text:
Microsoft's planned acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard has been officially blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The $68.7 billion acquisition was blocked on grounds that it would "alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come."
The CMA has posted a full statement on the UK Government website (along with a 415 page final report if you're up for some light reading) that elaborates on the decision in greater detail, confirming that Microsoft's proposed solution to its concerns "had significant shortcomings and would require regulatory oversight by CMA."
In regards to its specific concerns, the CMA stated the following:
"The cloud allows UK gamers to avoid buying expensive gaming consoles and PCs and gives them much more flexibility and choice as to how they play. Allowing Microsoft to take such a strong position in the cloud gaming market just as it begins to grow rapidly would risk undermining the innovation that is crucial to the development of these opportunities."
This wouldn't have much of an impact on Nintendo gamers were it not for the planned 10-year commitment from Microsoft to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, announced back in December 2022.
Much like the commitment itself, the specific language is vague but the deal is obviously contingent on Microsoft's acquisition being approved by regulators. Back in February, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, tweeted to confirm "Microsoft’s strong commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s customers if our acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved by regulators". There's that key word: if. If the acquisition doesn't close, Microsoft doesn't have access to CoD and the deal with Nintendo is equally dead in the water.
Microsoft has confirmed that it will appeal the decision by the CMA, as demonstrated in a rather sour statement from Brad Smith himself:
So, the drama continues! Given that Microsoft has confirmed it will appeal this decision, it doesn't seem likely that we'll see the end of this for quite some time. One thing's for certain: Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is likely feeling pleased right about now. Let's see how the appeal goes.
What do you make of the CMA's decision over Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard? Do you think it will eventually go through? Share your thoughts with a comment below.
[source gov.uk, via purexbox.com]
And so the saga continues.
This whole shebang could work as a novel, me thinks.
I didn't think Cloud gaming was gonna be what would undo Xbox's plans. But yeah I guess Microsoft is really entrenched in that field and would have an immediate huge advantage.
I find my self torn as fewer companies is rarely a good thing however sonys arguments have been ridiculous including exclusives are bad. So whens the last of us out on switch and xbox Sony?
Finally, and let it be end of that. The whole gaming world has better things to talk about.
The end is clear at this point even if they spend years spinning their wheels trying to get this reversed it most likely won’t work and other regulators might be embodied to block it as well now.
Cloud gaming is crap
Being against Disney buying Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox = Caring about the quality of movies and series
Being against Warner and Discovery merging = Caring about the quality of movies and series
Being against Universal buying DreamWorks = Caring about the quality of movies and series
Being against Activision and Blizzard merging = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against SquareSoft and Enix merging = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against EA buying small studios = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Konami buying Hudson = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Take-Two buying Zynga = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Sony buying Bungie = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Sony buying Square-Enix even though it's just a rumor = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Sega buying Rovio = Caring about the quality of videogames
Being against Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard = Being a whiny and envious Sony fanboy
90% of the movie and TV industry is in the hands of 5 conglomerates (Disney, Warner, Paramount, Universal and Sony), this is a major reason why Hollywood sucks, even when they release good movies, they don't want to create new things and want to just keep recycling what they already have, and these conglomerates also own journalism companies, making things even worse.
Disney buying Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox didn't go well, for the people who liked the franchises Disney bought and for the people who liked Disney before those acquisitions.
Warner Bros. and Discovery merger caused many projects to be cancelled, including some of them that were finished, and even works that were already released were removed from distribution.
Activision and Blizzard merging was terrible for Blizzard fans.
20 years later, most people agree that SquareSoft and Enix becoming Square-Enix allowed us to play some great games and there are franchises that stayed well, but overall, the merger was bad for those who liked what both companies had to offer.
EA has a history of buying smaller companies, ruining them and their franchises, and shutting them down.
Before Konami became a terrible company, they bought and absorbed Hudson, not only ruining the Castlevania, Contra and many other Konami franchises, but also ruining Bomberman, Adventure Island and other Hudson franchises.
But relax, Microsoft buying Activision is going to be good for us and Blizzard will be fixed, trust me bro, everyone who complains is a whiny and envious Sony fanboy.
The cloud? Cloud gaming is the hill they choose to defend?
I don't even...
There were funny arguments on PushSquare about this news.
Let's see if there will be some funny arguments about console wars on here. 🍿
A good day for gaming. You can buy developers no problem. But stay away from publishers!
I swear at the end of this all they will make a movie like the social network about it all making those involved out to be victims.
We got one! Sony fanboy in the house y'all!
Time to teach @victordamazio a lesson - Go!
it really is a sad day in gaming today $ony is too comfortable and the Mid-Station 5 is suffering because of it .
worst playstation of all time so far
Lol, cloud gaming…
Microsoft convincing the CMA to drop their console gaming substantial lessening of competition concerns over Call of Duty, only for the CMA to block the deal anyways over cloud gaming, which accounts for ...check notes... under 1% of the global gaming market, is the ultimate irony.
@victordamazio I think you need to get some fresh air.
I apologize in advance if this is a dumb question; but aren't both these companies American? How does the UK have a say in this? I really don't know anything about mergers and who has the final say.
As for the this merger, I can't see how this is any worst then other recent mergers that have gone unchecked.
@gcunit Yup, I'm sure that'll go well, right? In that case, I'm sitting out on that, thank you very much./s
Does anyone know what the rate of success is for appealing decisions of the CMA?
@PessitheMystic Plus, these are the same comments he posted before. No points for that, I'm sure.
MS is already appealing so it isn’t over yet. Although I wonder if MS is willing to lose the UK market over it (with Brexit that means this just impacts the UK?). Technically afaik so long as the merger is approved in the US they can go forward but just can’t do business in blocked countries or have to set up subsidiaries/file as two separate companies where they are blocked. Or stop doing business there.
To hang this on cloud gaming when MS is one of the largest cloud service providers (Azure) is odd as Sony can’t do anything in that arena anyway as a cloud service provider unless they wanna fight google , amazon and ms. And when cloud gaming is still in its infancy. And MS isn’t overly pushing xcloud right now anyway. For all we know cloud gaming may fail because internet infrastructure still is uneven globally.
I don’t care beyond the benefit of COD on Nintendo systems and the stock impact all this has overall but it is interesting to watch.
Edit: edited for clarity.
I didn’t want the merger.
I want more games not less.
However I don’t think I can cope with month more of xenophobic, conspiracy theories telling us on both sides however everyone is evil.
The culture wars in the rest of society is bad enough. This deal has brought out the absolute worse in the gaming industry and fan base
@DanijoEX I did think the second comment was posted too quickly. Makes sense now. Effort for being able to use CTRL + C.
@PessitheMystic It's not always the case, I've written similarly long comments in the past and simply wrote the full comment first on Notepad and then posted it as two separate comments at once.
That said, if the exact same comments have already been posted elsewhere like @DanijoEX mentioned...
This is far from the end of this saga which is unfortunate regardless of how you feel about the acquisition, would've been nice to be done hearing about it.
That's a relief. Microsoft will obviously appeal but it has been a fun story to follow. These massive takeovers are crazy and I don't think they're in the best interest of the players.
I was under the impression that Microsoft has almost clenched it.
@nomither6 I'm not sure I would say Microsoft being blocked in attempting to further monopolize the major budget market is a sad day...
Probably best we have more singular entities, not less...
While I very much think it's a strange hill for the UK to choose as saying it "goes too far", I do feel the need to point out that Sony does, in fact, have a competing cloud service in the form of Playstation Plus (formerly called Playstation Now). So there is something resembling logic in their reasoning.
A Playstation console isn't required to use it, either. It's available via PC, and by extension it can be accessed across a wide array of devices.
@dkxcalibur I had the same question over on PS about the UK blocking a U.S. deal but no replies yet. I did a Google search but didn’t find anything useful. I did find the US FTC was suing to block it back in December and the EU seems opposed to the deal as well so this may just be the first denial of many, which might be too many for even MS to overcome.
But if everyone else oks it and only the UK doesn’t that could be interesting. If I was them I’d do it anyway, let the UK come crawling back to them begging them to do business there. Sure the UK can survive without CoD but how are they going to function without Windows? 🤷🏻♂
@TrixieSparkle That is fair but I was talking about underlying infrastructure that’s why I said cloud service provider and not cloud gaming service provider. I’m talking about Azure. Not the currently offered gaming services. I will edit for clarity.
I think MS is getting far too big and I want Activision to fail in everything they do. The court's decision was a win for all of us.
When this deal goed through, people in England would have to import their Micro-Vision games.
Or just skip them entirely.
Cloud gaming is a joke, here in the UK broadband is atrocious. I live in a rural area and sometimes I can't even access my emails. Cloud gaming is totally out.
This article should be making everyone nervous, due to the fact that people in power defend cloud gaming as “fast growing.” Enjoy your game ownership while you can, folks. Cloud gaming will evaporate digital and physical ownership.
Cloud gaming is really bad and barely has a player base, I find it weird that this is why the deal was blocked.
@Gex Google “cloud gaming market size” and tell me if you still believe what you said about it barely having a player base.
Well… that was unexpected… I guess UK is ready to kill console gaming. Who’s ready for the Switch Cloud? Be prepared for that latency when playing on Cloud 9. I might go back to board games if that’s where gaming goes so I f Hookshot Media needs someone to start a board game media empire let me know. I’ll be happy to be a guinea pig for this experiment, first review will be Pandemic Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
@dkxcalibur Becasue if affects all markets therefore it must be aproved by all regions
I still don't particularly understand how British regulator's decisions really have any impact on the business decisions of two American companies. I feel like Microsoft could just forgo the market without much of an impact. Clearly the British government has bent to Sony's lobbyists.
Oh no, whatever shall we do? Lol
This is certainly an interesting article that brings to light how corporations attempt to divvy up the market.
@Stocksy what theories? explain
I don't see how this will stop an American company from buying an American company.... Don't do business in the UK then..
Just avoid the UK market altogether, it's not like all of Europe had issue with it. UK don't support the acquisition, their loss everyone gain.
I just love how everyone in this situation are the bad guys. Ms is bad because big corporations=bad. Activision blizzard is bad because they're Activision blizzard. Sony is bad because obnoxious Sony execs. Whoever wins, we all lose.
@Pres_Shinra So if that logic is true, couldn't one country just block other county's businesses just to cause problems?
@Serpenterror You do realize UK is one of the largest markets in the industry, right? What if the US blocks it too? Should they avoid our market too when that would drop global sales numbers by 25-30%? 🤣
@dkxcalibur Yes they could and I believe that has happened with China on a few ocasions however it's not a widespread malpractice cuz if you botch an aquistion from a foreign country then if one your companies tries to adquire another in that country you know you are screwed. Plus you still have to go to court so in theory no politics there. FOr example, Brazil and Japan have already approved the aquisition of Activision. Anoteh example is the EU forcing Apple to adopt the USB-C. Apple could simply launch the iphone with USB-C only in the EU, they will make it global cuz they want it that way (and know other regulators would follow)
Out of any other potential sticking points, the one they choose is cloud gaming?
I swear some sagas never end.
@LilyGoMEOW Nope the UK market is small, them having a website, some devs, and a sales chart means nothing. I literally knows nobody there and I play online all the time.
Microsoft will appeal the decision, so I guess we'll have another 9 months of drama.
Anyways, the european union commission will announce their decision next month. If they also block the deal it'll probably game over for microsoft, winning against the FTC seem easier, but against two european regulators? That would be hard.
@Pres_Shinra Maybe. We're still talking about one American company buying another American company, and a British agency trying to block it. I'm pretty sure the US has major beef with Huawei but I'm sure that company has completed mergers. I'm just saying that if all it takes in one country being upset or concerned to block a merger....even in another country, I doubt any mergers would take place.
I think your second example isn't the same though. A country forcing a company to abide by a standard or specific demand, like a charger, really isn't remotely the same as one company buying another company from the same country; and governing branch from a separate country trying to block it.
@fenlix I have a concern that this ultimately does more harm then helps the consumer. Like you pointed out, government agencies never move quickly. What if this drags out another year? It creates delays in games. Doesn't that hurt the consumers as much as the merger will supposedly hinder creativity? Plus there's still lots of other game developers out there. It's not like they've purchased them all. It would be different if once cell phone service provider owned all the cell phone service companies. That one company would control prices and stifle competition completely.
@dkxcalibur What im telling is not an opinion it's a fact.
Here is my last piece of evidence.
Ater this believe what you want. But it this wasnt an issue than this activision deal would not be news... Plus of course the main regulators comunicate between them.
As for my charger example, I know it's its not the same but it´s the same principle, the regulator has only power in their country and yet it can have ripple efects in other markets.
Sony obviously put their hands on this. Now, we're going to get a real console war. Sony and Microsoft have been very passive agressive with each other for years, now it's real.
Well, I am genuinely surprised at this outcome. I wonder if they will stop SONY insisting on contracts prohibiting developers working with certain other companies.
As much as I hate aquisitions (I feel both Rare and Star Wars have lost their heart since) there has been so much precedent set that I honestly don't know how this got blocked. Given the CMA's verdict...I'm not sure they do either...
Nintendo Life writes:
"This wouldn't have much of an impact on Nintendo gamers were it not for the planned 10-year commitment from Microsoft to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, announced back in December 2022.
Much like the commitment itself, the specific language is vague but it does seem as though the deal was contingent on Microsoft's acquisition being approved by regulators. Back in February, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, tweeted to confirm "Microsoft’s strong commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s customers if our acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved by regulators". There's that key word: if."
Well, Nintendo Life, it is nothing vague about it all really.
Think about it for a while, Nintendo Life.
Microsoft is only able to commit to bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch and "Switch 2" (Switch U, Switch 64, Switch Boy Advance, Super Switch, SwitchCube) if they actually get to buy Activision Blizzard.
If the purchase does not go through, then Microsoft is not the owner of Call of Duty or Activision Blizzard, which means Microsoft has no way to make commitments. If Activision Blizzard stays an independent company, then they would have to commit to bringing Call of Duty to Switch or "Switch 2" themselves. Microsoft would have no say in it, just like Microsoft has no say in whether or not EA brings games like Battlefield or NHL to Nintendo Switch or "Switch 2".
So there is no big mystery here, not very vague. Microsoft is only able to commit to it if they own the company. IF Microsoft does not get to buy Activision Blizzard, then we would need a promise from Activision Blizzard themselves about Call of Duty for Nintendo Consoles.
A question for Nintendo Life and other gaming press to ask Activision Blizzard is obviously something like:
"So if you stay independent and Microsoft is not allowed to purchase you, could we still get Nintendo versions of Call of Duty or would it be a hard no on bringing Call of Duty to Switch?"
Activision Blizzard has brought some other games to Switch, right? Like Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot? So they are at least not completely inexperienced with Switch as a hardware and platform.
@Pres_Shinra Good find with the article. Like I said, earlier, I don't really know how mergers work. I'm a sceptic by nature so that's why I found what you were saying earlier hard to believe; but I stand corrected.
@Okko i live in a more urban area in sweden and broadband is sort of everywhere here. And 4G and 5G networks too. Sweden was, as a country, kind of an early adopter of broadband. Sweden invested (government, or government owned company) in broadband quite a lot in the early 2000s. But it is different in different countries and areas.
@DanijoEX The saga continues.
Episode VII - The Spencer Menace (making an aquisition offer)
Episode VIII - The British Empire strikes back (saying no to the deal)
Episode IX - Return of the Kotick (Kotick gets to keep his job somehow)
I'm confused as to why the UK government gets a say in what US companies do?
@dkxcalibur Yes I understand, you can't believe a random guy on the internet xD
How can the UK block two American companies merging?
If the FTC were to approve it, would that just mean the combined company wouldn't be allowed to operate in the UK?
@StAmbrosius UK govt seems all about the Linux. 😉
@RainbowStarFlower it’s not . it’s worse if we don’t because $ony has no competition . they’ve been mediocrely garbage for years now
Horrible variety in their exclusives
Playstation 5 basically does nothing - Zero features - or gen defying features besides an SSD .
@victordamazio I am against this acquisition, because I am a gamer. Nobody in the industry has acquired publisher’s before except Microsoft with Zenimax and now they try to take over Activision. I would feel the same if it was Sony or Nintendo. Next to that Microsoft still hasnt proved for the last 10 plus year with all their acquisitions that they are capable of producing real triple A games like Nintendo en Sony let alone regularly. So there is no proof that Microsoft will be able to produce these kind of games in the future. So now you have a company like Microsoft owning two major publishers with no positive triple A games track record whatsoever. For me that sounds like a very bleak gaming future. I hope I am wrong and they will start with Starfield.
Yay, no COD on Switch thanks to Sony!
Oh wait... THIS SUCKS!
@Edu23XWiiU It's funny how Nintendo fans have been trying to sit this one out, but we've all been dragged into it now thanks to the way COD was going to come to Switch if this deal happened. So basically Sony's ruthlessness and anti-consumer tactics have resulted in them hurting Switch fans in their effort to hurt Xbox.
I guess that's when you know things have become serious, and how Sony has become a tyrannical force in the industry that won't stop with Xbox.
I guess after Disney buying Fox and the whole afterbirth of that saga has led these groups growing a spine.
Sony needs to take the 10 year COD deal and move on. If Sony gets the deal blocked Activision won’t want to play nice with them anymore anyway. What’s the point?
@RainbowStarFlower What has Activision done “for the players”? Or even for their employees? MS hasn’t handled Xbox too well but it certainly can’t get any worse than the way Activision currently operates.
This whole saga has been an utter clown show. All it’s done is make me lose trust in both companies. Screw this, I’m going full PC gaming with Nintendo on the side. Console gaming has lost all its lustre for me thanks to this.
@Serpenterror Xbox series S/X have sold over 2 million units in the UK. It wouldn’t inspire much confidence in Microsoft as a brand if they decided to stop supporting those 2 million customers in favour of this deal.…..We might not be the biggest country in the world but that doesn’t mean we deserve to suddenly find ourselves in possession of £500 paperweights.
@Aawill91 It's not about what Activision do for the players. It's about the independence of single entities rather than massive media conglomerates having monopolized the entire AAA industry.
Zenimax was a huge get for Microsoft. Activision would have been massive, too. We already have future Obsidian, Bethesda and Arkane games all exclusive to Xbox and PC. These aren't some small studios and IPs Microsoft are buying up. They're buying up IPs that have huge value, which is one of the reasons why this deal isn't going through. Monopolies aren't good.
@nomither6 Don't be fooled into thinking Microsoft's monopoly will somehow light a fuse in Sony that makes them develop a console you like, dude.
Sony don't have the money to flaunt and buy 60 billion dollar companies. If you're not satisfied with Sony's IPs, don't point fingers and say "Why can't Sony buy Elder Scrolls?"
@Jireland92 PC = Microsoft, really.
So long as you're playing on Windows, that's all Microsoft really cares about.
I think this can be sorted with lawyers but will push it into 2024.
The CMA have proved before with errors that they don't understand the deal fully.
The saga continues.
officially blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA
Aka Sony fingerprints all over it...what else is there left??? If Cloud gaming is the only straw they can grab for they need to grab for the middle of their pants first.
They got them with “cloud gaming”?
That’s some weakass source they got there.
@nomither6 ps5 is selling like wildfire none like Xbox which can't even make it to ps5 sales numbers
@JayJ there was nothing blocking Activision from releasing call of duty on the switch before Microsoft attempted acquisition, and there’s nothing blocking Activision from releasing call of duty on the switch in the future other than Activision’s complete lack of interest in releasing call of duty on the switch.
@IndoorEnthusiast Except for the fact that the Microsoft deal was the only reason they ever made any intention to release COD on the Switch. Thanks to Sony's ruthless monopolization tactics, where they will get regulators to shut down any deals that might threaten their industry domination, Nintendo will no longer get a COD, because the proposal that would have made Activision do that no longer exists.
Why would you expect Activision to suddenly start releasing COD with Nintendo without any incentive? Sony wanted to ruin this deal for everyone so they could capitalize on it themselves.
@RainbowStarFlower Sony is by far the closest thing the gaming industry has to a monopoly right now, and today has proved that as a fact. They have by far the biggest marketshare: fact. They have control over regulators and can make them block competitors deals if they start to threaten their industry lead: fact. They are aggressively buying up smaller studios: fact.
Face it, Sony are not the good guys anymore. They're the ruthless business that is out to dominate everything for themselves and force anti-consumer conditions because why should they try or care anymore? When one company can dominate an entire industry, it's the people who lose.
No it’s not going to alter the fast growing cloud gaming market because cloud gaming is not growing fast. Seriously guys cloud gaming is not going to be the way of the future.
@JayJ Sony absolutely does not have a monopoly on the industry.
"They have control over regulators and can make them block competitors deals if they start to threaten their industry lead: fact. " That's not a fact. That's a conspiracy.
"They are aggressively buying up smaller studios: fact." That is inconsequential when they're not buying up some of the biggest IPs in the industry. (Minecraft, Elder Scrolls, attempting to buy Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, DOTA, Overwatch etc.). Activision and King are two massive market holders in the industry, alongside EA and Ubisoft. Microsoft owning them - it's the equivalent of Disney buying up the likes of Fox.
Sony's most recent acquisitions include Firewatch Studios and Haven Studios. Neither of which have yet to release a game. It's hardly the same as acquiring Activision, that spans multiple studios and multiple massive IPs.
"When one company can dominate an entire industry, it's the people who lose." Yes. That is why Microsoft being allowed to acquire a conglomerate as massive as Activision is a bad thing.
Neither Sony or Microsoft are "Good guys". They're businesses in the business of making money.
@RainbowStarFlower Sorry but today has objectively proven you wrong on all accounts, and it's blatantly obvious how you are just a Sony fanboy trying to defend their ruthless industry monopolization tactics as they further expand their dominant marketshare advantage over all competition.
Sony personally killed any chance of COD coming to a Nintendo platform today: fact. I have no reason to celebrate a Sony victory that costs me any chance of being able to play a Call of Duty title on a Nintendo platform.
@JayJ I'm not even going to entertain any of that garbage. Frankly, you know nothing about my taste or interest in gaming. How you think Sony has a monopoly on gaming is beyond me: https://companiesmarketcap.com/video-games/largest-video-game-companies-by-market-cap/
Microsoft is one of the largest tech companies in the world. They can throw 69 billion dollars to the wall. They've already purchased Minecraft and Zenimax for a whopping amount of cash each. If they continue this trend, they'll whip up whoever they can. EA, Sega, God only knows. At some point, a line needs to be drawn on these acquisitions.
I want Call of Duty to appear on as many systems as it can. I think Activision should do that regardless of whether Microsoft is involved.
And for the record, I'll be buying plenty of Microsoft and Sony published games this year. I think it is good when there is healthy competition among the top competitors. That does not involve cannibalising some of the biggest businesses in the industry. Microsoft are more than welcome to my money because 1. Windows is great and I'm using it now and 2. They are publishing great games on Windows.
@JayJ Microsoft only showed any intentions of releasing call of duty on the switch once they encountered pushback on the acquisition from regulators, they had no intent before just as an Activision had no intent of releasing call of duty on the switch in the previous seven years.
@IndoorEnthusiast Microsoft have a decent relationship with Nintendo. Do I think you're right? Yeah, probably. I do think it was a tactic to show their inclusivity in striking back at Sony's refute.
You certainly don't see them rushing to get Outer Worlds 2 or Redfall onto anything other than Microsoft services and systems, though. So I'd hold my breath on how far that inclusivity goes.
@IndoorEnthusiast I don't see how that in any way changed the situation. Whatever Microsoft's motivation could have been, they're the reason why COD got announced for the Switch with a 10 year deal. No Microsoft, no deal, no COD for Switch. End of story.
@C25CLOUD because of the ps4’s success. as of right now there’s no reason to have a ps5 over a ps4 .
@RainbowStarFlower you don’t know what would happen either; how about you let me have my opinion and you keep yours to yourself ?
don’t reply to me again 🤡
@nomither6 It's a public forum.
The point is, Sony are doing fine. They're buying up studios, releasing big games. It may not be to your taste, but that's not really going to be solved with Microsoft amassing a big chunk of the industry.
Both Microsoft and Sony have some very promising talent under their belt (Already Sony put out Season this year while Microsoft release Hi-Fi Rush). They've got big games on the horizon like Starfield and Spider-Man 2. They can have competition like that without buying up every major player in the industry.
I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I’m one of those few people who enjoy Call of Duty and would prefer to play it on a Nintendo platform. I also hate cloud gaming, so this little fiasco has me perturbed lol.
Would be hilarious if MS just goes “***** UK then” if they reject the appeal if rest of planet is fine with acquisition. Wouldn’t be the first time UK made a blunder on a global scale. UK is one of Sony’s strongest market so doubt it’s a coincidence either lol.
Good. All these 10-year symbolisms are worthless when the future is decided in whose subscription model has the better exclusives.
The EU will block the acquisition. They delayed their decision just to wait what the CMA was going to decide. They just barely avoided a huge conflict with the UK because of the border tradings around Northern Ireland. Do you really believe they will endanger that fragile agreement because of a merger between Activision and Microsoft? By adding another potential conflict?
@dkxcalibur @rjejr I think Microsoft could still buy a Activision if they wanted to, but the UK wouldn’t let Microsoft operate in their region anymore, which is why getting approval from multiple countries is necessary.
This is my extremely limited understanding of this situation though. It would be nice to see an article explaining why this actually matters though.
@RainbowStarFlower Activision is way overvalued. In the past three years they’ve only released COD games, one Tony Hawk and 2 Crash games. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if it wasn’t for COD. Blizzard is a husk of what it once was too. This won’t hurt Sony. There aren’t many people who would switch their whole gaming ecosystem from PS to Xbox over some dumb Activision games. PS still has all the good AAA exclusives. I can understand why people think this would make MS a monopoly but it’s going to take a lot more than COD to stop Sony’s dominance.
@Aawill91 It's less about just Activision exclusively, though Activision Blizzard is a far bigger conglomerate than you're presenting when you factor in what else they get.
It's more where the line is drawn. Activision is still one of the biggest gaming companies this side of Ubisoft and EA. Let this go through and what else are Microsoft allowed to purchase?
PlayStation and Xbox have healthy competition now but if Microsoft can continue to flaunt their wealth, they'll have all these major AAA games on Gamepass day 1.
For those asking - this isn’t the UK blocking the merger of two US companies.
This is the UK saying that the merging of the UK operations of those two US companies would be anti-competitive to the UK market (specifically the gaming streaming market).
I haven’t read up enough to determine what work arounds they can do - ie could they just limit what is available via steaming in the UK? - but the reason this could tank the whole deal is that the sale price will be based around the economics of profit projections and synergies across global markets and that is now thrown off. Obviously it will definitely be tanked if EU regulators also don’t allow it as that becomes too huge an impact to the economics of the deal.
Hope that helps anyone still reading!
@Stocksy silent to my comment? aha! a person who larps an american-kind of patriot personality like the white nationalist ku klux klan. do you think scottish people are scroungers?
Sweet, now go make games MS and cultivate all those studios you already own.
Why did they wait so long before parroting useless arguments as this merger was happening? You have to ask this why now. I think alot has to do with another party loosing out that caused this. CMA is doing its behalf of another not really doing for the consumer.
@LP09 I'd really like to see it explained b/c I just don't get it. 🤷♂ This BBC article, and I trust the BBC more than any of my US news organizations, just flatly states it can't be done. I'd write it off as incompetent authors but it's 2 business people, so they should theoretically know what they're writing about.
"For the deal to work, it has to be approved by regulators in the UK, the US and the EU."
I've decided US and EU weren't going to approve it anyway so it's moot. Would be interesting if both the EU and US did approve it, what the fight between MS and the UK would look like, probably something like this but much bigger. Oh well.
@JayJ exactly, it's funny how the FTC in the United States have allied themselves with Sony in their chase to stop a "monopolistic" action from Microsoft by acquiring Activision-Blizzard, when Sony holds a control of the videogames market of 70%. And Bobby Kotyc, the CEO of AB, has come out to say that the head of the FTC, Lina Khan, met with the CMA right before they gave their verdict on this case, clearly alluding that she interfered on the decision the CMA took. The plot thickens, and yes, we as Nintendo players, are affected by Sony's whining against Microsoft. Sony is so anti consumer, it's laughable how big game media sites don't talk about that.
They're doing this for the non-cloud part of the portfolio. So they probably wouldn't oppose spinning off the cloud parts into a separate company.
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SPECIAL NOTE: NAWBO Silicon Valley would like to take this opportunity to thank our men and women across the state in their effort in combating fires and power outages helping thousands of people and want them to know they are tremendously appreciated.
Congratulations!!! Our chapter was recently honored at the NAWBO National Conference in Jacksonville, Florida for achieving the 5 Star Award. We thank Griselda Quezada-Chavez and Eugenia Lunden for accepting this award on our behalf. This award represents our dedication and hard work in our local advocacy efforts, and we were one of nearly 60 NAWBO chapters in the country to receive this.
Our October 22nd event was sponsored by Perkins Coie LLP in Palo Alto, and their legal experts did a phenomenal job in educating us about upcoming changes in laws that would affect our businesses. The top ones to look out for are the California AB 5 (aka Dynamex) and the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA).
AB 5 would limit the use of classifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees by companies. CPPA requires businesses that collect, maintain or sell personal information to notify consumers and would disclose the information and business use of information, which allows consumers to opt out and have personal information deleted. Please look out for any updates on AB 5 and CPPA in our upcoming newsletters.
Next month, we look forward to an educational and interesting topic on Money Matters and Finance… We are thankful to Bank of America and Merrill Lynch for sponsoring this event, and we hope you can join us!
Our annual holiday luncheon is set for Tuesday, December 17th at the University Club of Palo Alto, so please mark your calendar now. We will have a delightful afternoon of the finest cuisine and beverage service while being entertained by the infamous Peninsula Symphony. Because of our successful fundraiser last year for Dress for Success, we will collaborate with them once again and we look forward to your participation. More details will be shared in our events calendar and upcoming newsletters.
Many thanks for taking this journey with us in reinvigorating and refreshing our mission to propel women business owners in their personal and professional lives. It is clear that we can accomplish bigger and greater things together!

domain: news


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This is to bring delish food offerings to it’s Metaverse Ecosystem. OneRare will be designing special Food menus for Fabwelt’s exciting new game launches.
The first game coming from the Fabwelt stable is Arsenal, with the beta launch scheduled for January 2022. Arsenal is a 3D First Person Shooter (FPS) game with exciting tournaments, maps & in-game utility NFTs. OneRare will design special Energy-boosting Dishes for players that will allow them to battle with full vigor.
The second project in development is Fanwelt, a fantasy sports gaming platform. OneRare will curate special Sports-team inspired meals for users, that will allow users special advantages in tournaments.
OneRare is the world’s first Metaverse for the global Food & Beverage Industry. They are building the first tokenization layer that celebrates Food in Web3 — creating an immersive & gamified experience for users worldwide.
FabWelt is a revolutionary Metaverse ecosystem that is focused on improving the gaming landscape by utilizing blockchain technology in high-end games.


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The Apple App Store, undoubtedly one of the best & finest store out there is ultimately seeing a real rival. – The Play Store, and it coming close, really close to its counterpart, the Play Store will finally catch up with Apple by 2016!
Google’s Play Store revenues are growing much faster than Apple’s App Store according to a report from App Annie but Apple still saw around 2.6x more sales than the Play Store, that can generally be attributed to the App Store’s ‘healthier’ ecosystem. Compared to Q4 2012 however that number has gone down from four times higher app revenue.
The Play Store nevertheless managed to surge during the past few months, totaling an increase of 90% in revenues – One key leading factor being games sales which grew to cover approximately 80% of revenue in the Google Play Store. The category saw an impressive growth in leading countries such as US, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China. Paid “Communication” and “Social” apps are 2nd and 3rd, with “Tools” and “Productivity” rounding out the top 5.
Within the two app stores, several countries stood out for driving growth from Q4 2012 to Q1 2013:
- United States was responsible for much of the growth in iOS revenues, while China proved to be an up-and-coming revenue contributor and also led the growth in iOS downloads
- Russia was a key factor in Google Play downloads growth
- Japan and South Korea continued to drive notable revenue growth for Google Play
This sudden bump in revenues proves that the Google Play Store is quickly catching with its biggest rival, it may take no longer than few years for us to finally get a grasp of its success across the whole Android spectrum!


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Reliance announced the Jio GigaFiber a year ago, and it has been made available to consumers in a beta phase under the preview offer. The Reliance AGM is due in a couple of weeks, and the company could make the announcement of the launch of Jio GigaFiber commercially across the country.
The Reliance Group head Mukesh Ambani could make an announcement of the subscription fees, benefits and much more for GigaFiber at the AGM. The lowest subscription price for a month could be INR₹ 600 for 100GB at a speed of 100Mbps. Users along with the Jio GigaFiber could be entitled to both, JioTV and a landline connection.
Jio GigaFiber is expected to focus on fast Internet connectivity without asking a premium like its rivals.
The the Jio HomeTV which could be an addon feature which will work just like the DTH technology, but instead it will stream channels over the internet rather than the dish technology. Therefore, it could possibly one of the most cheapest cable company proving over 600 TV channels for less than INR₹ 600.
Since the Jio Home TV uses the internet which evades the TRAI regulations, and fixed channel pricing or policy.
Source : Various


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Holiday spending lifts retailers
Shoppers came out in force last month despite Brexit, as the attractions of a weak pound to tourists and pre-holiday spending kept retailers busy.
Hammerson’s retail tracker, which looks at sales across its countrywide portfolio of shopping centres, found a 0.5 per cent pick-up last month with jewellery sales up 2.7 per cent for the month and sales of expensive watches driving the rise.
Fashion accessories were the biggest winner, up nearly 12 per cent year on year, while tablet cases, mobile phone battery packs and headphones drove a 6.9 per cent rise in the sound, picture and technology category.
“Domestic consumers are treating themselves to seasonal favourites and one-off luxury items,” David Atkins, chief executive of Hammerson, said.
Figures from the bank holiday weekend


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Nearly a million Japanese people can't be wrong. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has sold 820,000 units in its first week on sale in Japan, according to Media Create, for the week ending February 3. Mental. Wii Fit has now been knocked down to fifth place, after enjoying several weeks in the top slot.
Devil May Cry 4, as predicted, came in second place, with 205,000 copies sold. The rest of the list is below.
1. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
2. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)
3. Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut (PS2)
4. Haruhi Suzumiya's Wonderment (PS2)
5. Wii Fit (Wii)
6. Disgaea 3 (PS3)
7. Devil May Cry 4 (360)
8. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS)
9. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
10. World Soccer Winning Eleven: Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 (PSP)


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Tesla in talks with Chinese government over safety concerns
Image credit: Dreamstime
Chinese regulators have met representatives from EV manufacturer Tesla over consumer reports of safety issues, according to a Reuters report.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced in a social media post that some of its officials and representatives from the Ministry of Industry and IT, Ministry of Emergency Management, Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Transportation had recently met with Tesla.
The meeting was held to discuss consumer reports of safety issues, including battery fires, abnormal acceleration and problems with over-the-air software updates. According to Reuters, the regulator urged Tesla to operate with respect for Chinese laws and consumer rights. Tesla agreed to investigate the problems raised, strengthen its internal management and intensify inspections.
A Tesla spokesperson said: “We will strictly abide by Chinese laws and regulations and always respect consumer rights,” adding that Tesla had accepted the guidance from the regulators.
In May 2020, the Ministry of Industry called on Tesla to ensure that vehicles made in the country are consistent with those made abroad, after some customers complained about use of less sophisticated chips in their cars.
Tesla’s Shanghai “Gigafactory” is manufacturing Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs. Deliveries began last month and the company aims to ramp production up to 250,000 cars every year. China is Tesla’s largest market outside the US.
The Chinese government has been strongly promoting EVs as it pursues an ambitious decarbonisation strategy; along with Tesla, domestic EV start-ups like NIO and XPeng have models in production in China. According to the State Council of China, sales of EVs, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles in the country are expected to rise from five per cent to 20 per cent of all new car sales by 2025.
In January this year, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Tesla to recall almost 160,000 vehicles due to concerns regarding the media control units installed in Model S sedans and Model X SUVs. Tesla has reportedly received over 10,000 requests to replace media control units.
These units, which are used to input many essential vehicle functions, use 8GB flash memory chips in Nvidia processors. Whenever a driver turns on the vehicle, the total capacity of the chip is slightly eroded; the regulator has estimated that capacity is reached in approximately five to six years. This is considered an insufficient life expectancy for an “integral” component.
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Japan’s June chemical exports rise by 39.6%, total exports up 48.6%
SINGGAPORE (ICIS)–Japan’s chemical exports surged by 39.6% year on year to yen (Y) 885.2bn in June, supporting the overall rise in shipments abroad, official data showed on Wednesday.
Exports of organic chemicals rose by 40.9% year on year to Y159.7bn in June while shipments of plastic materials abroad rose by 43.1% to Y248.8bn, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement.
On a volume basis, exports of plastic materials rose by 10.2% year on year to 495,302 tonnes in June.
Japan’s overall exports rose by 48.6% year on year to Y7,220.8bn in June, while imports were up by 32.7% to Y6,837.6bn.
This resulted in a trade surplus of Y383.2bn in June this year, compared with the Y291bn deficit in June 2020.
Total shipments to China rose by 27.7% year on year in June while exports to the US surged by 85.5%.


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Despite Economic Slump, Consumers Still on Green Track
In the past few months, EL has reported that industries like wind power and recycling have been negatively affected by the economic downturn. But it seems for consumers, going green is still the thing to do, according to research by The Hartman Group.
Three in four consumers consider environment and social aspects when making purchase decisions, and one in three are willing to pay more for that benefit, according to the Hartman Group report, “Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility.”
According to the report, 88 percent of consumers define themselves as participating in sustainable behaviors. A nearly equal number of consumers believe their purchase decisions (37 percent) matter as much as their votes (45 percent). Still, less than 25 percent of consumers can name one “sustainable” product.
Consumers are certainly adapting to today’s economic climate, but not by stopping the green trend, the report found. Instead, they are broadening their expectation of sustainability beyond the cliches of “green” and “environment” to include a deeper understanding of topics. Whether it be an individual issue, or one of overall corporate responsibility, their purchase decisions are still influenced by companies’ choices.
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text: In a bid to make Goa self sufficient in raw cashew nut production in the next 5-10 years, the Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) has stressed on giving a boost to cashew cultivation across the State. The Corporation has felt the need to expand the area under cashew cultivation for this purpose, and also to promote cashew and its by-products on a larger scale. GFDC chairman Deviya Rane on Wednesday held a meeting with the Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chairman Ganesh Gaonkar proposing the organising of a full-fledged State level cashew festival to promote cashew and its related products, including feni. GFDC intends to make this as annual affair in association with the Tourism Department. Speaking to mediapersons post meeting, Khaunte said GFDC has proposed to hold the Cashew Festival in April-May next year. “The festival will focus on making the public understand the fruit pattern, usage pattern, utility pattern and its uniqueness,” he said. Khaunte said that the Tourism Department will work along with GFDC to ensure that ‘we showcase the product world-wide’. “We will include the festival in our tourism calendar,” he said. Rane raised concern over the fact that Goa has to import cashew nuts from countries like Africa to meet its growing demand. She also said that Maharashtra and Kerala are far ahead in cashew cultivation and processing. “It is important that we take steps to make Goa self sufficient in cashew production. Goa, which is known for cashew nuts, imports the product. Efforts are on to ensure that farmers get a boost in cashew cultivation thus helping in doubling their income,” she said. GFDC has already started to refurbish their cashew farms and additional samplings are also cultivated. Rane said that the festival will also be an opportunity to further promote Feni, which has already received the GI tag.


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The deputy minister of trade and industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, is urging Ghanaians to support and consume locally-produced chocolates and cocoa products as Ghana celebrates Chocolate Day on February 14.
“On this day of celebrating our annual chocolate day, I want to share this beautiful day with you in love and encourage us of the importance of promoting, patronising and consuming our very own healthy and nutritious Ghanaian chocolates and other cocoa products,” Asiamah-Adjei said.
The deputy minister, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Okaikwei North constituency, underscores the manifold benefits of embracing Ghanaian-made chocolates, emphasising their role in fostering employment opportunities and empowering local businesses.
She highlights the pivotal role that patronage of Ghanaian cocoa products plays in sustaining the livelihoods of Ghanaian citizens and driving economic growth.
“Let’s eat Ghanaian made chocolates, let’s stay healthy and let’s grow together Ghana’s value addition in the cocoa industry,” Asiamah-Adjei concludes, rallying the nation to unite in supporting and celebrating Ghana’s rich cocoa heritage.
The cocoa sector in Ghana and West Africa holds profound significance, with the region being a major global producer. Ghana, second only to Ivory Coast, plays a pivotal role in cocoa production, contributing significantly to the economies of both the country and the broader West African region.
Cocoa farming serves as a vital source of livelihood for millions of farmers and their families, while also shaping national and regional economic landscapes.
Source: Daily Mail GH


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2020 Christmas Tree Lighting Dc
For 50 years, the arrival of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree has brought enormous excitement to the workers who deliver the tree across the country and then hoist the towering conifer into place on . A 75-foot Norway spruce has arrived at New York City’s Rockefeller Center to serve as one of the world’s most famous Christmas trees . It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the U.S. Capitol building’s west lawn, where a gigantic spruce tree has gone up for the holidays. .
National Christmas Tree Lighting |
- Lottery for White House Christmas tree lighting opens | WTOP.
- National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2019 in Washington, D.C. .
- National Christmas Tree Lighting |.
Apex Transportation to transport 2020 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
Christmas and other holiday lights are showing up earlier this year as people try to reclaim some cheer amid the coronavirus pandemic. . Not even a global pandemic can stop the wonder that is the Crocker Park Christmas tree. The entertainment center in Westlake once again kicked off the holiday season with the lighting of the 50-foot .
National Christmas Tree Lighting 2020 is virtual due to COVID 19
Rockefeller Center is not putting up with the jokes surrounding this year’s annual Christmas tree! The famous New York City plaza plays host to a giant tree every holiday season, with this year’s WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree arrived in D.C. on Friday morning Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office team said they are still working on setting a date for the tree lighting . To .
Christmas Lights 2020 2021 in Washington, D.C. Dates
- Apex Transportation to transport 2020 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree .
- Christmas Lights 2020 2021 in Washington, D.C. Dates.
- Whitehouse Christmas Tree Lighting 2020 Washington Dc | Eavfrw .


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Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) was downgraded by stock analysts at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Friday, The Fly reports.
A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on KHC. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $62.00 price objective on Kraft Heinz and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 2nd. Susquehanna Bancshares restated a “negative” rating and set a $47.00 price objective (down previously from $59.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Friday, November 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Kraft Heinz to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 2nd. Bank of America set a $83.00 price objective on Kraft Heinz and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 2nd. Finally, ValuEngine cut Kraft Heinz from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.15.
Shares of NASDAQ:KHC opened at $48.18 on Friday. Kraft Heinz has a 12-month low of $41.60 and a 12-month high of $70.01. The company has a market cap of $58.85 billion, a PE ratio of 13.57, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.57.
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cerebellum GP LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 83.3% in the fourth quarter. Cerebellum GP LLC now owns 5,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 2,646 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 2.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,457,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,560,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123,288 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 6.0% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,065,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,904,000 after purchasing an additional 174,254 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the third quarter worth $384,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 5.6% during the third quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,653,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,220,000 after purchasing an additional 141,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.30% of the company’s stock.
About Kraft Heinz
The Kraft Heinz Company manufactures and markets food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. Its products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, and other grocery products. The company offers its products under the Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Heinz, Philadelphia, Lunchables, Velveeta, Planters, Maxwell House, Capri Sun, Ore-Ida, Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Cracker Barrel, P'Tit Cheese, Tassimo, Classico, Plasmon, Pudliszki, Honig, HP, Benedicta, ABC, Master, Quero, Golden Circle, Wattie's, Glucon D, and Complan names.
Recommended Story: Why is the conference call important?
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On Monday, August 20th the ROCK Fresh Market will be officially open for business! With the first day of service, the market will open its doors at 10:00 am and close at 6:00 pm. Please come out and see what we are doing to provide healthy, fresh, affordable foods to the neighborhood.
On Tuesday, August 21st the ROCK Fresh Market will go to its standard hours of operation:
Monday – Friday: 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
ROCK Fresh Market is located at:
5620 East 30th Street, Suite D, Indianapolis, IN 46218
Anything that you can do to help spread word of our official grand opening would be greatly appreciated.


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| Oct 10, 2013
| 7:15 PM
South Coast Plaza shoppers stepped into their wildest couture, décor and cosmetic dreams last weekend at the center's first Live the Look event, held in partnership with the Hollywood Reporter.
Presenting the best in fashion, beauty and home, the...
| Oct 14, 2013
| 10:35 AM
Actor Hugh Jackman brought his one-man stage show to Los Angeles' Dolby Theater on Saturday in a benefit and live auction that raised $1.85 million for the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
The "X-Men" star performed his critically acclaimed one-man...
| Oct 17, 2013
| 8:36 AM
Swim and resortwear designer Shay Todd took home the Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award at Tuesday night's "All Aboard" annual benefit for emerging designers, organized by Fashion Business Inc. at Union Station. She also showed a selection of her pieces...
| Sep 10, 2013
| 6:33 AM
Supermodels Iman and Naomi Campbell joined casting agent Bethann Hardison on "Good Morning America" on Monday to talk about their new Diversity Coalition, which is striving for more racial diversity on designer catwalks, such as those going on now at...
| Oct 26, 2013
| 2:44 AM
Fashionistas with a MasterCard can score savings and VIP perks at the luxury Colonnade Shops at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise through Tuesday.
World, Elite and Black MasterCard cardholders get access to a VIP Lounge, complimentary valet parking and Shop N...
| Sep 1, 2013
London-based luxury e-tailer Farfetch.com has a concept that's "why didn't I think of that?" simple: a website that unites the selling power of some of the best independent luxury boutiques from around the globe, including A'Maree's in Newport Beach,...
| Aug 20, 2013
| 8:30 AM
Showing off a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes is about to get sweeter. And cheaper.
A Jimmy Choo outlet store is slated to open this fall at The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass Mills.
The highly-coveted luxury brand is popular among A-list celebrities such...
| Sep 8, 2013
| 10:35 PM
NEW YORK -- There's been a lot of grousing about New York Fashion Week this season -- the packed crowds, the packed schedule, the faraway venues. And on Sunday afternoon, Diane von Furstenberg, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America,...
| Sep 9, 2013
| 5:48 AM
NEW YORK -- The Black Sail by Nautica menswear collection hit the runway at the Lincoln Center tents at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week on Sept. 6.
Inspiration: The modern waterman.
The look: Lots of technical fabrics used in pieces that were...
| Sep 9, 2013
| 6:53 AM
NEW YORK -- A little slice of L.A. came to New York Fashion Week on Sunday night when Band of Outsiders' creative director Scott Sternberg showed his women's collection at a Chelsea art space.
In the front row, stylist Brad Goreski, practically...
| Sep 9, 2013
| 7:09 PM
NEW YORK -- Padded white walls, headless plaster bodies hanging from the ceiling and models doling out meds (actually white M&Ms). Had it finally come to this, had we all landed in the fashion insane asylum? One never knows the intention with designer...


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Inching closer to a new customs system
The final draft of the exec regs of the Customs Act’s is now in the hands of the State Council (Maglis El Dawla) for review and approval after they were redrafted to incorporate proposed amendments and requests from the last round of public consultations in April, Minister Mohamed Maait said in a statement yesterday. The new regs detail how the Customs Authority’s new Advance Cargo Information (ACI) pre-registration system (also known as Nafeza) will work. They also outline instructions for businesses importing goods at ports on accessing and using the platform to file and pay all types of shipping dues, as well as filing shipping documents and cargo data digitally ahead of arrival.
The final draft also includes breaks for tourists and Egyptians returning from abroad, who will now be allowed to bring in EGP 10k worth of goods from abroad without customs duties, up from a previous limit of EGP 1.5k, according to the statement yesterday.
BACKGROUND- The recently-approved law, which aims to expedite customs clearance, expand the powers of customs clearance agents, and ratchet up penalties for customs evasion, has been met with pushback from exporters, shipping agencies and customs brokers since it came into effect late last year. Their grumblings led the Finance Ministry to make minor concessions to the exec regs twice in February and November, including on ins. Requirements.
We have a bulleted rundown on the new Customs Act here if you need to get up to speed.
Key highlights: The new draft would allow importers to pay customs in chunks over six-12 months, depending on how established their business is, and would cut inspection fees for larger containers to EGP 800 from EGP 1k for exports, and to EGP 200 from EGP 400 for imports. Shippers would also be allowed to move goods out of Egypt without submitting waybills on the spot and could instead hand over the documentation 48 hours after the goods leave the country. Importers will be required to pay 30% of dues in advance through the Nafeza digital customs system before cargo arrives at Egyptian ports and will be entitled to a refund in the event that their shipment is banned from entry or disposed of. You can read the regulations in full here (pdf).
Nafeza will officially come online on 1 October — a deadline by which anyone who has not registered on the digital platform won’t be allowed to release imported goods out of customs at seaports. Authorities have been piloting the new ACI system — a World Customs Organization (WCO) protocol that runs on blockchain technology, designed to speed up customs procedures and improve border security — since April, and had originally planned to make it compulsory at all seaports in July, before making it mandatory at other ports of entry at a later stage. Here’s a breakdown of all you need to know on how to prepare for the new ACI system.


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Some Edmonton retailers worry B.C. wine ban could send consumers running for the border
But others say the ban will be a good opportunity for wine fans to sample alternatives to 'overpriced' B.C. bottles
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Less than 24 hours after the province announced a ban on B.C. wine, retailers in Edmonton are already getting frantic calls from customers asking staff to pull their favourite British Columbia bottle off the shelf.
“I‘m personally surprised it started already," said Irene Jensen, the manager of Sunterra Cellar, who said she'd fielded about five to six calls as of Wednesday afternoon, from customers worried their favourite B.C. wines might sell out.
The province announced the ban Tuesday in response to a pipeline dispute with B.C.
Jensen herself worries the ban on wine imports from our western neighbours could eventually result in a smaller selection for consumers, who might eventually opt to drive to B.C. to pick up their favourite bottle.
"Quite frankly I do think it will have a trickle down effect as far as sales go,” she said. “I think it’s sort of a shame that the average Joe consumer is kind of eventually going to suffer for it."
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission says there are currently about 160,000 cases of B.C. wine in Alberta warehouses, which is expected to last about 30 to 35 days. Once those dry up, the real impact of the ban will be seen, Jensen said.
“We’re all keeping our fingers crossed that it can be resolved before that,” Jensen said.
If not, she says she’ll be looking at the Niagara area in Ontario to support Canadian products.
Dix Richards, a manager at BIN 104 Fine Wine and Spirits, agreed that the effect of the ban will trickle down.
“It could affect us two ways. One is that people decide to boycott the product and it sits there forever. Two, if there’s a particular product that a customer wants, we obviously can’t bring it in,” she said.
“My concern, for sure, I believe that restaurateurs and the agents that sell us the wine are really going to suffer,” she added.
Don Thierman, owner of Premium Wine Liquor Beer Imports, isn’t terribly worried about running out of B.C. wine at his warehouse because he sells high end products to boutiques and restaurants, which tend to move slower.
“If you can still order it as a store or a retailer, it’s not going to affect us … I think it’s going to hurt the guys in B.C. because they’re losing customers,” he said.
Jensen tends to agree, but also sees a silver lining. The ban could “open up some consumers' eyes” to what she sees as more reasonably priced products.
While she said she wouldn’t call B.C. wines overrated, she would definitely call them “grossly overpriced”.
“I really do think it’s it going to hurt B.C. in that you’ll find consumers turning away from their products,” Jensen said. “If anything, they might get a better deal. It might be worthwhile for Albertans to cross the border.”


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While some of us are hosting "No Favre!" parties in celebration of Brett Favre's last-minute decision to leave Minnesota alone, some people are pretty bummed or flat-out screwed.
People were so convinced Favre would be throwing for the Vikings this season and anticipation was so high that scalpers swept in and bought up game tickets to make a big turnaround profit on them.
Some people fell for it and bought the ridiculously overpriced tickets, but scalpers that still have tickets to sell are now screwed. Prices have plummeted once again and there's no money to be made in the deal.
According to MSNBC's Sports Biz blog, Vikings ticket prices were up 95 percent in July. That's the largest increase for any team in the league.
"The Vikings typically have one of the most affordable ticket prices on StubHub in the entire league, just $81 in 2008," said StubHub spokesman Sean Pate. "That had spiked dramatically to $145 with all the Favre speculation."Have we ever felt bad for the people who eat up all the tickets to events and resell them to rip us off? Nope. Do we feel bad now that they fell for Favre's lack of decision-making skills? Hell no.
Pate says anyone who grabbed tickets will now see its value on the secondary market drop down to its usual value.
"Prices are already dropping," Pate said.


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Six months ago, Phase One deal between the United States and China fell apart. Now they are working towards this deal with a broader trade agreement.
“Phase one” negotiations are taking a long time. The two sides are discussing the range of tariff rollbacks. It might be the final step to end phase one consultations. Rumors say that the White House is talking about the precise percentage internally. The Chinese want to remove all tariffs imposed after May. Additionally, the initial taxes imposed may lift gradually.
The discussion includes the duties of the initial tariffs imposed on $250 billion of Chinese goods. Donald Trump made this imposition last year. Some people were advising Trump to keep that tariffs for the longer term. But to conclude the agreements in phase one, duties had to be relieved, at least partially.
Both sides are under pressure to sign the deal from the rest world. There are clear signs of the softening tariffs; economists from both countries said. The problem is that already thousands of products are tariffed. The United States and China must decide which goods will get relief and which will not.
There are debates between U.S. officials about what amount of the tariffs should rollback. The Trump administration is thinking deeply about the matter. Some believe that the taxes should be rolled back thirty-five percent. Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative, said that tariffs should be reduced by sixty percent. The sources giving out this information do not want to be named. All talks and debates had a private nature.
When both sides settle on a percentage, the tariff rate can be lowered or even annulled. However, this process will take a long time.
Skeptics and Analysts Around Phase One
Trump has promised a lot to the people of the United States within the trade deal. Analysts say it covers fewer aspects than the President aforementioned. Skeptics say that both sides might never reach the second-phase agreement. Negotiations on every detail take a considerable amount of time.
For President Trump, phase one is a substantial part of the agreement. Following criticism, he is pushing back and trying to sell the deal domestically.
The White House disapproved the request to comment about the debates. The spokesman of Robert Lightizer also did the same.
On Oct. 13, he tweeted that phase one’s massive part deal will finish soon. After that, phase two will directly follow. He also noted that he agreed to refrain from increasing tariffs from 25% to 30%. This agreement happened on October 15th. Trump thinks the relationship between the U.S. and China is in excellent shape.
The U.S. administration imported taxes on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods. For the 15th December, they were threatening to impose new tariffs on other $160 billion worth of products. But it never happened.
Gao Feng, the Chinese spokesman, said if a phase-one deal concludes, tariff removal size will reflect the importance of the agreement. The emphasis must be measured by both sides objectively.
The Commerce Minister of China did not respond to the request to comment.


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Google had launched its wireless headphones-Google Pixel Buds-alongside its flagship devices Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2XL last year. While, the company's wireless headphones failed to create a buzz in the market, it came with a feature that made interacting with co-workers and strangers an absolute adventure. Pixel Buds, when paired with Google Pixel smartphones, could translate foreign languages in real-time. And now, Google is bringing the same functionality to other headphones that feature support for the company's virtual digital assistant.
As spotted by Droid Life, the Mountain View, California based company has updated the description on its Pixel Buds support page. The page now says "Google Translate is available on all Assistant-optimized headphones and Android phones" where it used to say that the option works only when Pixel Buds headphones are paired with Pixel phones.
Furthermore, the publication writes that this change was expected as Korean electronic giant, LG's newly released LG Tone SE Neckbuds and the USB Type-C headphones that are included in the box with the newly launched Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL headphones both come with the real-time translate feature.
Notably, while the support page does not give a list of the headphones that support Google Assistant, based on what we know Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II, Sony 1000XM2, JBL Everest 110GA, OnePlus Bullets and Sony WI-1000X are some of the device that feature support for the company's virtual assistant.
Additionally, the support page also gives a list of langauges that are available for real-time translation on all Assistant-optimized headphones and Android phones. This includes Arabic, Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Mandarian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Thai among others.
Meanwhile, Google brough a host of new updates to Google Assistant earlier this month. In one of the many updates, the company eased the accessibility to its virtual assistant. The newly announced feature enables users to access Google Assistant on their smartphones without unlocking their phones. To put it simply, users can invoke Google Assistant simply by saying the wake word near the phone. Besides this, the company also added a features which enables the virtual assistant to screen calls via Google Duplex.


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GREE's North American assault backed up by 38% sales jump in Q2
For the first time since GREE (TYO:3632) set up a development studio in the US based in San Francisco the company has pegged gross revenue of just over $29 million.
More interesting, however, is the revelation that more than half of that was made in the company's most recent quarter.
Quarter by quarter
In Q1 2012, total revenue in North America came in at $12.15 million.
In Q2, however, that figure rose by 38 percent to $16.87 million, with GREE's acquisition of Funzio seen as a major contributor.
"Titles from Funzio have shown a revenue increase of 27 percent from Q1 to Q2, and a 23 percent revenue increase since acquisition and GREEs implementation of new monetisation and user acquisition strategies," the company said in a statement.
GREE also revealed that two of its first-party games - Modern War iPad and Zombie Jombie - are showing peaks of over $1 average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU).
Indeed, it's been reported that the firm is having far more success in North America with its western developed games than with those sourced from Japan.
Other insights include the news that 40 percent of GREE's game revenue in North America comes from iPad an impressive feat, considering the company's output crosses the App Store, Google Play and Amazon's Appstore.
The company decline to reveal total profit or loss figures for the region, however, though the North American numbers come after the firm reveal total worldwide sales for the full financial year hit a record ¥158 billion equal to around $2 billion.
That represents year on year growth of 147 percent, with net profits also rising by 163 percent to ¥47.97 billion ($605 million).


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Today, Friday, May 15, DoubleTree by Hilton will take National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day global with an international cookie blitz to surprise unsuspecting travelers with tens of thousands of the brand’s iconic chocolate chip and walnut cookies – the same signature greeting that is offered to each guest at check-in at DoubleTree by Hilton hotels worldwide.
Whether journeying by air or ground, DoubleTree by Hilton is setting out to give travelers a sweet ride in honor of the day, teaming up with some of the world’s leading transportation partners, including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, to brighten travelers’ days with free cookies at select airport locations in North America, the UK and Australia. Additionally, DoubleTree by Hilton invites anyone to walk into any of its more than 415 hotels around the world for a free cookie throughout the day – with or without a reservation.
“At DoubleTree by Hilton, we believe that no matter where you are or what you are doing, cookies have the power to make you smile. It’s the reason we’ve welcomed guests with a warm chocolate chip cookie for more than 25 years,” said John Greenleaf, global head, DoubleTree by Hilton. “Celebrating a fun, light-hearted holiday like Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is just another way we strive to surprise and delight travelers and make their journey sweeter. It’s a natural extension of what we do each day at our hotels globally to deliver our award-winning service experience through special comforts, amenities and acts of kindness that are synonymous with our brand.”
In addition to the global cookie giveaways, on Chocolate Chip Cookie Day DoubleTree by Hilton will launch its first ever “Cookie Bag Vote,” inviting consumers to help select a brand-new packaging design for the world-famous cookie. DoubleTree by Hilton fans can visit www.facebook.com/DoubleTree through Thursday, May 21 to vote for one of three creative new looks. Voters will be entered for chances to win random prizes ranging from cookie tins to hotel stays. The winning design will be announced the following week, and DoubleTree by Hilton will start presenting guests with the freshly-packaged cookies at hotels beginning this summer.
The international celebration on May 15 continues DoubleTree by Hilton’s global Cookie Care campaign, which launched last spring to celebrate the brand’s milestone of handing out more than 300 million cookies at check-in worldwide. This year, as part of the campaign, DoubleTree by Hilton has spread Cookie Care by handing out thousands of free cookies during key travel moments and destinations, including Mardi Gras in New Orleans and SXSW in Austin.
2015 Chocolate Chip Cookie Day activities
All day long, DoubleTree by Hilton will celebrate through:
- Free chocolate chip cookie giveaways to anyone walking into one of the brand’s 415+ locations around the world – with or without a reservation;
- Tailored transportation partnerships to surprise travelers with thousands of free cookie giveaways, including:
- Virgin Atlantic check-in counters in San Francisco International Airport, Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and London’s Gatwick and Heathrow Airports
- Virgin Australia lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin Airports
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental counters located in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Denver International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
- Cookie Care events marked by free cookie giveaways in several markets around the world, such as a surprise giveaway for airlines passengers arriving at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport;
- Inviting consumers to visit www.facebook.com/DoubleTree to vote for a brand-new packaging design for the world-famous cookie, and get entered to win random prizes through Friday, May 22;
- And surprising several lucky fans with special Cookie Care packages that include the brand’s famous chocolate chip cookies! For a chance to win, fans can celebrate along throughout the day by using #CookieCare on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram (@DoubleTree).


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NORWALK, Conn. — The Kroger Co. was named the No. 1 retailer, tied with Walmart, on the 2016 Kantar Retailer PoweRanking list. This marks the first time in 20 years that Kroger has reached the top of the annual list, which is determined by participating manufacturers.
The list is designed to identify the manufacturers and retailers viewed as best-in-class by their major trading partners and to provide insight into what distinguishes them across key areas of the manufacturer-retailer business relationship.
Kroger also ranked first in the "best retailer to do business with," "best practice category leadership," "best buying teams" and "most innovative merchandising" categories. The company's ability to innovate and maximize the shopper experience by applying insights derived from both suppliers and its own shopper insights firm was a major factor in its performance, according to Kantar.
"Kroger has developed strong collaboration and partnership with manufacturers, and they continue to deliver strong business results," said one participating manufacturer.
"We deeply value our CPG and manufacturing partners' commitment to our Customer 1st Strategy," stated Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president of merchandising. "We are excited about our ability to drive innovation for customers using data-driven insights from both our suppliers and our customer insights firm, 84.51°."
The Kroger family of companies operates 2,781 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. This includes 2,240 pharmacies, 785 convenience stores, 323 fine jewelry stores, 1,423 supermarket fuel centers, and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger and its subsidiaries also operate an expanding ClickList offering — a personalized, order-online, pick-up-at-the-store service.
Walmart virtually tied with Kroger for highest overall composite score at 47.3 percent, a tenth of a point ahead of Kroger, and did particularly well in the areas of clear strategy and supply chain management.
"Perhaps the quote that best summarized 2015 was, 'Never before has so much change produced so little value for the industry.' As we entered the 2016 calendar year, many of the same trends of 2015 continued, all of which reinforce the idea that we are in an era of permanent transition and change," said Daniel Raynak, Kantar Retail's executive vice president, strategy and development. "However, those organizations that have embraced the change in 2016 and took swift actions against big, relevant opportunities are beginning to see the return on the changes they have implemented."
The U.S. PoweRanking Executive Summary is available here.


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New Year's Eve means tried-and-true lobster, Champagne at Baltimore restaurants
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Reporters shouldn’t expect long, leisurely interviews when calling a restaurant midday on New Year’s Eve.
What you’ll find are managers and owners a bit harried and excited about the coming festivities. Though some restaurateurs say the blockbuster nights of years past are tough to come by with a still sluggish economy, they definitely didn’t expect a typical Monday night. Decent, if a bit cold, weather and people returning from their travels over the weekend were expected to bring thousands to downtown Baltimore for the fireworks. Those not braving the cold and crowds who still want to make a night of it have their choice of big buffets and all-night affairs at hotels and clubs, dinner at a special occasion restaurant or a good meal at their favorite bistro throughout Greater Baltimore.
“We look full,” said Jim Mitich, of Big Steaks Management, the owner of four Maryland Ruth’s Chris restaurants. “Reservations in some of the stores are beating last year. None of the restaurants are behind last year’s. We’re anticipating it to be a great day and a great night.”
The high-end places expect many New Year’s Eve diners to gravitate toward the luxury items — steaks, lobster, oysters and decadent desserts.
Jim Mitich said he expected filet mignon, lobster and crab to sell well on New Year’s Eve.
“The guests that dine with us come in for a traditional meal,” he said.
Speaking of age-old traditions, Champagne toasts at midnight apparently haven’t gone out of style.
Such was the case at Victoria’s Gastro Pub in Columbia, where Champagne toasts and party favors will complement the live music in the pub.
Joanna Sullivan oversees the Baltimore Business Journal editorial staff.
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For the first time in nearly 40 years, Caribbean Travel Marketplace will be staged virtually.
The show is considered the premier annual gathering in the region, where Caribbean hospitality and tourism professionals meet with colleagues and international buyers and sellers.
The event is traditionally held during January, but due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on travel and in-person events, the event will take place in an online environment from May 11th-14th.
Vanessa Ledesma, acting chief executive of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), which hosts the annual gathering, confirmed that organisers are currently crafting an agenda.
It will be designed to allow participants more time to engage with tour operators, travel advisors, partners, trade and consumer media and influencers, to network, showcase and sell their destinations and services.
Source: Breaking Travel News


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A recent report says that the unveiling of “Portal,” Facebook’s Echo Show competitor, is just around the corner, and will take place in a matter of months.
There was a time when Facebook didn’t want to do devices anymore. That was just after 2013, where the HTC First was launched and promptly consigned to the wastebin of tech history. But now, it seems that Facebook is up for round two. In August, we reported that Facebook’s Building 8 lab was building another piece of hardware. This time, it’s a video chat device that will most closely resemble Amazon’s Echo Show.
We heard nothing more since then. However, according to recent reports, Facebook is close to revealing the new device in a few months. While similar to the Echo Show, the “Portal” (as it’s been called) is likely to be larger, and more expensive. In fact, its display will be around the 13 to 15-inch mark, and its price closer to $499 – not the $270 that Amazon asks for the Echo Show. An anonymous tipster also says the device is likely to be unveiled around May, at Facebook’s developer conference, while it may be released to the public later in the year.
What else do we know about the device? Well, not much, other than it will use smart-speaker features, responding to voice commands etc, and will use facial recognition technology to connect users.
Building 8 – Facebook’s hardware lab – works with “augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, connectivity, and other important areas,” and exists to build “seemingly impossible products that define new categories that advance Facebook’s mission of connecting the world.” I think the bar is set quite high for this one.
Let’s just wait and see.
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The ride-hailing company, backed by SoftBank Group Corp. and Tiger Global Management, has also picked Morgan Stanley for the listing, said the people, who asked not to be named as the information is private. The Bangalore-based startup could seek a valuation of more than $8 billion in the IPO and could file its draft red herring prospectus by October.
According to a July 9 ET report, Warburg Pincus and Singapore government’s investment fund Temasek Holdings bought shares worth $500 million from existing investors of Ola in a secondary deal. The transaction received approval of India’s antitrust regulator — just two weeks ago.
Separately, Ola has also expanded its employee stock options pool to Rs 3,000 crore and given employees an additional Rs 400 crore in stocks in the run up to the IPO.
Talks of an Ola IPO come at a time when a strong pipeline of Indian startups are readying to tap the public market in the coming months. Fintech startup Paytm, e-commerce firm Flipkart, and edtech startup Byju’s are also preparing for their first-time share sales.


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We have been getting more rumors and predictions about Apple working on launching future iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models with mini-Led technology. Now, the latest report from DigiTimes claims that Cupertino is already adding more companies to its supply chain to make flexible printed circuit boards for its future mini-LED devices.
“Both firms are expected to start small-volume shipments of mini LED-backlit modules in the fourth quarter of 2020 to support the launch of new iPad Pro in the first quarter of 2021, the sources said. As such modules are likely to become standard specs for diverse new iPads and MacBooks, Zhen Ding and Flexium can secure a new profitable outlet for their flexible boards, the sources noted.”
We get new reports from DigiTimes claiming that, according to industry sources, Apple has added Taiwan’s Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect to its supply chain to make parts for its future mini-LED iPad Pro and MacBook Pros. They would be competing with Young Poong Electronics to get a larger part of the required, flexible boards. DigiTimes also claims that we could see these new devices next year, as a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED technology and 5G could arrive sometime in Q1 2021. We are also expecting to get new MacBook Pros with mini-LED panels, a 16-inch refresh and a new 14.1-inch version next year.


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Motiva Flora features the SmoothSilk surface, which is a bioengineered nanosurface that has showed a low rate of capsular contracture
Medical technology company Establishment Labs Holdings has secured CE mark approval for its Motiva Flora Tissue Expander.
Featuring SmoothSilk surface, the Motiva Flora Tissue Expander is claimed to be the only product with an integrated RFID port with no magnets, enabling to use expander safely alongside MRI scanning.
Motiva Flora and Motiva Implants feature the SmoothSilk surface, which is a bioengineered nanosurface that has showed a low rate of capsular contracture and no reported cases of BIA-ALCL to date, said the company.
The company will immediately start pre-marketing activities of Motiva Flora in Europe
Establishment Labs aims to immediately begin pre-marketing activities in Europe for Flora, while broad commercial activities in early 2021. The Motiva Flora Tissue Expander is not yet approved or commercialised in the US.
In March 2018, Establishment Labs secured approval for an investigational device exemption (IDE) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company commenced the Motiva Implant clinical trial in the US in April 2018.
Establishment Labs CEO Juan José Chacón Quirós said: “We are pleased that oncologists, plastic surgeons and patients will now have access to advanced, patented and patent pending technology that offers substantial improvements over existing tissue expander products.
“Motiva Flora is another example of our unwavering commitment to women’s health as we continue to transform the breast aesthetics and reconstruction industry through science and innovation.”
Establishment Labs is engaged in the designing, development, manufacturing and marketing of an advanced portfolio of silicone gel-filled breast implants.
The Motiva Implants, which are manufactured at two manufacturing sites, are currently commercially available in over 80 countries through exclusive distributors or the company’s direct salesforce.
The company’s product and technologies portfolio are also comprised of Divina 3D simulation system and other products and services.
In April, US-based medical device company Cerus Endovascular secured CE Mark approval for its Neqstent Coil Assisted Flow Diverter device.


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,SEMI said the increased investments in the fab equipment would be fuelled by surging pandemic-inspired demand for electronics devices. KUALA LUMPUR: The global semiconductor industry is on track to record a rare three consecutive years of record highs in fabrication equipment spending, the Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers Industry (SEMI) says. It said on Wednesday the increased investments in the fab equipment would be fuelled by surging pandemic-inspired demand for electronics devices. In its quarterly World Fab Forecast report, SEMI said after the 16% increase in 2020, it forecasts an increase in investments of 15.5% this year and 12% in 2022. “Fabs worldwide will add about US$10bil worth of equipment in each of the three years as spending climbs to top US$80bil at the end of the forecast period. “Explosive demand for electronics that are the backbone of communications, computing, healthcare and online services – sectors that mounted robust responses to the Covid-19 outbreak as the world rallied to curb the coronavirus’s spread – account for much of the spending, ” it said. SEMI said fab equipment spending has historically been cyclical, with one or two years of growth typically followed by a downtrend of roughly equal length. The semiconductor industry last saw three straight years of fab equipment investment growth in a run that started in 2016. It was nearly 20 years before that streak that the industry recorded an expansion of at least three years. In the mid-1990s, the chip industry recorded a four-year period of growth. “The bulk of fab investments in 2021 and 2022 will be seen in the foundry and the memory sectors, ” it said. SEMI pointed out that driven by leading edge investment, foundry spending is expected to grow 23% in 2021, reach US$32bil and flatten in 2022. Overall memory spending will increase in the single digits to reach US$28bil in 2021 while dynamic random access memory (DRAM) will surpass NAND Flash, and then surge by 26% in 2022 on the strength of both DRAM and 3D NAND investment. It also said the power and microprocessor unit (MPU) segment will also see strong spending growth over the forecast period. “Power is forecast to show strong investment growth of 46% and 26%, respectively, in 2021 and 2022 driven by strong demand for power semiconductor devices. MPU will add to the momentum with 40% growth in 2022 as microprocessor investments increase, ” it said. SEMI said the World Fab Forecast report lists 1,374 facilities and lines globally, including 100 future facilities and lines with various probabilities that will start volume production in 2021 or later.
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GM-Avtovaz shuts down for 2-wk summer vacation
MOSCOW. July 19 (Interfax) - The GM-Avtovaz joint venture will be shut down for a two-week holiday July 19-August 2.
The company will perform maintenance during the shutdown. GM-Avtovaz will begin operating two eight-hour shifts a day, five days a week on September 21, the company said in a press release.
It was reported earlier that GM-Avtovaz boosted production 58% to 16,454 cars in the first half of 2010.
GM-Avtovaz shipped 16,858 cars to dealers, including 915 to dealers in other CIS states. That is 57% more than in the first half of 2009 and includes 4,921 cars sold under the state's discounted loan program and 1,693 under the car scrappage program.
The company plans to produce 37,000 cars this year.
The Chevrolet Niva is sold by 143 dealers in 97 Russian cities, as well as eight dealers and three distributors in the other CIS states.
GM-Avtovaz began producing vehicles in September 2002. It began making an updated version of the Chevrolet Niva on March 10, 2009.