’s marketplace. This issue will surely be compounded on the original Xbox, with some of its best exclusives like Jet Set Radio Future and Crazy Taxi also having music rights to worry about renewing to get the full experience. Fortunately, some other third-party games may be less challenging – like the outstanding Otogi games, if the ownership rights are free and clear for them. The safest bets seem to be games that were already released digitally on the Xbox 360, which were fairly plentiful. The original Xbox controller will also be released in a limited form by Hyperkin – with some modern changes to it.
This is an exciting time to be an Xbox One owner – and with the console family now ranging from $250 for an Xbox One S to $500 for an Xbox One X, players from all income levels can enjoy a high-end gaming experience that scales for their budget. Original Xbox games have been lost to the mists of time in many cases thanks to a lack of support beyond the 360, and support for that ended nearly a decade ago. This is a great time to buy original Xbox games though, as many can be had complete for $10-$15 and only a few go for $50+ like Shenmue II.


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Ford promotes new all-electric SUV with immersive virtual campaign
Launch campaign includes a 7-minute reveal and a virtual test drive.
Fatboy Slim crafts free virtual reality concert experience
Audiences can tune in to the DJ's immersive event on 30 March 2023.
WARC upgrades TikTok adspend forecast by $2bn
Video platform to defy recession with all brand categories set to increase investment this year.
Criteo partners with ASOS to improve targeted advertising
The commerce media company will become ASOS' exclusive advertising partner.

domain: news


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EXTON, Pa. – Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for digital signage and advertising management, took home seven awards for innovative digital signage installations at this year’s Apex Awards, held this week at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas. Included in this industry recognition are four Gold Awards for installations with Camelback Toyota (Retail), TENQ (Education and Healthcare), Bell Canada (Public Spaces) and 4Food (Food and Beverage).
“We congratulate our customers and partners and salute their creative vision and vibrant imagination that resulted in seven Apex Awards at DSE 2011,” said Tom Nix, Vice President of Scala, Americas and Oceania.
After undergoing a massive renovation to their showroom and service facility, Camelback Toyota knew it required a 5-star digital signage network that would integrate seamlessly with its new look and feel. The installation, which was deployed by Scala Certified Partner Unified Brand, includes 45 Samsung HD screens delivering customized content and a high-end brand experience. Dealer representatives from across the country have flown to Phoenix to see this flagship network in action.
Another Gold Award winner is Bell Canada’s Bell Ice Cube, in which visitors were able to watch teams compete live in Vancouver during an international sporting event in 2010. Visitors at the 3,000 square foot Bell Ice Cube could get the inside scoop on their favorite athletes and listen to live music using interactive “smart cubes” with built-in high-tech sensors. With more than 20 digital screens with 10 discrete HD feeds and dedicated live feeds, it became a natural meeting place for people coming into the center of Vancouver for the sporting event. The interactive and responsive video environment was designed and engineered by Scala Certified Partner Jigsaw Interaction Design Lab.
In the Food and Beverage category, midtown Manhattan store 4Food earned a Gold Award for its innovative digital signage and social network. 4Food gives customers the option to log on to its website and build their burgers in advance via computers or 4Food’s smart phone application. Scala Certified Partner Zero-In Media installed a giant 13-foot by 20-foot LED wall that displays TV programming, 4Food’s Twitter feed, 4Square updates and the customer names as orders are ready for pick-up. The network also integrates with 4Food’s online community, where creating an account is encouraged and members can earn points for food.
The final Gold Apex Award went to Scala’s integration with TENQ, an initiative through which local water companies and health organizations are working together to install multimedia enabled water coolers across hundreds of schools in the Netherlands. Each cooler features a 19-inch LCD screen that displays educational programming, advertising and user-generated content. There are currently close to 400 TENQ coolers in middle schools and vocational schools, reaching more than 250,000 students.
The following Scala-powered digital signage networks were also recognized at the Apex Awards ceremony:
- Larnaca International Airport — A high-tech network used to greet travelers and educate them about what Cyprus has to offer as a travel destination. (Silver Award.)
- Texas State Technical College — The nation’s first digital signage technology degree program. (Silver Award.)
- Infiniti Europe — The sophisticated, interactive digital signage network allows customers to design their very own dream machine, ensuring a unique experience from the first moment they enter an Infiniti center. (Bronze Award.)
“The Scala connected signage software platform is the stage with which integrators and network operators can do their magic,” Nix said.” We look forward to another year providing a world class software platform that can push the known boundaries within the digital signage industry.”
To read case studies about Scala’s Apex Award-winning installations, visit http://www.scala.com/news/studies .


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Engineered component maker
Leggett & Platt
became the latest big manufacturer to slash earnings guidance, warning of rising energy and material costs.
The Carthage, Mo., company cut its third-quarter earnings view to 30 to 35 cents a share on sales of $1.3 billion to $1.35 billion. Analysts surveyed by Reuters Research had been expecting a 43-cent profit on sales of $1.38 billion.
For the year, Leggett & Platt now expects to make around $1.40 a share, some 13% below the $1.60 analyst consensus. The warning follows on the heels of similar setbacks at packaging companies
"Factors contributing to the reduced earnings guidance, in approximate order of importance, include significantly higher costs for raw materials and energy, lower than anticipated sales volume, higher workers compensation costs, lower than anticipated LIFO income, deflation in some product lines and inventory obsolescence," the company said.
The company said it would respond by boosting prices and by seeking to close or sell 20 to 30 plants and warehouses.
Leggett was halted late Monday after dropping 50 cents to $22.80.


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What happens to key business metrics when brands earn editorial coverage organically? How does that value translate to the bottom line?
While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have experienced slight setbacks over the last two weeks, the industry as a whole has been booming alongside other technology equities over the past year.
The excitement of electric vehicles mixed with cheaper materials costs is driving an unprecedented transition.
Revenue is through the roof, and cloud platforms will reshape businesses throughout the long economic recovery.
Ultimately, rates and further applications will be tied to how well the U.S. economy continues to recover.
Many workers in businesses and industries across the country are still out of work and awaiting a rehiring spree from their former employer that may not come.
COVID-19 has forced us into a global work-from-home experiment with major implications, and employers and employees must approach it the right way.


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Google says it has turned a corner in its pursuit of a car that can drive itself.» Read More
PARIS, Oct 5- French automaker Renault plans to build more than 70 percent of its Clio subcompacts in Turkey, union sources said, in a shift abroad that could inflame tensions with workers and the government, its biggest shareholder.
At last week's Shanghai Auto Show, the GM CEO got an up-close view of the latest trend in the auto business -- cheap cars for developing markets. Oh make no mistake; this is not a trend that Wagoner is just stumbling upon. He's known about it for some time, and in some ways, General Motors is testing out the idea of selling "mini" cars -- with presumably a rather low price point. We'll talk more about that in a bit.


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The Dodge Viper has been out of production since 2010 but Chrysler Group unveiled a new version, powered by a huge 8.4 liter V10 engine, at the New York Auto Show.
The 640-horsepower car will be available only with a six-speed manual transmission.
The new car looks like the Vipers dating back to the car's introduction in the early 1990s. It preserves the long hood and giant side air ducts. Gone, though, is the Dodge name. Now it's just the SRT Viper.
For the first time, the Viper will have both traction control, which helps prevent the tires from spinning under hard acceleration, and stability, which helps the driver maintain control during abrupt maneuvers.
Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson talks collectible cars and shares what 'investments' he's stashing away in his garage.
|How EpiPen came to symbolize corporate greed|
|Japan's first passenger jet had a nightmare weekend|
|Nearly 10,000 workers sue Chipotle for unpaid wages|
|NY1 puts Anthony Weiner on indefinite leave|
|Drawing more unisured into Obamacare is critical to its survival|


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American Eagle Outfitters Inc. Earnings Rise 2% In Q3
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - American Eagle Outfitters Inc.
(AEO) announced a profit for its third quarter that climbed from last year.
The company said its bottom line came in at $75.76 million, or $0.41 per share. This was up from $74.11 million, or $0.38 per share, in last year's third quarter.
The company said revenue for the quarter rose 2.3% to $940.61 million. This was up from $919.07 million last year.
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. earnings at a glance:
-Earnings (Q3): $75.76 Mln. vs. $74.11 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 2.2% -EPS (Q3): $0.41 vs. $0.38 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 7.9% -Revenue (Q3): $940.61 Mln vs. $919.07 Mln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 2.3%
-Guidance: Next quarter EPS guidance: $0.37 - $0.39
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
|13,96 $||14,22 $||-0,26 $||-1,83%||25.04./22:11|
|US02553E1064||897113||19,55 $||13,04 $|


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Plans & Pricing
Does My Company Subscribe?
Emojis may just be the new “internet slang.” According to research, more brands worldwide are using them in posts on Facebook and Twitter than did a year before.
Socialbakers analyzed the top 500 brands on Facebook and Twitter from October 2014 through December 2014, and compared emoji use in posts on the social network then vs. the same period in 2015.
In Q4 2014, 45% of top brands worldwide used emojis in Twitter posts. That number rose in Q4 2015, when 59% of top brands worldwide used an emoji in their Twitter posts.
Emoji engagement was lower on Facebook. For example, in Q4 2015, 28% of top brands worldwide used an emoji in their Facebook posts. Fast-forward to Q4 2015 and 40% of brands used an emoji in a Facebook post.
Brands aren’t the only ones that are taken with emojis, internet users are as well. February 2015 research from AYTM Market Research revealed that 48.9% of US adult internet users had used emojis on social media or in text messages. Among this group, three-quarters used these often (14.0%) or sometimes (22.7%).
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The Delhi High Court has ordered Oyo Hotels and Homes to list details of all unencumbered assets — hotels and properties free of debt and other liabilities — on a plea by a hospitality firm seeking damages. The court directed Oyo to submit the details within two weeks.
The high court bench passed the order on 7 July in a case filed by Anam Datsec Pvt Ltd seeking ₹8 crore in damages from Oyo for non-payment of dues.
Anam Datstec operates hotel chain ‘The Golden Hotels’ in Goa.
In its petition, Golden Hotels claimthat Oyo had entered into a minimum business guarantee deal in 2018. However, the Softbank-backed startup failed to honour monthly payments worth ₹14 lakhs, the hotel operator alleged in its petition.
The high court directed Oyo to submit information such as a list of hotels, shareholding status, and valuations of properties in a ‘sealed envelope’ so that the information doesn’t get publicly recorded during the proceedings.
The Delhi HC order against Oyo comes after the startup had invoked force majeure in March, after the lockdown was announced by the government. By invoking the clause, Oyo sought to suspend minimum payment guarantees agreements with hotel partners, and terminated contracts with several partners since March.
Mint reported in July that at least 250 hotel owners have received intimation from Oyo after the company terminated minimum business guarantee agreements with owners. Oyo has instead offered new terms, asking hotel owners to adopt a revenue-sharing model.
Most of the hotel owners who received notices from Oyo operate ‘Townhouse’ hotels in partnership with Oyo. Townhouse is positioned by Oyo as a “mid-market boutique hotel brand” and are present across 19 cities, operating on a franchise model.
Sameer Rohatgi, an advocate appearing for Golden Hotels told Mint that Oyo has similar legal cases filed by property owners against it, seeking several crores in damages. The total size of these alleged damages owed by Oyo to many property owners contesting parallel cases might amount to a higher value than the actual value of properties the startup currently owns, according to Rohatgi.
“By ordering Oyo to file a statement of truth (affidavit) detailing its value of unencumbered assets, the court is validating whether the company has enough liquidity in the event they (Oyo) could be asked to settle damages during the arbitration process,” Rohatgi said.
“The matter is sub-judice and respectfully honouring the Hon’ble Court’s direction, OYO refrains to make any comment in relation to sub-judice matters and will appropriately respond to the allegations raised by Anam Datsec in its reply basis the opportunity given by the Court,” said an Oyo spokesperson.
While a few hoteliers like Golden Hotels have decided to take legal action, others are trying to negotiate with other hotel aggregators or sell their properties to a new buyer.
Townhouse co-owners said they had chosen to partner with Oyo because the fixed minimum business guarantee payments were more attractive than other alternatives in the market. Typically, Townhouse property owners had entered into a 5-7 year contract, wherein Oyo would take over the property and renovate it. The contracts had a 2-3 year lock-in period.
News Source: Livemint


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In the light of fall in the GST filing rate for the month of August compared to July 2017, EasemyGST, a GST software application company said that the company would be targeting a good portion of 45% of assesses, which are yet to file the GST. Ashish Mittal, Co-founder EasemyGST, announced, “The company will be servicing MSMEs at the annual package of Rs 15000 for GST related services. Our aim is to enable faster compliance and ensure competitiveness in terms of pricing.”
Speaking on the delay in compliance by the enterprises, Mittal said, “Data for collection of GST by Union and state governments for the month of August shows drop by 3.6%, compared to July 2017. The alarming fact for the month of August shows that almost 45% of assesses have still not filed returns. The most critical situation will arrive when GSTR1 filing will not meet the expected numbers.”
As per the latest data, the total number of taxpayers, who were required to file monthly returns for August was 6.82 million, of which 3.76 million filed returns. Therefore, the need of the hour is to take the services of ASPs along with GSPs for GST filing and avoiding the interest for late filing of returns, Mittal added.Ashish Mittal, Co-founder EasemyGST
Speaking on the situation, Mittal said, “Almost 20% of the tax payers will be routing their invoices to be uploaded through ASPs next month. The real impact will take a month to be measured but we have the IT and technical capability in each domain to accelerate the pace of filing and cater to the volume. Easemy GST has expanded on its capability to enable more than 1.5 lakh enterprises to meet the GST compliance.”
On the persisting gaps in the GST compliance, Mittal said, “The frequent changes in dates and platforms by the government for filing the GST were one of the reasons for delaying the process of filing.” “Consequently, the service providers like us also needed to calibrate our software and train human resources to cater to our clients”, Mittal added.


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Marvel's Avengers appear to be on their way to Disney Interactive's Disney Infinity, according to a teaser trailer released today by Marvel Entertainment.
The 27-second clip, named "Get Ready to Assemble," shows Captain America's shield flying through the world of Disney Infinity, zooming past characters like Dash from The Incredibles, Sully from Monsters, Inc. and Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. A Disney Infinity logo pops up at the end of the video, along with a label mentioning a "2.0 Edition." We're reaching out to Disney Interactive for more details, and will update this article with any information we receive.
The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment in August 2009 for $4 billion. John Blackburn, CEO of Disney Infinity developer Avalanche Software, said in an interview with Polygon last year that the studio hoped to bring into the game characters from other Disney subsidiaries such as Lucasfilm, which Disney acquired for $4 billion in October 2012, and Marvel.
Update: A representative for Disney Interactive declined comment in an email to Polygon.


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Inclusive of debt, GlobalLogic will be acquired by the Japanese group for a total sum of $9.6bn
Japanese conglomerate Hitachi has agreed to acquire US digital engineering services company GlobalLogic for nearly JPY918bn ($8.5bn).
Including debt, the total acquisition cost is expected to be $9.6bn.
In this connection, an agreement has been signed by the Japanese group’s US subsidiary – Hitachi Global Digital and GlobalLogic’s parent firm – GlobalLogic Worldwide.
Based in Silicon Valley, GlobalLogic has eight design studios and 30 engineering centres across the world.
The company is owned and funded by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Partners Group. It employs more than 20,000 people across 14 countries.
GlobalLogic is said to have developed deep chip-to-cloud advanced software product engineering technology, besides having design skills and vertical industry expertise.
The company designs and develops innovative software that is said to power its clients’ products, platforms, and digital experiences.
GlobalLogic’s revenues in fiscal 2021 are estimated to be nearly $1.2bn.
GlobalLogic president and CEO Shashank Samant said: “Companies in every industry are transforming with digital technology – to better engage customers, create new revenue streams and drive a higher quality of life.
“We have a tremendous opportunity ahead and we are excited to embark on this journey with Hitachi, combining our collective skills, technologies, and market presence to deliver greater value to our clients as they transform their businesses.”
By adding GlobalLogic’s advanced digital engineering capabilities and its client base, Hitachi hopes to bolster the digital portfolio of its Lumada advanced digital solutions and services.
The group’s US-based digital infrastructure, data management, and digital solutions business – Hitachi Vantara is said to have an important role in driving the business growth of Lumada in the global market.
Hitachi further stated that the deal will help create synergies across its IT, energy, industry, smart life, and mobility sectors and automotive systems business Hitachi Astemo. These will be achieved by fast-tracking the advanced digital transformation of rail, energy, healthcare, and other social infrastructure at a global scale, said the Japanese conglomerate.
Hitachi president and CEO Toshiaki Higashihara said: “The acquisition of GlobalLogic creates an exciting new opportunity for Hitachi to expand our offerings of Lumada solutions and services, provide values to customers in their digital transformation journey, and grow our Lumada business globally.
“The synergy of GlobalLogic’s leading experience design and innovation with Hitachi’s expertise in IT, operational technology, and products, will help us realize our goal to be the leading digital transformation innovator in social infrastructure worldwide.”
The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions, is expected to be closed by the end of July 2021.


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Traders of imported vehicle spare parts may not be enjoying the tax cuts on their wares anytime soon.
At least this is the indication from the industry with the implementation of the scrapping of the 1 percent special import levy by the GRA.
The businesses were tipped to benefit from the tax cuts to ease the cost of doing business in Ghana.
But the situation may not be so.
The news of the scrapping of the taxes on imported spare parts was met with much appreciation by spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai, here in the nation’s capital.
The traders were already indicating some price cuts following the elimination of the taxes.
But the implementation of such juicy offers appears to be out of the radar.
Apparently not happy with the development, the importers describe the move as a display of betrayal.
The Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters association Sampson Asaaki Awingobit explained their frustration to Citi Business News.
A statement by the Acting Commissioner General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti directed officers at the ports and customs to adhere to the implementation of the 1 percent special import levy from last Friday.
Citi Business News’ checks have revealed that the HS codes that were referred to by the directive from the GRA, only centered on Chapters 84 and 85 that affect electrical machinery and their parts as well as nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances and their parts.
In the HS code, Chapter 87 rather centers on the vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock and parts and accessories thereof.
Information available to Citi Business News also indicates that the government is currently engaging the spare parts dealers to identify lists that will be affected by the tax cuts.
This is however subject to the ratification by Parliament since they fall under the Common External Tarrif whose review is subject to a minimum of five years.
Meanwhile a tax analyst, William Demetia has predicted dire consequences for all stakeholders.
He however urged the government to manage expectations.
“I think that we need to manage expectations…some people labour under the assumptions that they will be no charges on their goods. Apart from the duties there are other components that are worked on before the imported goods leave the ports. All these would have to be explained for people to understand that it is only the import duties that will be taken away,” he remarked.
By: Pius Amihere Eduku/Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana


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South African Joint Venture
Weinheim/East London, 26. October 2012 | TrelleborgVibracoustic form a majority JV in South Africa for the supply of chassis and suspension bushings.
TrelleborgVibracoustic (TBVC) has entered into a majority owned Joint Venture with Ikhwezi Investment Holding in East London (RSA) to locally manufacture chassis bushings for Mercedes-Benz C and E class vehicles and support South Africa’s leading supplier of automotive suspension systems, Foxtec-Ikhwezi. The company will be known as TrelleborgVibracoustic-Ikhwezi.
TBVC currently supplies several suspension mounts for the C and E class and has recently been nominated on the next generation C Class, which is scheduled to start production in 2014. The vehicles are assembled in Mercedes-Benz plants worldwide as well as locally in East London.
Foxtec-Ikhwezi, a JV between Ikhwezi and the German based company Otto Fuchs, is also based in East London and is a long standing producer of link arms for the Mercedes-Benz global network of assembly plants.
“We currently supply South Africa from our European locations. In line with our group strategy of global support and local supply this new business award seemed like an excellent opportunity to look for a more permanent solution in the region,” says Axel Wersel, BA President for Chassis. “In addition the new JV provides us with a strong foothold in South Africa, an automotive market that is set to grow significantly over the next four years,” adds Wersel.
TBVC, together with its local partner Ikhwezi, is investing around €3.4 million Euros in the new facility. The plant covers an area of 4000m2 and is scheduled to start production in 2013. It will initially employ 21 people increasing to around 55 once peak volumes are reached. Ikhwezi has a 30% share and will provide support services such as recruitment, finance and IT management. TrelleborgVibracoustic will have full product design and manufacturing responsibility.
Ikhwezi Investment Holdings is privately owned and listed in South Africa as a “Black Empowered Company”. The group is focused on forming strategic alliances with international partners to facilitate the transfer of skills and technology to local stakeholders and thereby promote economic growth in South Africa. For more information visit www.ikhwezi.co.za.
TrelleborgVibracoustic is the worldwide market and technology leader for anti-vibration solutions in the global passenger car and commercial vehicle industry. Established as a joint venture between Freudenberg and Trelleborg in July 2012, the company generated sales of €1.4 billion in 2011. Over 8,000 employees at 38 sites manufacture products and deliver solutions for all automotive vibration technology applications. For more information visit www.tbvc.com.


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Unreleased LG Nexus 5X Prematurely Listed On Amazon India
It's common knowledge in the tech domain that LG will soon release the Nexus 5X smartphone along with the Huawei Nexus 6P next week. Indian retailer Amazon India has now officially confirmed the arrival of the latter by putting up a listing for the device, even though the handset hasn't been announced yet.
Interestingly, the listing on Amazon has no images or pricing details available, with a tentative 'currently unavailable' status. What the listing does reveal however is the hardware specifications in its entirety, including the 12.3MP rear camera and the Snapdragon 808 processor that was discussed in leaks before.
In all likelihood, this is a placeholder for when the smartphone becomes officially available in the country. This is just the kind of leak that we needed to encounter in order to put all our doubts and speculations to rest. Earlier today, a separate leak revealed press images of the Huawei Nexus 6P with a slightly unflattering design, although leaks have suggested that the Nexus 5X will be different in that regard...


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Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is denying claims he had split with his designer girlfriend L'Wren Scott before she committed suicide.
Before her death Scott, 49, had reportedly told friends the singer had dumped her, and that she was thinking about buying a new home.
It's also been revealed that police investigating the death of the fashion designer – who was millions in debt – have described her as Jagger's "former" partner.
But a spokesperson for Jagger has slammed the claims and says the couple were "absolutely" still together when Scott died and is "struggling to understand" how Scott could end her life.
Jagger said the 49-year-old US fashion designer was not only his lover but also his best friend, adding: "I will never forget her."
In a blog posting on his website entitled simply "L'Wren", and featuring a black and white photo of the former model, Jagger appeared to confirm reports that Scott had hanged herself.
"I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way," he wrote.
"We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves. She had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me.
"I have been touched by the tributes that people have paid to her, and also the personal messages of support that I have received. I will never forget her."
Scott and Jagger, who was 21 years older, had been dating for well over a decade. He was on tour with the Rolling Stones in Australia at the time of her death.
Accounts for Scott's fashion business suggested it was heavily in debt and Scott owed several millions of dollars to creditors.
She was forced to cancel her show at London Fashion Week last month — purportedly due to production delays but possibly also due to money problems — but there had been little public sign that anything more serious was wrong.
Source: AFP, Telegraph.co.uk
Author: Natasha Lee, Approving editor: Erin Tennant


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Live Fast Motorsports (LFM) and Malco Automotive Products announced its partnership for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 17, 2022.
Malco Automotive, a Malco Products, Inc. brand that has supplied the automotive industry with high-quality, professional-grade cleaning and detailing products since 1953, serves the automotive industry with over 150 specially formulated automotive detailing solutions in more than 70 countries worldwide, the company says. Malco Automotive is the Official Detailing Sponsor of Live Fast Motorsports.
“Malco has a long-standing partnership with the motorsports industry, and we are honored to be the primary sponsor for BJ McLeod and the No. 78 team as they race under the lights at Bristol,” said Malco president, Seth Glauberman. “The Bristol night race is a fan favorite, and the Malco family will be cheering on BJ from Ohio.”
“The Live Fast Motorsports team is humbled by Malco Automotives’ continued support,” said LFM co-owner, Matt Tifft. “Malco produces quality materials that allow consumers to preserve and improve their automotive possessions’ condition. We keep Malco products on hand at the shop and I personally enjoy using their Tire Shine on my Tesla tires!”
The NASCAR Cup Series race takes place at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM ET on USA Network. Buy tickets at bristolmotorspeedway.com/events/.
For more information about Malco Automotive Products, visit https://www.malcoautomotive.com/.


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Roblox Banned In Uae News
The uae has banned a number of gaming websites including a creation platform that claims to have 56 million players across the globe each month.
Roblox banned in uae news. Destroying the game for other players is not allowed on roblox. Roblox aimed at children aged 8 to 15 was one of. Youngsters who were minting thousands from online game roblox are devastated that the game has been banned in the uae. I just hope they get the common sense to realize that gaming isnt a bad thing and stop doing crap to get it banned.
United arab emirates duration. Most recently the uae. Its unique in that practically everything on roblox is designed and constructed by members of the community. If you continue to spam the roblox chat you will be poison banned.
Httpsdiscordggqqt2rxv titledumb news want to ban roblox in uae. The reason why roblox is banned in uae. Account deleted for unauthorized charge. Roblox is designed for 8 to 18 year olds but it is open to people of all ages.
Roblox was banned in jordan united arab emirates and obviously north korea. Also roblox was banned due to blue whale which the uae called a gaming website what are you 50 related suicides. Hey everyone in this video i find a dumb news which are saying roblox is bad when they dont dont even know whats roblox so i.


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It all started in 2002. That's the year Porsche launched the Cayenne and began the luxury crossover movement. It sold a bazillion of them, racking up sales and profits. Now everyone wants in on the game, because wealthy consumers apparently have an endless appetite for increased ride height and comfort.
Rolls, Bentley, and Lamborghini are doing it. Land Rover keeps whipping up increasingly fancy versions of the Range Rover to keep up.
Now, Aston Martin is joining the fray.
The British marque has raised $300 million to fund various projects, and it announced last week one of those will be a production version of the "luxury GT crossover" DBX concept it debuted at the Geneva auto show earlier this year.
Rolls-Royce is building something called Project Cullinan, though it won't deign to use the term "SUV." It's a "high-bodied" Rolls, able to "cross any terrain". Bentley, on the other hand, has no qualms about calling its upcoming Bentayga a sport utility vehicle. Lamborghini has been teasing us with its Urus SUV for three years now, and we fully expect it to announce production in the next couple of years.
Aston's entry may be the most surprising. It's a tiny independent automaker, not part of massive manufacturer whose parts it can borrow, like Rolls-Royce (BMW), Bentley (Volkswagen), or Lamborghini (also Volkswagen). To build an entirely new car, in an entirely new category, an ambitious and expensive move. And that's why it's raised all this money.
"It allows us to do something different," says company spokesperson Matthew Clarke. Aston denies it's chasing a trend, but it's probably right to think that more diversity in the product is a good thing.
Aston is looking at a different demographic from its usual buyers---especially women and young drivers. And it hopes to open up different markets with the as-yet unnamed ride. In lots of places, an Aston Martin touring sedan isn't very practical, because of ride height, rough road conditions, or what have you. It may be cool to own one anyway, but it's cooler to be able to drive it comfortably.
Rural areas of Russia or the Middle East or China are burgeoning with wealthy folks who might not think of buying a traditional Aston for practical reasons. An SUV could win them over. As Clarke points out, China doesn't really have a sports car culture like we have in the US or Europe, though it is developing---and a luxury crossover could be Aston's ticket in.
Details on the production version of the DBX are scarce, but we know it will start as a four-door crossover, with a two-door version possible down the road. It'll have an all-new architecture (part of a five-year revamp of the company's entire lineup), and Aston is aiming to have it in showrooms before the decade is out. The concept is an all-wheel drive, all-electric affair, and it wouldn't be too surprising to see that come to fruition, especially four years from now. Expect a more traditional, naturally aspirated V8 or V12 engine under the hood to be an option as well. Don't worry about looks: Aston makes beautiful cars, and it should be able to build a beautiful crossover.
"We think it's the [grand tourer] car of the future," Clarke says. Perhaps, but one thing is for sure: Buyers looking to spend a few hundred grand on an SUV will be spoiled for choice in just a few years.


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IDC Review Network (idcps.com) 05, reported: according to the domain name statistics agency WebHosting.info data show that as of May 26, 2014, China’s total domain name registration has reached 8173911, ranking the world’s top second. The United States, the total number of domain names registered for 80967763, ranking first in the global domain name market. Below, IDC review network will be together to understand the two countries in the United States,.COM,.NET,.ORG,.INFO and.BIZ, the latest registration of these top domain names.
(Figure 1) China and the United States top five domain name registration statistics (as of 2014-5-26)
as shown in Figure 1, the United States has a huge advantage, China wants to catch up is still very far away. Among them, the total number of U.S..COM domain has exceeded 60 million, while China is still less than $10 million for the 7020377, about 1/9 of the United States, and lower than the U.S..NET domain name.
below, we come to analyze the specific data of the top five domain names between the two countries:
(Figure 2) China’s top five domain name registration statistics ranking (as of 2014-5-26)
Figure 2 data show that in China, the total number of.COM domain has exceeded 7 million, up to 7020377, accounting for the top five of the total number of top-level domain, the central decline last week. .NET domain name, up to 826828, the share has reached 10.1155%, rose last week. While the rest of the top-level domain, the market share of less than 3%.
in the fourth week of May (May 20th -5 26) during the five top-level domain have been good. Among them, the.COM domain name added 35091;.NET new;.ORG added 1084;.BIZ new;.INFO domain name added.
(Figure 3) ranking of the top five domain names registered in the United States (as of 2014-5-26)
as shown in Figure 3, in the United States,.COM is also an independent domain name, a total of 61674082, accounting for 76.1712%, the chain rose last week, but still slightly lower than Chinese share. In addition, during the first four weeks of May, the top five domain names were negative growth.
above the latest data, the fourth week of May, Chinese five top-level domain total net increase of 47507. The United States, the domain name growth is not as stable as China, net minus 99991 domain names.


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How many eggs can you eat a week?
BY Nicola Conville Freelance Journalist
This reputedly protein rich food is also surprisingly high in cholesterol. So how many should you eat in a week?
New guidelines from the Heart Foundation have confirmed that all Australians, including those with type 2 diabetes, can enjoy up to six eggs a week as part of a healthy, balanced diet. James Kellaway, managing director of the Australian Egg Corporation, says the research disproves the long-standing, inaccurate belief that there is a link between blood cholesterol and eggs.
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Direct To Patient (DTP)
The company is supporting its professional pitch for the acne drug with a micro-targeted marketing strategy.
AccentHealth is boosting the digital side of its business by buying MediVista Media's Everwell waiting room TV network, putting the firm's content in a thousand more doctors' offices and retail pharmacies.
The American Heart Association is trying to get us thinking about using social networks—in both the old-school, interpersonal connections sense as well as the newer electronic one—to tackle childhood obesity.
Remedy Health is looking to close the loop—and sell advertising off of it—with the launch of a service letting doctors, pharmacies and other healthcare providers send topical health content to their patients.
Pfizer Oncology has recruited Desperate Housewives and West Wing star Kathryn Joosten to feature in a national education campaign titled Lung Cancer Profiles, which aims to reduce stigma and plug molecular testing of the disease as the company deepens its investment in genetically-targeted oncology therapies.
Pfizer said it plans not only to keep Lipitor consumer promotions running past the brand's expiry later this month. It also aims to put an OTC version of the megablockbuster on the market at some point.
More than a quarter of posts on Facebook sites for people with diabetes are promotional in nature, many touting products unapproved by the FDA, according to an analysis of diabetes-focused social networks.
A survey by Yahoo! and advertising giant BBDO says advertisers need to raise their game in "owned media" like brand.com sites to woo consumers.
Asking consumers to gauge their risk for non-adherence, Merck is deploying a one-minute survey dubbed the Adherence Estimator that may be the way forward for keeping patients on-treatment.
Eli Lilly & Co. refreshed its Lilly for Better Health program with a multichannel platform and a YouTube channel.
Pfizer is piloting a mobile education campaign promoting awareness of the value of childhood vaccinations through texting.
Visitors to Crestor.com and PurplePill.com can now hit a "click to chat" button to chat with a live AstraZeneca customer service rep.
InVentiv's GSW is going after the consumer health and wellness market with an offshoot, dubbed The Well @GSW, aimed at OTC brands, consumer products and retail accounts.
Sanofi-Aventis US is expanding its social media footprint with a new "Discuss Diabetes" blog and a "WhyInsulin" YouTube channel.
Mylan's Dey Pharma launched MyEpiPen App, designed to help patients with severe allergies and their caregivers cope with episodes of anaphylaxis.
Novo Nordisk is launching an online support program for diabetes patients, dubbed Cornerstones4Care, that promises patients one-stop shopping for diabetes information and product information.
The FDA demanded that Jazz Pharmaceuticals halt dissemination of a patient brochure for Luvox CR and run corrective messages to counter inflated benefit claims and omission of risk information.
The economy might be retrenching and consumers souring, but consumer marketers are feeling more confident, according to a survey by Cegedim Dendrite which found that four in 10 expect DTC spend to increase in 2010.
Patient materials for Shire's ADHD drug Intuniv presented unsubstantiated effectiveness and superiority claims and downplayed important risk info, said the FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communication.
J&J's Janssen-Cilag launched an animated patient education video aimed at showing viewers the world from the perspective of a child with ADHD and urging parents to see a doctor about behavioral problems.
Forty-four percent of women research prescribed drugs using multiple sources before filling a script, a survey found, suggesting that marketing efforts targeting Baby Boomer women, in particular, must focus less on brand awareness and more on the post-script conversation.
Eisai launched an online resource for nurses treating cancer patients. The resource, called NSider, lets nurses create customized educational packets for individual patients, which can then be emailed directly from the website to a patient, or printed out as a PDF.
Everyday Health is launching a condition-based "virtual doctor" feature for patients with chronic conditions that emphasizes compliance.
Sanofi-Aventis launched an iPhone application aimed at helping diabetics count calories on the go. The free GoMeals app draws on the CalorieKing nutritional database to give carb counts for menu items at 200 chain restaurants as well as à la carte estimates for standard dishes and 25,000 food items.
Pharmacies that counseled patients for a chronic COPD/respiratory drug saw an average increase in refill rates of more than 36% through the fifth fill, said McKesson.
An alliance with the nation's largest soft drink maker to sponsor advice on sugar-free alternatives has spurred criticism of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
The number of Americans researching prescription drugs online has doubled since 2005 to 102 million, according to Manhattan Research data.
Cardinal Health launched the Pharmacy Health Network in early August, serving up digital prescription and OTC advertising in 3,000 independent retail and franchised pharmacies nationwide.
Covidien is launching an educational campaign aimed at raising awareness of gastric bypass surgery as an option to treat type 2 diabetes among morbidly obese sufferers.
EMD Serono is partnering with Men's Health Network on a patient education campaign aimed at raising awareness of male infertility.
The Women's Health landscape is ripe with opportunity for pharma marketers. This seven-page eBook offers product managers a guide to capitalizing on the trends, growth areas and unmet needs. Includes alternative channels to engage OB/GYNs and oncologists, and plenty of tips. Click here to access it.


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In a move that could give a boost to small and medium-sized companies shipping goods across Europe, another proposal includes tightening rules on e-commerce and ensuring the price of parcel deliveries is not "excessive" across different countries.
The EU also wants to improve legislation in the area of copyright so that people buying an online service in their home country, can use it in other EU member states.
An "ambitious overhaul" of the bloc's telecoms rules were also outlined and included co-ordination on managing the radio spectrum and a continued push to end roaming surcharges across the continent.
The Commission proposed a so-called "European free flow of data initiative" to remove the barriers stopping member states sharing data with each other. The EU claims the data is a "goldmine for research, innovation and new business opportunities" but is often stuck in "expensive" national data centers.
"The scale provided by a completed Digital Single Market will help companies to grow beyond the EU internal market and make the EU an even more attractive location for global companies," the Commission said in a statement.
And finally, the Commission also launched an anti-trust inquiry into the e-commerce sector on Wednesday to investigate the barriers to cross-border online retailing after originally announcing its intention in March. No specific companies were named in the probe.


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Walmart plans to build a third of its Neighborhood Market stores in St. Charles County, this time in Dardenne Prairie on a portion of an 86.50-acre tract known as the Bopp property. The tract is north of Feise Road near Bryan Road.
But city officials still must approve a planned unit development (PUD) request for 15.79 acres of the 86.50-acre tract. Some residents at the first of two scheduled public hearings on March 9 regarding the PUD request were less than enthusiastic about the store.
Walmart announced on March 9 that it plans to build the smaller-sized Neighborhood Market grocery store and a gas station at the site. The approximately 46,000-square-foot store is about a fourth of the size of a regular Walmart Supercenter store, and is also smaller than competing supermarkets.
In January, Walmart opened its first two Neighborhood Market stores in the St. Louis area in St. Peters. The stores are located at 3031 Mid Rivers Mall Drive and 45 Sutters Mill Road. The Mid Rivers Mall Drive store has a gas station.
The owners of the tract, Cora Bopp Limited Partnership, plan to develop it in phases. In February, the partnership submitted the PUD request, which calls for a 50,000-square-foot grocery store, 24,000 square feet of retail space, 26,000 square feet of a bank or retail space, 3,000 square feet for a fast food restaurant and a 740-square foot gas station.
Residents had a chance on March 9 to comment on the PUD request at the first of two public hearings – this one before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
The second public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, before the city’s Board of Aldermen at Dardenne Prairie’s City Hall at 2032 Hanley Road.
Mayor David Zucker said in an email sent to residents that Walmart is serious about building a store in the city because market surveys show that people living near the Bopp property spend a lot of money on groceries. Other grocery stores have not shown any interest in the Bopp property, he said.
Some residents didn’t like the appearance of the stores depicted in drawings submitted. Problems and concerns about hours of operation and truck deliveries will have to be addressed by Walmart, Zucker said. He added that the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission explained on March 9 that the city can’t exclude a Walmart grocery store simply because it likes another grocery chain better. The city can regulate appearance, noise, traffic, landscaping and other issues.
The Planning and Zoning Commission and city staff also were not pleased with a traffic study submitted by the partnership. The commission recommended approval of the PUD provided that 17 issues raised by the city, any widening of Bryan and Feise Road has to come off the Bopp property, and changes in the store’s appearance must be addressed to comply with the city’s municipal code, he said.
The development of the tract has been more difficult than expected, Zucker said. The Walmart proposal is the first major tenant so far.
Zucker said the grocery store is expected to generate about $300,000 in sales tax revenue for the city and about $155,000 annually in property taxes, which go to schools and other local government entities. The store is expected to have up to 95 full- and part-time employees.
Even through the city already has approved a site plan for the overall site, the developer is required to submit more detailed plans for phasing in the development.
The board’s major action on the tract so far has been in favor of nearby residents. The city agreed last March to vacate an unimproved section of Devon Drive’s right-of-way to prevent encroachment from development into the nearby Villages of Bainbridge subdivision.
Walmart’s interest in the property was tipped off in PUD documents submitted to the city in February. While they did not indicate specific tenant, a landscaping plan includes the word “Walmart” in a column.
Artist’s renderings for the proposed grocery store included in the partnership’s paperwork also depict a storefront similar to a Walmart Neighborhood Market store like the two that opened in St. Peters.


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Konami Hires Staff For New Metal Gear As Kojima Station Goes on Hiatus
posted on by Kiara Valdez
Following last week's reports that Metal Gear Solid series creator Hideo Kojima is leaving Konami after completing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Konami issued a notice on both their Japanese and English websites stating that it is currently hiring new staff to lead the development of a new Metal Gear title.
The English statement reads:
“Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. will continue to develop and distribute top-quality content in the METAL GEAR series following "MGSV: TPP." We greatly anticipate and deeply appreciate your ongoing support for METAL GEAR. As the next step in the series, KONAMI has already resolved to develop a new "METAL GEAR" title. We will be conducting auditions for main staff to lead the development.”
Additionally, Kojima Productions announced that the March 26 broadcast of Kojima Station was cancelled due to "circumstances."
Last week's report came after Kojima Production's social media accounts were "moved" to @MetalGear_EN and @MetalGear_JP, its website redirects to the Metal Gear game series' portal and the company's logo was removed from both the portal site and the Metal Gear Sold V website, the Los Angeles Kojima Productions website redirects Konami.com and L.A. job openings were changed from Kojima Productions to Konami USA.
The "A Hideo Kojima Game" phrase was also removed from the game titles on Konami America's Metal Gear Solid page and Kojima is no longer listed as the "Executive Content Officer" Konami's restructuring announcement from earlier this month.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is slated to ship for multiple consoles worldwide on September 1.


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The figures are out for the first half of 2013 and they show that the US online advertising market is at an all time high. Over $3bn up on the same period last year, the figures show a resilient rate of growth that belies suggestions the market is reaching saturation point.
The research was commissioned by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), which represents 500 major US media and technology businesses, and was conducted independently by the New Media Group of PwC. “Digital has steadily increased its ability to captivate consumers and then capture the marketing dollars that follow,” said the IAB CEO and president, Randall Rothenberg. “Mobile advertising’s breakneck growth is evidence that marketers are recognizing the tremendous power of smaller screens. Digital video is also on a positive trajectory, delivering avid viewership and strong brand-building opportunities.”
Indeed, mobile-based advertising is one of the big success stories to emerge from this new data. It now accounts for 15% of total revenue in the sector, up steeply from previous years. This developing trend is something the big companies were already aware of, hence the recent efforts that have been made by the likes of Google and Bing to make their services more mobile-friendly. Online video, meanwhile, shows a steadier rate of growth, probably because it usually functions as part of a larger campaign rather than being used as a independent marketing tool. Until one of the big online video companies starts offering click to call for direct conversions, this is how it is likely to remain.
“This report not only confirms that brands are making a greater commitment to interactive but also points to the fact that mobile and digital video are being identified as integral elements of the marketing mix,” said PwC’s David Silverman.
By far the biggest sector of the market remains search, despite it showing a slight drop in percentage terms compared with the same period last year. In straight revenue terms, it is actually up 7% (around $8.7bn), although surveys suggest that search engines themselves are increasingly unpopular with users.
Email advertising continues to languish at the bottom of the list, responsible for a comparatively tiny $78m in revenue; of course, this should not be taken to mean that email advertising is so useless that no one is bothering with it. What this dataset does not show is how the spend breaks down across different market sectors.


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(Bloomberg) — Xi Jinping’s message that China wants to roll out the red carpet for foreign businesses stands in stark contrast to the increasing difficulties many companies experience on the ground.
In written remarks Thursday to the APEC CEO Summit in San Francisco, the Chinese leader said his government would take more “heart-warming” measures to attract foreign nationals to the world’s second-largest economy, which has struggled to regain its footing in the wake of the pandemic.
“Just as some leaders of the business community have said, China has become a synonym of the best investment destination, and that the ‘next China’ is still China,” he told the economic forum.
Yet, the business climate has deteriorated markedly in recent years. The world’s most-stringent Covid restrictions, investigations into foreign companies, and increased compliance risks due to sanctions and other restrictions from the US and Europe have all taken a toll.
A measure of foreign direct investment this month turned negative for the first time in 25 years, while a recent survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai shows respondents are the gloomiest they’ve been on business outlook for decades.
“It may take more than some warm words to reverse the capital outflows,” said Robert Carnell, regional head of research for Asia-Pacific at ING Groep NV. “Is this the beginning of a new more inviting and open China? I honestly have no idea but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Foreign firms are grappling with a growing list of challenges, including tepid economic activity, unpredictable regulation, worries over employee safety and curbs on transferring data overseas. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in August that businesses told her the world’s second-biggest economy was “uninvestable.”
From Morgan Stanley to the law firm Dentons, some of the world’s largest companies have transferred out key employees and hived off local operations. Vanguard Group Inc. dismantled its last team in China and global pension funds have shrunk their exposure.
Earlier this year, Ford Motor Co. said it planned to scale back future investment in China, and technology companies including Apple Inc., and HP Inc. are planning to move production out of China.
Several consultants and lawyers serving foreign businesses who once regularly worked on M&A deals say that now they are mostly dealing with dispute resolution and exit strategies. Some US brands are looking to move manufacturing out of China due to rising geopolitical risks including a possible Taiwan conflict, according to a person overseeing factories in Southeast Asian productions hubs, who asked not to be identified citing private client discussions.
Strict laws governing data flows are also increasing anxiety for foreign businesses.
While China’s cyberspace regulator proposed easing rules in September, more companies are weighing the cost of localizing data to ensure continued access to a market with more than a billion consumers. One foreign consultancy started using a separate IT system when it opened a China office last year, while US giants like Apple and Tesla Inc. have set up domestic data centers.
The mounting challenges have made companies think twice about pouring more money into China.
Erik Visser, CEO of the Denmark-based animal feed maker Hamlet Protein, has been considering investing in Vietnam instead of expanding operations in China, citing concerns such as access to independent legal arbitration, enforcement of environmental regulation, data protection and geopolitics.
“There is an uncertainty with the ambitions that China has on the world stage,” Visser said in a recent interview. “And that geopolitical uncertainty is also a consideration on deciding when to invest or where to invest.”
Even so, plenty of businesses are still making money in China. The US-China Business Council, a co-host for a dinner that Xi attended in San Francisco, reported that 80% of companies surveyed were profitable in 2022, a decrease of 9 percentage points from a year prior. And China was still among the top five priorities for 77% of respondents, down from 96% a decade ago.
Read: China Attempts to Please Foreign Firms as Investment Slumps
Chambers of commerce and foreign companies have also seen Chinese officials trying much harder to engage with them this year.
Earlier in November, the Ministry of Commerce asked local governments to clear discriminatory policies facing foreign companies, such as ensuring that subsidies for new energy vehicles aren’t limited to domestic brands. Beijing also announced a 24-point plan in August that includes pledges to offer overseas firms better tax treatment and make it easier for them to obtain visas.
Government officials “are clearly trying hard” to speak with foreign companies, understand the complaints and explain government policies, according to Jens Hildebrandt, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce’s North China chapter.
“In the past, companies can accept a certain level of promise fatigue given that China could economically deliver but certainly it’s harder to accept fatigue if there is a slowdown,” he said.
While Xi seeks to reassure foreign investors, his administration’s concurrent focus on security this year has undercut the policy predictability that foreign firms are craving.
Also: Why It’s So Hard for China to Shake Uninvestable Tag: QuickTake
Chinese authorities in August fined American due diligence firm Mintz Group around $1.5 million for illegal data collection, months after officials raided its Beijing offices and detained five of its Chinese employees. In April, American consultancy Bain & Co. said Chinese authorities had questioned staff at its Shanghai office. Security officials also publicized a raid at Capvision, a consulting firm with headquarters in New York and Shanghai, accusing the company of abetting espionage efforts by foreign forces.
In recent months, the Ministry of State Security opened its own official WeChat account, making sweeping proclamations that often go beyond the traditional scope of the domestic security agency. In one of its latest posts, it pledged to help prevent financial sector risks from jeopardizing China’s national security.
“Companies will need to see a long string of positive signals because the negative signals were so consistent for so long that it’s a lot to overcome,” said Scott Kennedy, a China specialist at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. “It’s very difficult to build that sense of trust and durability once it’s been shaken.”
More: Xi’s Security Obsession Turns Ordinary Citizens Into Spy Hunters
—With assistance from Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Fran Wang, Jacob Gu and James Mayger.
#Xis #Warm #Words #Jar #Reality #Foreign #Companies #China


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TULSA, Okla. — QuikTrip Corp., a regional convenience-store retailer with more than 950 locations in 16 states, is expanding further into Illinois with three new stores near Chicago.
The company, which currently has five c-stores in Illinois concentrated near St. Louis, told CSP Daily News that it plans to open the first new location in the state in Peru, between central Illinois and Chicago, in April 2023, followed by the second in Bellwood, in the western suburbs, also in April 2023, and the third in Lansing, in the far south suburbs, in June 2023.
The Lansing location will replace a former Kmart store that closed six years ago, reported the Chicago Business Journal. The site is about five acres along the busy south suburban corridor near the Indiana border, right off of the Bishop Ford expressway, said the report.
- QuikTrip is No. 10 on CSP’s 2022 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets.
“We currently have three stores under construction in the [greater] Chicago area,” Aisha Jefferson-Smith, spokesperson for Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip, told CSP.
“All stores will be our new remote travel center design featuring a larger designed lot and more spacious store—approximately 8,200 square feet—than a traditional QT,” she said. “All travel centers will be equipped with QT Kitchens that offer made fresh to order food and drink items. We will also offer grab-and-go freshly crafted sandwiches, salads and wraps [as well as] … doughnuts and pastries.”
In June, QuikTrip opened its first c-store in Colorado, in Firestone, approximately 45 minutes north of Denver. It is scheduled to have five stores in the Denver area by the end of 2022.
The company is also expanding with new technology. In August, QuikTrip opened a non-gasoline convenience store with Amazon’s no-checkout “just walk out” technology in the BOK Tower at One Williams Center in Tulsa.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.


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Nintendo reports first quarterly profit in a year thanks to its growing mobile games division, the focus now is on its upcoming Switch console.
Nintendo has reported its first quarterly profit in a year thanks to its growing mobile games division, particularly Pokemon Go, but it was forced to reduce its annual earnings forecast by a third.
The Japanese company has been struggling with weak sales of its console games and the consoles themselves.
Investors have been hoping its mobile profit would grow quick enough to offset falling earnings in Nintendo’s mainstay console business.
In October-December, profit reached 32.3 billion yen (265 million euros), down 3.7 percent from the year-earlier period.
Running but not paying
Its smartphone game Super Mario Run, released on December 15, helped third-quarter revenue from mobile gaming and related merchandise reach around 7 billion yen. To date, its downloads have hit about 78 million, but fewer than 10 percent of users have paid to unlock all of its features.
Unlike Super Mario Run, which was its first own-brand smartphone title, Pokemon Go was created with developers Pokemon Co and Niantic Inc who take much of the profit.
Pokemon Go profit in the past six months = ~$150 million.
Nintendo's profit in the 12 months before Pokemon Go came out = ~$150 million
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) January 31, 2017
Nintendo is due to launch a new device – the Switch – in March, which can be used for home based and mobile gaming.
The console – Nintendo’s first in about four years – is critical to its profits. The company sees mobile primarily as a means of drawing players to its consoles.
— My Nintendo News (@MyNintendoNews) January 31, 2017


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In conjunction with expanding its staff, Cryptozoic has announced that it will launch “…a variety of new products targeted at casual fans, as well as collectors,” tied to properties including DC Comics, Ghostbusters, Adventure Time, Bone, and Supernatural.
Cryptozoic has also hired Jeff Parker, formerly of Cartoon Network, as Creative Director of Merchandise, to help plan and develop the new merch lines.
Cryptozoic has been in the licensed products business since it launched with the World of Warcraft TCG as its first product (see "Cryptozoic Gets 'WoW TCG'"). It’s also produced a wide range of entertainment-based trading cards and games. But this will be its first move into broader merchandise categories directed at more casual consumers.


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How food scandals are forcing Beijingers to search out organic alternatives
Mainland food scandals have sent urban dwellers in search of alternative sources of sustenance away from the cities, writes Xu Donghuan
Rat meat is passed off as mutton, ginger is laced with pesticide and, more recently, rice products are found to contain high levels of cadmium, a heavy metal that causes kidney failure, osteoporosis, cancer and other conditions when ingested. On the mainland, how can you be sure that anything you put on the dinner table is safe these days?
Constant rounds of food scandals in recent years have made consumers across China suspicious and fearful of the groceries and produce that they're getting. Better-off families are increasingly seeking alternative avenues to ensure a safe supply of food.
Catherine Ho Wai-man and her husband, a telecoms executive, have lived in Beijing for nearly a decade. But in the past year, they have stopped buying fresh produce from neighbourhood markets, Ho says, recalling with a shudder how she found a suspicious white substance leaching out from the greens she had bought at a stall.
The couple, who have two young children, have since resorted to growing their own greens. In the backyard of their spacious home in the northern suburbs of Beijing, they have carved out a patch where they grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. When that comes to a halt during the freezing winter months, Ho shops for organic produce at high-end supermarkets instead.
"I have slightly more confidence in the produce there," she says. "But I always soak vegetables in water before cooking, and peel the fruits before eating."
For a recent dinner, Ho's nine-year-old daughter Felice Cheng helped prepare a family favourite - bean sheet rolls stuffed with dried shrimp, turnip and mushroom from Hong Kong - and stir-fried choy sum from their garden.
Ho makes it a point to stock up on supplies whenever the family goes to Hong Kong.
"Every time we return to Beijing, our luggage is packed with all sorts of ingredients from Hong Kong," she says. Opening the two refrigerators in her kitchen, Ho reveals shelves filled with packs of dried seafood purchased in Tai O, dried herbs as well as jars of black bean and XO sauce from Hong Kong's most well-known brands.
Many of her Hong Kong friends in the capital are in a similar predicament, she explains. "Our living standard has slipped because of the quality and the limited variety of foods in Beijing."
The vast majority of urban residents in Beijing, who live in tiny apartments, do not have the options available to Ho and her family - the better supermarkets are beyond their means, and they don't have access to gardens. Although the government has promised to protect the people from hazardous foods, the reality is that fulfilling this pledge may take a while. For a society that produced the adage, "The masses regard food as their heaven", this is a bitter pill to swallow.
In the meantime, a growing number of well-to-do Chinese consumers and resourceful expatriates are turning to organic farmers markets and making private arrangements to obtain safe ingredients.
On a Saturday morning, a group of Beijing residents take a 2½-hour ride to Fuping Chuangyuan, a new eco-farm on the outskirts of neighbouring Tianjin. Among them are Henry Xu, a 46-year-old entrepreneur, and his wife, Maggie Zhu, who want to see if the vegetables are grown as conscientiously as claimed.
"Vegetables in the supermarkets are no longer reliable, even those with organic labels," Zhu says.
Following regular food scares, the couple now gets rice from Wuchang county in Heilongjiang through friends, and their sesame oil comes from a trusted processor in their housemaid's home village.
They maintain a small vegetable garden at home but it's insufficient to meet their needs. So after trying out some produce from the Tianjin eco-farm, they have purchased a one-year package. For 6,888 yuan (HK$8,640), they receive four kilograms of vegetables weekly for 48 weeks, which is delivered to their home at no extra charge.
It works out to an average of 36 yuan per kilogram of vegetables. That's more expensive than buying the same produce from supermarkets but Zhu says, "We are happy to spend more as long as the vegetables are safe."
The eco-farm is a joint venture between Beijing Fuping Institute, an NGO that aims to help the underprivileged by offering skills training, and Daichi wo Mamoru Kai, a Japanese green group which promotes organic farming.
It occupies a sprawling, rented site in a village in Jinghai county, comprising 30 enormous greenhouses, each about 90 metres long and 10 metres wide. During their visit, the Beijing residents are taken round to view the greenhouses and invited to pick some cucumbers and snow peas which are ready for harvesting.
A farm manager explains how the organic methods for weed and pest control work. "The idea is to restore consumers' confidence in farm produce," says Shen Dongshu, director of Beijing Fuping Institute.
"The goal may seem distant but if we do not give it a try, trust will never return."
The joint venture is among 100 organic or eco farms of varying sizes which have sprouted up on the outskirts of Beijing in recent years, spurred in part by the stream of food scandals in China.
Beijing Organic Farmers Market, which was founded in 2010 by a group of health-conscious consumers, provides a platform for more than 30 small-scale farmers to sell their produce directly to well-to-do families and expatriates in high-end residential areas. With more than 70,000 followers on its Sina weibo microblog, it can attract thousands of shoppers at the weekend.
Many customers are thirty-something professionals with young children, or elderly women caring for grandchildren, says Sanfendi Organic Farm owner Liu Xueping, who has participated in the market since its inception. "The personal interaction between consumers and farmers at the point of sale is a constant reminder that we need to provide the safest products to our customers."
Most customers of the Tianjin joint venture also got to know about the farm through its weibo account, which now lists more than 2,000 followers. About 100 people have now bought one-year vegetable supply packages.
Despite having visited the farm, Beijing resident Liu Yufen isn't entirely convinced that its vegetables are safe.
"I'm worried about the underground water that they use to irrigate the farm and the organic fertiliser that is sourced from somewhere else," says the 42-year-old business executive. "I don't know how they can make sure that these are safe as well."
Even so, Liu has signed up for a year's supply of vegetables from the Tianjin joint venture.
She wanted to buy from another eco-farm which had a bigger range of foods, including meat and eggs, but gave up the idea because it charged extra for delivery to families living outside the capital's Fifth Ring Road.
"China faces a trust crisis. Once trust is betrayed, it's hard for me to trust again. I used to think that farmers were the kindest people in the world but now we see many have lost their basic ethics," she says.
"The safety of pork is most worrying. In normal conditions, it takes about one year for pigs to mature for sale. But some farmers bring their pigs to market in just three months. You don't know what has been added to their diet."
Coupled with deteriorating air and water quality, the food scares have many middle-class families rethinking their future.
"We thought China would become a great place to live 20 years ago. Now we cannot even find foods that are not poisonous," Xu says.
"Everybody is looking for ways to protect themselves. In the next five years, we will see a bigger wave of people migrating overseas."


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British automaker Aston Martin will debut its own China-focused “Dragon88” line at the impending Beijing Auto Show. It hopes to follow in the footsteps of the Rolls-Royce whose “Year of the Dragon” special edition Phantom that was made specifically for the Chinese market had sold out even with a $1.2 million price tag.
Six dealerships are operating in mainland China. Aston Martin expects that China would be its third-largest market, trailing only the U.S. and U.K., within just a few short years. Aston Martin hopes to affect the rising demand for ultra-luxury vehicles even as other auto segments indicate signs of a slowdown in China.
It has recently opened its biggest showroom in China in Shanghai and has expressed interest in hastening inland expansion in 2012 to cope with rivals such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce. In 2011, Aston Martin sold 190 vehicles in China -- double what it had sold in 2010. It has new showrooms slated for Chongqing, Shenyang and Ordos. Aston Martin said that the new “Dragon88″ special edition would be offered in V8 Vantage S, Virage and DBS models.
Like other China-only special editions, it comes with Chinese cultural references and iconography. The number eight is considered lucky in China. Its paint themes have three versions: champagne gold (which stands for wealth and fortune); volcano red (peace and protection) or amethyst red (dragon fire).
Its interior embroidery features a dragon that takes inspiration from the Nine Dragon Wall at Beihai Park in Beijing. The Dragon88 line also comes with a Bang and Olufsen speaker system, a set of new 10-spoke dragon edition alloy wheels and special black brake calipers. [source: Jingdaily]


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With many of the major DRAM and flash suppliers (e.g., Qimonda, Elpida, Spansion, Powerchip, Nanya, etc.) no longer part of the top 20 ranking, the total 1H08/1H07 sales of the top 20 semiconductor suppliers displayed a very strong 10% increase as compared to the total worldwide semiconductor market increase of 6%. Among the top 20 semiconductor suppliers, there was a 58-point swing (Figure 2) from the company that showed the fastest growth (TSMC at +35%) to the company that registered the steepest decline (H ynix at -23%).More than half of the top 20 semiconductor firms recorded a double-digit growth in the first half of 2008, with TSMC, Qualcomm, Panasonic, NVIDIA and Samsung being the biggest growers. Both Intel and AMD had to settle for a growth of 9% while NVIDIA managed to increase its sales by 23%. TI was the only one who didn't see its business grow, besides Hynix which is the only top 20 semiconductor firm who saw its sales shrink.
TSMC has biggest growth rate in semiconductor sales
Posted on Saturday, Aug 02 2008 @ 23:11 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Research firm IC Insights published a new report about the semiconductor market in the first half of 2008. Intel is the biggest semiconductor firm in the world with sales of almost 17.5 billion in the first half of this year, followed by Samsung at $11.19 billion and TI at $6.36 billion. Toshiba is the fourth largest semiconductor firm with sales of $5.84 billion and foundry TSMC climbed from the sixth to the fifth spot with sales of $5.66 billion. AMD slid from 11 to 15 with sales of $2.85 billion and NVIDIA still ranks 19 with a revenue of $2.14 billion.


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Boohoo, which owns PrettyLittleThing and Karen Millen has joined the ranks of clothing retailers issuing warnings about business conditions worsening as inflation continues to rise, dampening consumer spending.
Over the six months to August, UK revenues fell 19% despite Boohoo offering discounts to help drive value for its primary demographic of the younger generation.
Analysts at Shore Capital said that the group’s “recalibration in revenue expectations is influenced by a slower than anticipated volume recovery and a continued focus on more profitable sales.”
The analysts added that while revenues in core brands did decline by 10%, this was in line with prior expectations of a 10% to 15% decline.
Due to the revenue performance falling short of expectations, Boohoo has revised its sales forecast for the year ending in February 2024, anticipating a decline ranging between 12% and 17%.
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Boohoo HY highlights:
- Group revenue over the six months to August fell by 17% to £729.1m compared to the same period last year
- Adjusted EBITDA of £31.3m vs £35.5m a year earlier.
- Operating loss of £21.2m compared with £11.8m loss a year earlier.
- Loss before tax of £26.4m compared with loss of £15.2m
- UK and Europe revenues fell 19 and 16% respectively as the regions continue to battle soaring inflation which is impacting consumers’ disposable income.
- In the US, sales fell 12%, hurt by delivery lead times.
CEO John Lyttle remains optimistic and asserts that there is a “clear path” to returning to profitability as the group’s guidance for profit margins remains on track.
“Over the first half, we have made substantial progress across key projects and initiatives, including the launch of our US distribution centre,” said Lyttle.
“We have seen significant improvements in sourcing lead times and invested in pricing to reinforce our value credentials. We have identified more than £125m of annualised cost savings that support our investment programme.
“Our confidence in the medium-term prospects for the Group remains unchanged as we execute on our key priorities where we see a clear path to improved profitability and getting back to growth.”
Boohoo struggling to outshine Shein
Industry analysts called the set of results “disappointing”.
Louise Deglise-Favre, apparel analyst at GlobalData, noted: “This has forced the group to reckon with reality and drastically lower its full-year guidance to a sales decline between 12% and 17%—far lower than its previous expectations of a drop no larger than 5%.
“Its struggles are largely due to the meteoric rise of Shein, which has jumped to the top of the ultra-fast fashion game and continues to steal market share. Shein is more agile than boohoo and offers unbeatable low prices while keeping up with the endless stream of new micro-trends appearing on social media.
“Paradoxically, the group has also suffered from growing criticism from some consumers against fast fashion, decrying its environmental and social impacts. However, its efforts to boost profitability have led to some success, with an improvement in its EBITDA margin, supporting future investments. It has also strengthened its test-and-repeat model, improving lead times and reducing stock excess, which should allow it to better compete with Shein.
“The boohoo group stated that sales of its core brands (boohoo, boohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen and Debenhams marketplace) dropped 10%, outperforming its total sales, which indicates that the brands the group acquired during the pandemic, such as Wallis and Dorothy Perkins, have been dragging its performance down. These brands continue to suffer from the dull brand images they had prior to their acquisitions, and the boohoo group so far has been being unsuccessful at refreshing their identities, missing out on the opportunity to diversify its total customer base to a wider age range.”


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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — European plastics recyclers are facing a regional shortage of quality PET post-consumer waste, resulting from sizable exports of the material to China. The loss of recycled material, estimated at as much as 132.3 million pounds this year, is likely to worsen the effects of an expected shortfall in the region's overall PET resin supply and threatens the future of the recycling industry, European recycling leaders claim.
Several of Europe's biggest plastics recyclers have been hit hard by the shortfall. Many others are not prepared to invest in new capacity until they are sure enough quality plastics waste will be available in future, according to Bernard Merkx, president of the European Plastics Recyclers.
"The mechanical recycling industry is suffering considerably, mainly from the lack of sufficient quantities of homogeneous streams as input material. The material is collected but, instead of sorting, the bulk of the volume is pressed in bales and exported to the Far East.
"With a high demand for the input material, the remaining quantities available are very expensive, as there is an imbalance in offer [supply] and demand," Merkx told processors and resin suppliers at a May 18 recycling workshop in Brussels. The workshop was organized by the Brussels-based European Plastics Converters as part of Plastics Forum 2000.
Speaking later, Merkx said recyclers are handling about 10 percent of all plastics waste recovered in Europe. Today, an equivalent amount of plastics waste, much of it PET, is being consumed by exports, chiefly to China.
"We could increase the amount we are recycling relatively easily by, say 25 percent, if that material stayed in Europe," he said.
Instead of investing in new capacity, recyclers have idle lines and in some cases, businesses have been brought to their knees, he added.
Merkx, general manager of GT Recycling BV of Hardenberg, Netherlands, blamed the export drain of plastics waste for the "serious problems" being faced by some of Europe's, and the world's, top recycling firms.
He said the biggest of these, Arena Recycling NV of Beek, Netherlands, has severe financial difficulties.
"They are facing serious problems. They are making heavy losses because they cannot get enough recycling material," Merkx said.
Meanwhile, the second-ranked European plastics recycler, Polyrecycling AG of Weinfelden, Switzerland, has been forced to split up its operations and sell off its PET recycling business, said the EuPR president. The remainder of the firm is now known as PR Recycling AG.
"If the ... No. 1 and No. 2 [recyclers] cannot survive, then it is very serious," Merkx said.
In other European countries, too, recyclers are being hit hard. Merkx referred to the shutdown of plastics recycling firms in the United Kingdom, and severe problems being faced by the industry in Germany and Italy, where large quantities of PET waste collected is sold abroad.
"The mechanical recycling industry is not going to invest until these things are resolved. Because this industry has already invested many millions of dollars or deutsche marks since the early 1990s, there's a lot of disappointment because the market that was promised has never come," Merkx said.
The high price of what material is available, the inefficiency of the sorting process and the poor margins that can be expected are adding to European recyclers' state of crisis, he said.
Unless the problem of exported material is resolved by year's end and other players in the recycling chain play their part in the process, recycling in Europe will not progress, Merkx warned.
"If Europe wants to have a healthy, sustainable recycling industry, everybody has to play his part. If they do not do that, then they will have to live with the fact that there will be little recycling left," he said.
Under proposals for a revised version of the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste directive due to take effect in 2001, Europe's recyclers are backing a minimum quota target of 20 percent of plastic waste over five years.
Merkx said that achieving this target is "an enormous task," particularly in view of the current state of European recycling.
Another speaker at the workshop, Mathieu Haels, chief executive of Luxembourg-based PET preform molder LuxPET GmbH & Co. KG. of Sandweiler, said the PET market is growing at an average of 15 percent per year. From 3.75 billion pounds this year, European market demand is projected to grow to about 5 billion pounds by 2002, he said.
By that date, virgin PET capacity would be running at just 4.2 billion pounds, contributing to an increased shortfall. With PET collection and recycling still rising rapidly in the region, he suggested, the use of recyclate in PET "bottle-to-bottle" production could make up much of the gap.
Haels said there are import duties in Europe imposed on virgin material from Asia. So, he suggested, in view of a drain on quality raw material, one way to promote bottle-to-bottle recycling could be to place an export duty on PET flake and recycled PET.


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DHAKA, Bangladesh—A garment-factory fire killed seven people before it was extinguished Wednesday morning, highlighting challenges faced by Western retailers and labor groups that have pledged to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.
The blaze lasted nearly 12 hours, according to a senior fire-service official, who said police earlier had erred in reporting 10 deaths on Tuesday night.
It was another high-profile incident involving the country's $20 billion apparel industry since the collapse of a factory complex in April killed more than 1,100 people.
That earlier disaster prompted major global clothing brands to start dealing with workplace standards in Bangladesh, whose low-wage labor force has made it an important supplier of cheap fashions for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., WMT -0.75 % Hennes & Mauritz HMB 0.32 % AB and other store chains.
Under those plans, roughly 2,000 factories are to be subject to new safety inspections and receive funding or loans from buyers to make needed changes.
Those factories are used by 90 mostly European retailers, including H&M and Zara parent Inditex SA, ITX 0.23 % that have signed a five-year legally binding safety accord to fund factory fixes. More than 20 North American retailers, including Wal-Mart and Gap Inc., GPS -1.03 % have signed a separate, nonbinding pact to improve factory safety conditions.
But the widespread practice of subcontracting and the fact that many factories won't be covered by these programs could make it difficult to ensure industrywide improvements, labor leaders say.
Wal-Mart on Wednesday confirmed that some of its suppliers get fabric from the Aswad Composite Mills Ltd. plant that was gutted by Tuesday's fire. Spokeswoman Megan Murphy said the company didn't "have a direct contractual relationship with Aswad."
Ms. Murphy said Wal-Mart's safety and inspection system doesn't cover factories that make materials, such as fabrics, used in the clothes it sells. She said Bangladeshi government or local-industry leaders should "consider whether to extend safety programs to the next level of production."
Wal-Mart wasn't the only company with a connection to this latest burned textile factory. Others include Loblaw Cos., the Canadian owner of the Joe Fresh label, the Hudson's Bay Co. HBC -0.71 % and British retailer Primark, according to shipping records and interviews with workers and factory management.
Loblaw said it didn't place production orders with the factory and is investigating if orders were placed with unauthorized subcontractors. Hudson's Bay said it stopped using the factory in April. Primark said the Aswad factory had been a supplier, but the retailer added that it had stopped using the factory a few months ago.
Muhammad Mahbub, operations director for Bangladesh's Fire Service and Civil Defense Force said the factory had a fire-safety license and adequate firefighting equipment. He said fumes from burning fabric may have rendered some workers unconscious, resulting in their deaths. "The factory itself was not unsafe," Mr. Mahbub said Wednesday. "It had multiple exits." He said the cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Aswad is owned by Palmal Group, one of Bangladesh's largest apparel manufacturers.
Shafiul Azam, head of compliance for Palmal Group, said Aswad Composite had a modern fire hydrant system that the factory's employees had tried to use. "Seven of our employees, including a senior factory official, died trying to fight the fire," he said. "The workers had mostly evacuated safely."
Mr. Azam said Palmal has been working to improve its factories. "We're into a new era where buyers demand more from us and we are stepping up." He said the company, which operates 27 factories, has shut down two manufacturing units since June, after engineers appointed by a government agency to oversee building safety discovered serious flaws.
"Building and fire safety is central to our philosophy and that has been given added impetus after Rana Plaza," the factory complex that collapsed in April, Mr. Azam said. "We are relocating all our factories from rented and mixed-use buildings to purpose-built facilities."
A 2011 study by McKinsey & Co. found conditions vary widely among factories in Bangladesh. Some groups have added state-of-the-art factories in recent years but also continue to operate aging plants that industry experts say are less expensive to operate.


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PUBG Mobile has launched the Royal Pass Season 14: Spark the Flame that promises a slew of new unlockables, including new multi-formed gear skins and alluring level rewards. Developed by Tencent, the mobile multiplayer also announced a collaboration with Google, allowing Android users to enrol in Royal Pass Season 14 through a Prime subscription service that unlocks exclusive player benefits. Last week, PUBG Mobile received its massive 0.19.0 update that included a new Nordic-style map called Livik. In terms of patch size, the new update requires around 1.84GB on Android devices and 2.13GB on iOS devices.
Royal Pass Prime subscription service details
Teaming up with Google, PUBG Mobile allows its Android users to enrol in the Royale Pass Season 14: Spark the Flame through a new Royal Pass Prime subscription service. Promising exclusive benefits, the subscriptions are made available in two levels – Prime and Prime Plus. Players can choose to opt for a monthly, quarterly and yearly subscription plans.
The prime subscription also helps unlock 300 or 900 Royal Pass Vouchers that are awarded each month. It also gives a player access to exclusive Airplane Ranking display perks. Subscribers can also check out Redemption discounts.
As of now, the Royal Pass Prime subscription is only available for Android users. PUBG Mobile said in a press release that iOS gamers can look forward to an upcoming collaboration with Apple as well in the future.
Return of the Roaring Dragon
To mark the two-year anniversary of the game’s Royal Pass, the 14th season brings back the Roaring Dragon sets along with several Dragon Hunter-themed rewards, which were earlier featured in the fifth season of the Royal Pass. The latest season also allows players to instantly check out consecutive purchase perks and preview other pass benefits on the dedicated Royal Pass Benefits Page. The game says that there will now be an improved chance to spot an announcement related to the Royal Pass, when a player returns to lobby after a match.
Last week, PUBG Mobile released its 0.19.0 update, which introduced the much-awaited Livik map to the game. With a size of 2km x 2km, the Nordic-style map brought along an exclusive new vehicle, the Monster Truck. It features matches that last nearly 15 minutes, with two exclusive weapons – the P90 SMG and the Mk 12 marksman rifle.
PUBG Mobile also introduced several new anti-cheat measures yesterday, including fixing the “one-shot kill” issue.
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