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Revlon avoids bankruptcy, reports 20% decline in sales
New York-based cosmetics company Revlon, Inc. announced on Thursday that it no longer expects to make a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, thanks to a last-minute debt deal.
Earlier this month, the beauty group reported that it could be pushed to seek bankruptcy protection if bonds worth $342.8 million were still outstanding by mid-November, a situation which would have led the repayment of the company’s other debts to be accelerated.
However, holders of approximately $236 million, or 68.8%, of these outstanding bonds have now entered into an exchange offer with Revlon. The company offered them either 32.5 cents on the dollar in cash for their bonds, or a combination of cash and new debt.
According to Revlon, this deal is sufficient for it to consider that any bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings are unnecessary at the current time.
On Thursday the company also reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. Net sales in the period totaled $477.1 million, down 20.1% year over year, compared to $596.8 million. This decline was largely due to the negative impact of the Covid-19 impact, which was partially offset by a 13% increase in sales in the group’s e-commerce business.
Sales in the company’s flagship Revlon segment, which is comprised of its namesake cosmetics brands, decreased 23.6% to $166.0 million in the quarter. This reflected a 13.6% decline in North America and a 32.1% decrease in international revenues, which were strongly affected by falling sales of color cosmetics and professional haircare products.
In the Elizabeth Arden segment, revenues fell 13.7% to $106.3 million, with North American and international sales decreasing 3.4% and 19.1%, respectively.
The company’s portfolio segment, which includes the Almay, SinfulColors, American Crew and CND brands, reported net sales of $99.6 million – a 15.7% year-over-year decline – while the company’s fragrances segment saw a decrease of 23.8% in its revenues, which totaled $105.2 million.
“While Covid-19 continues to have a significant impact on both the beauty industry overall as well as on our business, I am pleased that our third quarter 2020 results reflected a sequential improvement in our net sales decline versus the prior quarter,” commented Revlon president and CEO Debra Perelman in a release.
Overall, Revlon’s third-quarter net loss came to $44.5 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $44.7 million, or $0.84 per diluted share, in the prior-year period.
Taking into account the first two quarters of the fiscal year, the company’s revenues totaled $1.28 billion year to date, down from $1.72 billion in the same period in the previous year. Net loss in the nine-month period was $385.2 million, or $7.22 per diluted share, down from a loss of $183.5 million, or $3.46 per diluted share.
Revlon has not provided financial guidance for the fourth quarter or the full fiscal year.
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text: This holiday season, Cointreau and the Independent Restaurant Coalition are partnering to help restaurants and bars across the U.S. The Cosmo for a Cause returns for its second year of fundraising. Cointreau’s classic orange liqueur is the highlight ingredient in the iconic cocktail recipe. From Nov. 16th through Dec. 31st, Cointreau will donate to the Independent Restaurant Coalition up to $100,000 for every order of a Cosmopolitan cocktail at participating restaurants or Instagram post tagging #CosmosForACause and @Cointreau_us. The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) was formed by chefs and independent restaurant owners across the country. Its members have built a grassroots movement to secure vital protections for the nation’s 500,000 independent restaurants and the more than 11 million restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Venues can sign up here.

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Last week, Sharpex organized a product fair for gardeners of Ahmedabad. Around 300 gardeners participated in Sharpex product fair where they were shown all the hi-tech gardening and forest equipment from Sharpex. The event was a huge success and was also featured in Ahmedabad Mirror (newspaper clip above).
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This article was written by Sharpex Blog Team
Sharpex Blog Team is in charge of curating this blog - writing and editing new posts, managing comments and feedback, getting guest bloggers on board and most importantly, marketing the blog. Reach out to us through email@example.com


text: Read ‘em and weep. According to the financial press, Travelport, which owns the Galileo and Worldspan GDS, 48% of online retailer Orbitz plus wholesaler GTA, is carrying debt well in excess of its actual market value, which will be tested in an upcoming float on the on the London Stock Exchange. Majority-owner Blackstone Group will attempt to sell most of Travelport for GPB1.2 billion in a raising that, if successful, will value the company at GBP1.8 billion. Dow Jones reports that Travelport has debts of around GPB2.2 billion. Its businesses have been struggling for some time with overall revenue down 10% for the September quarter. Blackstone and its co-investors paid US$4.3 billion for Travelport in 2006, spinning out part of Orbirtz, a major US Online Travel Agency, in an unsuccessful float on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007. Orbitz shares, valued at US$15 in the IPO, are now worth just under US$7. Let’s hope Travelport investors have more luck.


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December 13, 2016
SiFive Named Startup of the Year
SAN FRANCISCO – Dec. 13, 2016 – SiFive, the first fabless provider of customized, open-source-enabled semiconductors, has been named "Startup of the Year" at the UBM Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards held in conjunction with the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley in San Jose.
The ACE Awards, given in partnership with EE Times and EDN at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 7, showcase the best of the best in today's electronics industry. The "Startup of the Year" category recognizes companies less than three years old with working prototypes or proof of concepts of innovative new electronics technologies. The award was judged by a panel comprising UBM editors and dignitaries from the electronics industry.
"This award caps a banner year for SiFive, one in which we not only brought to market the first ever commercial open-source RISC-V-based silicon but also sold out of our development kits in less than a week," said Krste Asanovic, co-founder and chief architect, SiFive. "The momentum and excitement around RISC-V – and SiFive – was palpable during ESC, and we can't wait to see what's in store for 2017. We are proud to receive this recognition of the team's efforts, and humbled to join the ranks of the other innovative companies who have received this distinction in the past."
"The innovation and thought leadership introduced by this year's ACE Awards finalists and winners is true a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft," said Nina Brown, VP Events, UBM Americas. "We'd like to thank each of this year's participants for their incredible work in the electronics field and celebrate their accomplishments as they help to further the industry in new and exciting ways."
About the Embedded Systems Conference
The Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) is where the global design engineering community gathers to learn, collaborate, and celebrate innovation. Held in Silicon Valley, Boston, and Minneapolis, ESC empowers the design engineering community with hundreds of essential technical training classes and accreditation opportunities. For more information and to register for ESC, visit: www.embeddedconf.com. ESC is organized by UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, an Events First marketing and communication services business. For more information, visit ubmamericas.com.
SiFive is the first fabless provider of customized semiconductors based on the free and open RISC-V instruction set architecture. Founded by RISC-V inventors Krste Asanovic, Yunsup Lee and Andrew Waterman, SiFive democratizes access to custom silicon by helping system designers reduce time-to-market and realize cost savings with customized RISC-V based semiconductors. SiFive is located in San Francisco and has venture backing from Sutter Hill Ventures. For more information, visit www.sifive.com.
MEDIA CONTACTSJack Kang
firstname.lastname@example.org Leslie Clavin
SHIFT Communications for SiFive


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Wyoming schools have been operating under waiver extensions from the USDA that have allowed all students to receive free meals through the National School Lunch Program since pandemic-related school closures began last spring. USDA guidance for the next school year is expected this month and will influence planning for the future of the program, said Linda Finnerty, communications director for the Wyoming Department of Education.
Freezing temperatures in Burgundy vineyards from April 6 to 8 have raised fears that the 2021 vintage could be hurt by damage to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir buds. "It is still too early to know precisely the extent of the damage, but 80% of regions have been affected," reported Jean-Marie Barillère, president of CNIV, France's council for appellation wines.
At its most basic, the Paloma is just tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda, but some mixologists have upgraded the recipe with fresh juice, spiced up with chili or frothed up with blended ice. Other bartenders have even created versions that incorporate spirits such as Campari or vermouth.
Some restaurants around the country, including Chicago's Signature Room at the 95th, decided to close completely at the start of the pandemic and are now facing new challenges as they get ready to reopen, including labor shortages and the prospect of having to close again in the future. "One of the things that's really been the most challenging part is understanding what we can control and understand and what we can't control," Signature Room co-owner Richard Roman said.
The National Restaurant Association has issued guidance for restaurants looking to access aid from the American Rescue Plan's Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The Small Business Administration is expected to set $1,000 as the minimum grant amount and could extend the period eligible for coverage until March 11, 2023.
The popularity of pizza and ice cream during the pandemic has fueled sales growth at Papa Murphy's and Cold Stone Creamery, shoring up revenue for parent MTY Global. The Montreal-based company has 7,000 restaurants under more than 80 banners, many of which are in malls and office buildings that were hit hard in 2020.
Steakhouse operators adjusted to pandemic-related dining room closures by offering take-out and delivery, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar is seeing continued demand for off-premises options even as dining rooms reopen, according to Pat English of parent Bloomin' Brands. Fleming's also tweaked the format of its wine dinners by switching them from group events to smaller tableside offerings or a to-go option, paired with videos featuring the corporate chef and national wine director.
Fried chicken sandwiches are proliferating on menus around the world, according to Technomic, including Argentina's Deniro Hambergueseria, which tops its SoS Pollo with cabbage, queso fresco and honey glaze. At KFC in Japan, customers will find a chicken sandwich topped with a shrimp croquette; and the Nashville Hot Chicken Burger served at Dunkin' in South Korea is served with coleslaw on top.
Students in a greenhouse production class at New Diana High School in Texas' New Diana Independent School District are growing vegetables that they then donate to the district's nutrition program for school meals. The students donate between five and 10 pounds of lettuce each week, said the district's child nutrition director, Toni Druschke, as well as cherry tomatoes.
The first meal after Ramadan fasting, called iftar, varies from country to country, but a dish called tharid made with a thin, crispy bread soaked in broth is a mainstay on many menus, Anissa Helou writes. Tharid is most common in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and variations exist across the Middle East, including a Levantine dish called fatteh that is made with pita bread.
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114 Airbus, 100 Boeing: Iran on a shopping spree?January 25, 2016 12:46
Feel safer on the roads
According to official figures, the number of road deaths in the UAE declined sharply in 2009.
January 6, 2010 3:47 by Aarti Nagraj
And the UAE has also been reaching out to young people; a paper presented by students of Zayed University at the 2009 World Congress on Public Health found that the rate of traffic accidents was particularly high among younger drivers.
Efforts to combat this have included the Fashionable Seatbelt Campaign, launched by the Salama Road Safety Public Awareness Initiative, which attempted to convince young people to wear seatbelts by providing them with branded belts.
“Young people like fashion in general,” Maytha al-Habsi, the head of the initiative told The National. “Many people would love a Gucci seat belt, for example. Or a seat belt that carries the name of their preferred football team. Also, Emiratis like so much to carry their national flag.”
And the Initiative didn’t stop there; it also launched a campaign focusing on the “guilt factor.” Targeting young people, the campaign illustrated the emotional distress their families would endure if the youngsters were killed on the road.


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The new phone’s biggest USP is probably its new Operating system, instead of running on a modified version of Android, the company has made ties with Google to ship the phone with Android One. Under that, the phone will ship pre-installed with the latest Android Oero and later, it will receive updates directly from the Google mothership.
Aside from that, the phone is a common mid-range affair with some unique Nokia touches. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC clocked at 2.2 GHz which is paired with 3GB RAM. Aside from that, the phone has another 4 GB RAM variant which will come with 64 GB of Storage, 1 gig more compared to the base model.
The front of the phone has a run of the mil 5.5 inch full HD display and an 8-megapixel camera and on the back is a 16-megapixel camera with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Just like the recent leaks suggested, the phone did not cut off the 3.5 mm audio jack and it comes with almost all modern connectivity options except for the NFC which looks to be saved only for the higher Nokia phones.
At the press time, the company announced that the phone will cost EUR 279 which is roughly 22,000 INR. Considering there are some good phones around that price, it will be interesting to see how the new Nokia 6 does in the market.
Nokia is all set to re-enter the mobile market with three new Android phones. HMD Global the company that has licensed the right to produce Nokia labeled phones will unveil three phones today that will be fully Android. These phones will be targeted at the mid-range budget market. The biggest feature of the phones will be that they will be fully Android, with no third party app bundled.
HMD had revealed Nokia 6 for the Chinese market about a month ago. And it will go global with a few changes now. This phone will be the biggest of the three. It will have a 5.5-inch display with 3GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory. It will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor. The back and front cameras will be 16 MP and 8 MP respectively.
The Nokia 6 has an aluminum design with diamond cuts. It also comes with another variant 4GB RAM with 64 GB internal memory. This is an Atari black glossy version priced a bit more.
The Nokia 5 will be a bit smaller than Nokia 6 with a 5.2-inch display and 2GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory. This too will have an aluminum design. It will be powered by a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor. Just like that Nokia 6, the Nokia 5 will also be powered by Android Nougat 7.1.1. It will have 13MP back and 8 MP front camera. It will be priced at 189 euros ($199) and available in blue, silver, matte black, and copper.
This will be the most basic Android phone of the trio. It will have a 5-inch display with 2GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory. It will be powered by an MTK 6737 quad-core processor. It will have a polycarbonate back with an aluminum frame. It will have a 8 MP front and 8 MP back camera. It will be powered by Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It is a low-budget phone that will make your ends meet. It will be priced at 139 euros ($147) and available in blue, silver, matte black, and copper.


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Most people probably don't think twice when they press the "Watch this program or channel" button on the Xfinity On Demand menu screen and their selections immediately start playing. But at Comcast, there's a team of engineers focused on making sure our network can deliver tens of thousands of VOD titles instantly to customers across the country. This week's issue of Multichannel News takes a behind-the-scenes look at the innovative video on demand platform our engineers have built. This platform is delivering an incredible amount of VOD choices to customers today, but more importantly it's the foundation that will let us continue to offer new products that are even more personal, fun and engaging.
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Comcast's New VOD Delivery Network
By J T. Ramsay | Aug 09, 2011


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Officially, the fastest a Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition has ever lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife is in 7:22.85. That’s an amazing performance, and it makes the car faster than a Porsche 911 GT2 RS (on stock tires) or a Pagani Zonda F Clubsport. That time is over fifteen seconds faster than a standard LFA, proving that the Nürburgring Edition’s improved aerodynamics, modest power gain and faster shifting can translate to real-world benefits with the right driver on the right track.
According to EVO’s Chris Harris, there’s about to be a new record announced for the Lexus LFA around the ‘Ring. It seems that Lexus driver Akira Iida, who’d set the previous lap record, just knocked off a time of 7:14 from bridge to gantry, besting his old time by a mind-warping 8.85 seconds. On a track where drivers struggle to shave tenths of a second off their lap times, finding nearly nine seconds is a truly remarkable feat.
If Iida’s lap time is validated, it would make the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition the fourth-fastest production vehicle to ever lap the ‘Ring. In fact, if you discount the Radical SR8 laps (because to be honest, they’re street legal race cars), only the Gumpert Apollo Speed is faster. It would also make Lexus the fastest major manufacturer around the ‘Ring, since 7:14 even beats a Porsche 911 GT2 RS on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires.
We’ll keep you posted as more details on Iida’s record lap come out.


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UK nanotech company in trouble
Written by Jane Coyle on 15 April 2007« Return to Reading Room
One of Britain’s leading nanotechnology companies is in a legal battle over one of its key products.
Oxonica, a technology company listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), makes Envirox, a product designed to boost the efficiency of diesel fuel. Envirox is used in the fleet of buses operated by Stagecoach, the British national bus company, which also owns two million shares in Oxonica. The nanotechnology company is also backed by Richard Farleigh, the Australian businessman
and star of BBC2’s Dragon’s Den.
It has emerged that Envirox is at the centre of a legal dispute between Oxonica and Neuftec, a company based in the Dominican Republic that claims to have invented the fuel additive. Oxonica has filed a patents suit in London’s High Court to protect itself against the claims. Neuftec has said that it will fight the suit and believes that the British firm is using its technology unlawfully. Kevin Matthews, the chief executive of Oxonica, said that the dispute with Neuftec was minor. “Intellectual property disputes like this are commonplace in nanotechnology,” he said. But he urged Neuftec to come to the negotiating table. Ronen Hazarika, the founder of Neuftec, said that any settlement would have to be substantial.
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SBA’s Karen Mills gets behind the wheel at Trucks-E-Quip
Mills spent about a half hour at the company on East Martin Luther King Drive Friday morning, talking with company workers and their bankers, touring the truck yard and even climbing into the cabs of a couple of big rigs on the lot.
Carl Larson, president of Trucks-E-Quip, said he turned to the Internet to start selling trucks outside of the U.S. in the midst of the economic downturn, when domestic customers were sparse. He now exports to Panama, Nigeria and Jamaica, along with a few other countries.
“This has been the work of the last four years, a coordinated export initiative to make sure we can compete globally,” she said. “The rest of the world wants what’s made in America … We want to take advantage of that.”
Mills said one issue she hears from small businesses considering exporting is a fear of not getting paid for goods they ship overseas. That can be addressed by export credit insurance from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, she said.
“The whole trick of getting into exporting is making a business plan,” she said. The SBA’s Small Business Development Centers have counselors who will help with planning for free, and make introductions to the right people at the State Department or Commerce Department who, in some cases, can invite businesspeople along on trade missions.
Mills said she was concerned about the impact of sequestration that went into effect March 1 and forced across-the-board budget cuts in all federal programs. “We’ll do our best but it will reduce the money available to help small businesses,” Mills said.
Margie Manning is Print Editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She also covers the Money beat.
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Just days after the disclosure by New York police that several Guyanese had been arrested following the breaking up of what was described as “the biggest ID scam in American history” involving the manufacture and use of forged credit cards, a new report published in the United States says that credit and debit card fraudsters in that country remain on top of their game despite increased spending by commercial banks and other business houses on measures designed to curb their activities.
The Nilson Report, released recently by a California-based trade publication, says credit and debit card fraud in the global banking industry reached US$7.6 billion last year, up by 10 per cent from 2009. The report says that this year sections of the banking industry have suffered a number of high-profile losses resulting from breaches in their security systems. In May this year CITIGROUP Inc reported that hackers had infiltrated its network and stolen data from around 200,000 Citi credit card holders. Non-financial companies including Google Inc have also been victims of cyber break-ins this year.
The Nilson Report says that banks in the United States are being disproportionately targeted for hi-tech fraud given what appears to be their lesser preparedness – compared with European and Asian banks – to invest in the security features necessary to reduce the incidence of debit and credit card fraud. The report says that such fraud in the US accounted for 47 per cent of global fraud losses last year, up from around 44 per cent ten years ago.
For every $100 worth of credit and debit card transactions made in 2010, 4.46 cents were lost to fraud worldwide, down from 4.71 cents in 2009.
Nilson Report publisher David Robinson says that US banks are likely to continue to suffer a disproportionate percentage of global credit and debit card fraud in view of its old security infrastructure. At the same time he says the trend reflects more than a technical issue, pointing out that while some Asian financial institutions are more likely to refuse a transaction that appears risky, US institutions are likely to run a greater risk in view of the competition resulting from the fact that there are more customers who carry multiple credit cards.
Robertson argues that despite the huge losses, US banks’ card operations remain manageable given the profitability of their payment card operations. He says banks in Europe and elsewhere have moved ahead of the US in the deployment of security measures including the so-called chip-and-pin card systems that make it more difficult for thieves to produce counterfeit payment cards, a vulnerability for US cards carrying data on magnetic strips.
According to Nilson data, global card losses have risen almost every year since 1994 though last year’s losses of $7.6 billion were a small fraction of the $17 trillion that consumers worldwide transacted with plastic.
The Caribbean commercial banking sector has also been expressing concern over the increasing incidence of debit and credit card fraud. Last year, Scotia Bank, Jamaica announced that it had lost $150 million over the last nine months in debit and credit card fraud and that the bank was seeking to develop technology to address the problem.


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Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning to anybody with a Tesco Clubcard, as the scheme prepares to drop one of its key rewards in January.
Millions of people will be affected by the change, which means people will no longer be able to spend their Clubcard points on Now TV credit - as the partnership between the two brands comes to an end.
Currently, Tesco customers can spend their Clubcard points on Now TV credit with it tripling in value (50p to £1.50 in Now TV credit for example).
However, as of January 31, this deal with no longer be offered by the supermarket chain and you won't be able to exchange your Clubcard points for this credit, reports Kent Live.
The credit that Tesco customers have previously spent Clubcard points on will still be valid until the expiration date supplied in the e-mail sent when exchanged.
Prior to this deal, there was nothing else of this value for streaming service available to exchange Clubcard points for.
It is possible to get triple value with Cineworld, however, these cinemas still remain closed to lockdown and will continue to do so in Kent once we enter Tier 3.
There are other Clubcard boost offers which will triple your points' worth including, Goldsmiths vouchers, railcards and magazine subscriptions.


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Who’s getting money?
Greenpoint’s Go Grab Green LLC raised $490,000 on an offered $1.5 million, according to an SEC filing. The company lists its directors as Jessica Holsey and Emily Doubilet, so we feel confident saying that this company is the same as Susty Party, the local sustainable party goods firm that appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank. The filing also squares with the numbers our post about Susty Party’s subsequent $6.25 million valuation.
We have been remiss not to point out that BioLite closed its campaign for the BaseCamp stove, breaking $1 million in pledges for a $45,000 campaign, the most successful tech campaign we have found in Brooklyn to date.
Who’s making moves?
Lyft has proposed living under the same regulatory limitations as Uber, in New York City, relying strictly on registered limos, according to DNAInfo. We visited their not-quite-a-launch party on Friday.
WeDidIt, a part of NYU’s Dumbo Incubator, will be joining the 500 Startups incubator in San Francisco for four months, according to an email from the company. The company focuses on technology that takes friction out of nonprofit fundraising, and it has 250 paying clients now.
Two staffers for BioLite are driving through twenty states in a retrofitted Japanese firetruck named “Baby” to show people how the company’s technology works.
Knowledge is power!
Subscribe for free today and stay up to date with news and tips you need to grow your career and connect with our vibrant tech community.


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Roadracer is right that we should expect swings. The overall trend will be downward, but there will be up days along the way.
Trying to guess how far it might drop or how fast it might happen is perhaps human nature but I think our focus should be on watching for signs of societal unraveling. The drops have been significant in recent days for sure but the grocery store shelves are full, there are not lines at the gas station, Fedex is still coming up the road daily making deliveries as is our mail lady. And so forth. Fortunes may be being lost of Wall St. but on Main St. life is still normal. That’s what we should be watching for……are the wheels coming off in everyday life.


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Facebook to award $100 mln in cash grants, ad credits to small businesses
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said Tuesday it plans to award $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries to address the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The majority will be in cash grants and Facebook will disclose more details soon about how businesses will be able to apply for assistance.
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in a post Tuesday that the economic disruption poses a severe risk to small businesses.
“We’ve listened to small businesses to understand how we can best help them. We’ve heard loud and clear that financial support could enable them to keep the lights on and pay people who can’t come to work,” Sandberg said, adding that Facebook is also going to make it easier for small businesses to get training and support from its teams.
Facebook said companies will be able use cash to pay rent, cover operational costs or run advertising on Facebook.
Many tech firms are taking steps to help small businesses that are facing a dramatic economic fallout as restaurants are forced to stop eat-in service and hundreds of millions of people around the world remain in their homes.
Uber Technologies Inc said Monday it would waive the delivery fee for the more than 100,000 independent restaurants across United States and Canada on Uber Eats and would launch daily dedicated, targeted marketing campaigns :to promote delivery from local restaurants, especially those that are new to the app.”
About 92 News HD Live Main TV Channel of Pakistan:
92 News (also known as 92 News HD Plus (Channel 92) is a conservative Urdu language TV channel based in Lahore, Pakistan.
Mian Muhammad Hanif is the chairman of the channel.
This TV channel is a subsidiary of Madinah Group under Galaxy Media Group.
The channel's name, 92, is to celebrate the 1992 Cricket World Cup won by Pakistan. The number 92 is also the telephone country calling code of Pakistan, which is another major reason behind the channel's name.
92 News HD is Pakistan’s first HD Plus News Channel. Aims to bring credible & responsible News & important stories from Pakistan & around the World
We bring you Latest Pakistani and International News at 92 News Hd Plus to Read and Watch
We believe in genuine and true journalism, we do not prevail sensation just for ratings.
We do not hide news but never tend to add any unethical content or angling that goes against the norms of our religion Islam and Pakistan's culture.
تازہ ترین خبریں حاصل کرنے کے لیے فوری اطلاع کی اجازت دیں
آپ کسی بھی وقت دائیں طرف نیچے بیل آئیکن پر صرف ایک کلک کے ذریعے آسانی سے سبسکرائب کر سکتے ہیں۔


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Boutique Aromatique - International Chocolate Award
19 June 2012
Congratulations to Boutique Aromatique for winning a Silver Award for their Mint & Sweet Basil Ganache at the International Chocolate Awards European Semi Finals which took place in London, 30th May – 1st June 2012. Boutique Aromatique's submission was amongst 250 entries judged by a panel consisting of chocolate experts, food journalists and pastry chefs, including an international Grand Jury. Launched in 2012, the International Chocolate Awards is set to recognise the best fine quality chocolate from around the world.


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"Parasite" Websites Steal, Repost 88 Percent of Teens' Sexually Explicit Pics
October 22, 2012 11:36 PM
10,000 out of 12,000 sexually explicit pictures uploaded by teens were reposted by parasite websites
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found that 88 percent of nude or
sexually explicit photos/videos
posted by teens online are stolen reposted without permission.
The IWF study took a look at 12,224 risque teen images/videos from 68 websites (like social networks) and found that 10,776 of them had been reposted without permission by "parasite" porn websites, which stole the images from commonplace sites like Facebook. The study was conducted over a 47-hour period during four weeks.
"This research gives an unsettling indication of the number of images and videos on the Internet featuring young people performing sexually explicit acts or posing," said Susie Hargreaves, CEO of IWF. "It also highlights the problem of control of these images -- once an image has been copied on to a parasite website, it will no longer suffice to simply remove
the image from the online account
"We need young people to realize that once an image or a video has gone online, they may never be able to remove it entirely."
The study was unable to analyze pictures or messages exchanged over email, smartphone messages or social networks that are protected by firewalls, but it did mention that some of the pictures were taken from stolen cell phones and placed on parasite websites.
The IWF report also gave examples of some teens that were deeply affected by having sexually explicit pictures
placed on parasite websites
. One example was a girl who placed naked pictures on the Internet, then lost control of them as other sites began reposting them.
"I came to regret posting photographs of myself naively on the Internet and tried to forget about it, but strangers recognized me from the photographs and made lewd remarks at school," said the girl. "I endured so much bullying because of this photograph and the others...I was eventually admitted for severe depression and was treated for a suicide attempt."
"It seems as though my state-funded math degree has failed me. Let the lashings commence." -- DailyTech Editor-in-Chief Kristopher Kubicki
Republican Leaders Push for a National Ban on Most Porn
August 29, 2012, 1:59 PM
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Should all supermarket trolleys have a dog section?
If there's one thing the internet has taught us, is that people turn into gooey messes at the mere hint of dog. People really love pooches, especially when they're quite small, and rather inbred.
Either way, seeing a dog tied up outside a shop isn't great, so one supermarket has hit on something - a trolley which has a place for your dog to sit!
Have a butchers at this.
This Italian grocery store is called Unes, and owner Gianfranco Galantini, decided to make his shop friendly to our canine pals (and their owners who are likely to spend more money with him now).
Basically, these trolleys have a section at the front where dogs can sit, and it has a solid bottom, so if there's any accidents, it won't go all over the Corn Flakes.
"The owners of small dogs can now avoid having to leave them outside, giving them peace of mind to take all the time they need to make their purchases," said Gianfranco to La Repubblica. "The initiative launched just recently, but we’ve already noticed how much our customers appreciate it."
Should all supermarkets have trolleys like this? Everyone likes seeing dogs knocking about and, of course, it'll be really funny for people who don't have dogs, to see people yelling uselessly at a pair of hounds scrapping in the Bonio aisle. It'll really liven up the grocery shop, no end.


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Yamaha Motor Group may have plans to discontinue their most celebrated bike series, the R1 and the R1M. From 1998 to 1999, an era of litre-class motorcycles and eye-watering speeds down highways was born. India, especially, witnessed this through the Yamaha R1, which sported a very aggressive sharp design, powered by the iconic 998cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-cylinder engine producing a peak power of 148bhp, while still weighing only 177kgs.
The latest rendition of the R1 in 2023, powered by the 998cc engine, produced a peak power of 219bhp and a peak torque of 11.4kgm, at a weight of just 200kgs. The R1 was a petrolhead’s dream, but like all eras, this too shall pass. According to the latest reports by Yamaha Motor Group UK, Yamaha has plans to discontinue the R1 and the R1M due to stringent EURO5+ norms and to focus more on mid-term business and product strategies for future opportunities.
It must be noted that current Euro-certified bikes, including the latest Yahama R1, will be sold until the end of 2025, which could make it the last year of the YZF-R1!
Stay tuned for more updates on this and here is our review of the Yamaha R1, click here.


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They say it ain't over until the fat lady sings, well it looks like this particular Opera story is far from over folks no matter what some might tell you. Perhaps the most famous Norwegian export since the Vikings, Opera the web browser has certainly lost favour with the technology press. Once upon a time Opera was the big threat to Microsoft Internet Explorer, it was the only alternative browser client that anyone who was anyone would talk about. Then along came Mozilla Firefox and everything changed, pretty much overnight. Today, Opera struggles to get column inches ahead of even upstarts such as Google's Chrome.
You would be forgiven for thinking, then, that the fat lady has well and truly been singing as far as this web browser is concerned. But no, quite apart from the phenomenal success the cut-down mobile version has enjoyed within the mobile phone market, the full-sized original is not only still around but still kicking ass.
The latest incarnation, Opera 10 with Turbo (whoever thinks of these names should be taken out back and hit with a stick, by the way) has been downloaded a whopping 10 million times in just the first week of release.
Opera now reckons it has more than 40 million active desktop users of it's browser family, to which you can add tens of millions others browsing on Opera products for mobile phones, game devices and even televisions.
"While we have consistently grown in our download rates with each consecutive launch, Opera 10 has far exceeded any previous record we had" said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "To us, this means that Opera 10 delivers a more compelling reason to choose Opera, and that reason is Opera Turbo. The concept of turbo browsing was the result of our One Web initiative, as our goal is to ensure that Web browsing is fast, efficient and universal, anytime, anywhere."


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Silver never lost its shine and the business running on Instagram for silver jewellery selling is booming
By Surbhi Jain
Bengaluru, April 10, 2019
According to Vishal Jain, who owns an Instagram online shop named Nakoda Silver, “People now prefer silver jewellery a lot, especially youngsters. The overall sale is good.”
He also added, “We do the sale of silver jewellery over the world and have got huge customers from the USA and U.K mostly. The craze is amazing.”
Vishal owns shops in Malleshwaram and Nagarthpet but he told that the online market is good.
World of Pallete is another Instagram jewellery stop. The owner says, “A market is a crazy place on Instagram. Well to me, it’s like a game online where I get to earn as much.”
Instagram is a great platform for the trade of silver jewellery with huge demand from countries like the United States or the Middle East. India is the third largest manufacturer of silver jewellery in the world. Another reason for silver jewellery gaining popularity is because it is cheap in comparison with gold or diamond.
GGC Silver Jewellery, old silver ornament sellers on Instagram mentioned, “The market for us online is booming although we have a shop in Commercial Street – Instagram is a great platform for us too.”
Flaunt basket silver shop owner at GT World Mall in Magadi Road, Bengaluru said, “I have a shop and I earn ample amount of money through my online shop at the same time – be it Instagram or WhatsApp. I get great promotion from Instagram and I am sure, in the future, the virtual world will be the biggest space for any business.”
Flaunt basket owner also added, “I never thought of doing the business online, but thanks to my father who advised me to follow it, I am extremely thankful. Making more money is always a cherry on the cake.”


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While at the Tokyo Motor Show last month, I had a chance to interview Kiyotaka Ise, the president of Lexus International. The following is a transcript of our conversation, by way of a Japanese translator.
Lexus Enthusiast: It must have been daunting to transform the Lexus brand over such a short period of time, how did you manage to maintain balance between performance & luxury?
Ise-san: The main challenge was maintaining the typical characteristics of Lexus — a quiet running car — with the feeling of “fun to drive”. We wanted to bring up the performance level as much as possible, and we were able to tackle this at a technical level.
The other challenge we faced was in regard to the design — we have typically had a tame look, a design that would liked by everybody. The design is more aggressive and strong looking this time around, and that’s best represented by the spindle grille.
Through the discussion phase, there was a fear that loyal Lexus customers would dislike this change. Switching to a more emotional and aggressive design was a risk, but we prioritized and made this decision. So far, we have not heard any negative voices from loyal customers, so I think this transition has gone quite well.
You mentioned yesterday (at an earlier press conference) that you were in charge of Lexus motorsports, how important a role will motorsports play in defining and refining Lexus?
We want to continue on with our current collaborations in motorsports. When you have a really excellent car, the full driving performance is realized on a closed racing circuit with the car driven by professional drivers.
As a luxury brand, we want the general consumer to know the ultimate performance level of these cars.
You also mentioned yesterday about being unsatisfied with a single F performance model, what has been the biggest difficulty in producing additional F models?
It’s simply a matter of resource availability, we have to allocate available resources wisely.
The redesigned GS represented a new chapter. Formally at the time, it was sedans and SUVS, but we’re now adding a sporty element — the RC, a new F model and whatnot. Because we’ve added this secondary factor, the resources are being pulled in that direction.
As for the next F model, that will be dealt with. (Laughs)
(Earlier this week, a second Lexus F performance model was announced — see more details here.)
Now that you’ve redesigned the entire lineup, what’s the biggest challenge facing Lexus right now?
It’s only been two years since we started all this effort of fully redesigning the entire lineup with the spindle grille. We need to continue adding to the innovation of the design, continue to evolve this design. The LF-NX is one example of this — I think we’re still in the middle of this new chapter.
Perhaps the next challenge, the next step of our evolution, is when we launch the LF-LC into the market.
Very excited for that day. Thank you, Ise-san, for speaking with me.
My special thanks to Lexus International president Kiyotaka Ise for taking the time to answer my questions. 有難うございます。!


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Canon Powershot G-Series Cameras R.I.P
PMA 2006: Conspicuous by its absence amongst the tens of new products that Canon have announced today is a G-Series camera. At a press conference this morning, Canon UK representatives confirmed our worst fears by stating that there will be no more G-Series Canon cameras, which makes the Canon Powershot G6 (pictured) the last of its kind. The S-series cameras and the falling prices of Canon’s DSLRs have effectively replaced what has been a venerable, popular and best-selling series of cameras.
28th February 2006: Yesterday I attended a meeting with representatives from Canon Japan’s digital compact camera division. When asked if the Canon G-Series had officially ended, they replied that although there were no new G-Series models in the recently announced Spring 2006 range of Canon products, the G-Series may return in the future, if market conditions allow. So Canon G cameras could make a comeback, although the absence of any kind of bridge-style camera in Canon’s new line-up would suggest that the chances are slim, as DSLRs get ever cheaper and compacts ever more fully-featured.


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Grupo Fuertes has paid around $27m for an extra 3% stake in Cherkizovo, bringing the Spanish company’s total investment in the Russian pork and poultry producer to $77m.
It is unclear why MB Capital Europe, Cherkizovo’s majority shareholder, decided to sell around 1.8m shares that were individually valued at $14.60 each. But the business has now decreased its share by 2.89%, although it still retains the largest stake in Cherkizovo, which claims to be one of the biggest meat processors in Russia.
Cherkizovo and Grupo Fuertes are well-acquainted business partners. They entered into a joint venture in 2012 to run a turkey plant in Tambov. The factory hit full capacity earlier this year and produces around a fifth of the turkey meat on the Russian market, although the two companies want to supply half the turkey on the market.
Grupo Fuertes had a stake in Cherkizovo that was approximately 5% before it bought over 1.9m shares in the London Stock Exchange-listed business this week.
Grupo Fuertes claims to be one of Spain’s largest agricultural holdings and manages around 20 agri-food companies, covering aspects of the food chain including meat and poultry, seafood, dairy, bottled water, crops and wine.


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The latest version of Firefox, Firefox 26, is now officially available to download. This is one of the most significant releases in recent history, introducing built-in “click to play” functionality for all plug-ins (except for Flash). Firefox 26 also represents the dramatic culmination of Mozilla’s MemShrink project, which has spent the last two and a half years trying to battle Firefox’s reputation for being a memory hog. Firefox 26 has a very svelte memory footprint indeed.
At long last, Mozilla has rolled out a massive UI update to Firefox that makes it look almost exactly like Chrome. Dubbed Australis, this is the biggest ever change to Firefox’s user interface, with much improved streamlining and customization, and the unification of Mozilla’s design language across the desktop, smartphone, and Firefox’s myriad other form factors. Australis will debut in Firefox 28, which just hit the Nightly (alpha testing) channel; if everything goes to plan, the new-look Firefox should be ready for mass consumption at the start of 2014.
Some 20 years after it was first implemented in Netscape Navigator, one of the most reviled and widely abhorred pieces of web surfing history has finally been killed. With the release of Firefox 23, the
Mozilla has been focused on getting Firefox OS onto smartphones for the past year, so the next logical step is tablets. Now, Foxconn is stepping in to produce a product for Mozilla, and rumors point toward a Firefox tablet. With a high-profile partner and a focus on reaching underserved markets, Mozilla might just be onto something.
Mozilla has been courting controversy with its move toward blocking some third-party cookies by default in Firefox. While preventing unvisited websites from setting cookies is undoubtedly good for consumers, advertisers are none too happy about it. Sadly, Mozilla is now delaying this feature thanks to the complaints it has received from “concerned site owners.”
Netflix uses Microsoft’s Silverlight plug-in to deliver its streaming video. It works fairly well on OS X and Windows, but it’s not a viable option on Linux, mobile devices, or set-top boxes. At this point, the writing is on the wall in regard to the future of Flash and Silverlight. A different playback method is necessary going forward, and HTML5 video is the obvious choice here. Sadly, there are numerous obstacles in the way — DRM being the biggest.
After losing significant marketshare in the world of browsers, Mozilla has begun shifting gears to focus on competing in the mobile space. Webkit-based browsers are dominant on the desktop, but it’s even worse for Mozilla in the mobile space as it stands now. This year, phones running the new Firefox OS will launch in numerous different countries in Europe and Latin America, and they’ll hit the United States in 2014. Will this be enough to keep Mozilla relevant?
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.


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© Provided by AFP Ride-sharing service Sidecar on Tuesday added medical marijuana to the list of goods it will promptly deliver to customers in San Francisco
Ride-sharing service Sidecar on Tuesday added medical marijuana to the list of goods it will promptly deliver to customers in San Francisco.
Early this year, Sidecar began delivering flowers, groceries, hot food and other items in its hometown as it began expanding the same-day service to other US cities.
At the time, Sidecar co-founder Sunil Paul said that he expected same-day delivery services to represent half the company’s business by the end of this year.
“Our vision is that one day any business will be able to take an order and get it to the customer in an hour, and Sidecar will be the service that powers this capability,” Paul said.
Half of Sidecar trips in San Francisco now involve deliveries, according to the company.
Sidecar teamed with Meadow, which runs a website where people can order medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries.
Orders are secured in lock boxes for trips, and drivers are card-holding medical marijuana patients who are also members of local collectives shipping the pot, according to Sidecar.
Deliveries are promised within an hour of ordering.
“The delivery of medical marijuana, with its layers of complexity, is the perfect use case to highlight the power of our delivery service,” Sidecar said.
“We are capable of handling the same-day delivery of anything, if it’s legal and fits in a car.”
Sidecar charges for “on-demand” deliveries start at $5 and climb with distance and during commute or late night hours, but come with fees waived if items don’t arrive on time.
Paul has maintained that moving people along with packages enables Sidecar to charge bargain delivery prices while getting items quickly to destinations.


text:
Tim Cook Visits Ireland and Meets Government Officials
Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently in Ireland. He’s reportedly visited the local company's facilities and spoken to government officials about Apple’s business strategy and the new EU tax policy. Here’s what Enda Kenny, the prime minister of Ireland, told the reporters after meeting Cook (via
I pointed out to Cook that Ireland, as a member of the [European] Union, is participating in the OECD discussions that are taking place now about an international response in terms of clarity about the tax position. There are fifteen different sectors involving that and Ireland is participating in them all.
Before talking to the prime minister, Cook has reportedly visited Apple’s Cork office and met with the local employees. The topic of the Apple CEO’s speech still remains unknown.
If some new details appear, I shall immediately let you know, but for now - that’s all I wanted to share with you.
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Dell reported a profit and sales that were driven higher by strong demand and lower operating costs, outstripping analysts' forecasts and sending its shares jumping in after-hours trading.
Dell's net income in the three months ended May 2 rose to $784 million, or 38 cents per share, from $759 million, or 33 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue was $16 billion, up 9 percent from a year earlier.
A consensus estimate compiled by Thomson Financial put Dell's earnings at 34 cents a share on revenue of $15.683 billion.
Dell shares jumped more than 8 percent in extended electronic trading Thursday after closing 0.55 percent higher at $21.81 during regular market hours.
Shares of the Round Rock, Texas-based company fell 7 percent during the first quarter to close at $18.63 at the end of April.
Dell said product shipments increased 22 percent in the quarter, driven by a 43 percent surge in unit sales of laptop computers.
"The upside, I think, was mainly from their share repurchases and slightly higher revenue," said Shannon Cross, an analyst with Cross Research. "The gross margin is in line."
"Dell's cost cutting is starting to benefit margins," Cross said. "Now the company needs to show that they can maintain and gain market share beyond just benefiting from channel fill of their retail partners."
Chief Financial Officer Don Carty told reporters on a conference call that he expects the company to keep growing faster than the overall industry and enjoy growing revenue, profitability and cash flow.
Dell also cut 3,700 jobs in the just-reported quarter.
The company, which in recent quarters has made a big push into the retail sector by selling computers through retailers, said consumer PC units shipped in the quarter grew at more than two times the industry rate.
"We are executing on all points of our strategy to drive growth in every product category and in every part of the world," Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Dell said in a statement.
Having fallen behind Hewlett-Packard in PC sales, the world's second-largest computer maker has been working on turning around its operations, focusing on notebook computers and emerging markets as well as growing both consumer and business lines.
The company is also cutting costs, including thousands of jobs, to stay competitive.
- Reuters contributed to this report.


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Inside Retail Asia
Malaysian home improvement brand Mr DIY may postpone its planned IPO following the effect of political uncertainty on the domestic market.
Singapore grocery retailer NTUC FairPrice seeks to continue reduce the use of plastic bags by extending plastic bag charge at its 25 outlets for a year starting November 11.
Deliveroo has launched a restaurant satisfaction index, finding that restaurants in Hong Kong are facing a challenging business environment but see delivery as an increasingly important part of their business.
Superunion has partnered with NTUC FairPrice on the co-operative’s latest rebranding exercise to refresh the FairPrice Housebrand range.
Shoe retailer Le Saunda is planning to boost its on-sale activity as it battles to continue to reduce its inventory in the wake of falling sales.
Hong Kong department-store operator The Sincere Company’s half-year loss increased by HK$10 million in the latest half year.
Alibaba Group has launched its 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, taking the annual event into its second decade.
Swedish outdoor apparel brand Fjällräven has launched in Singapore and Malaysia.
Ecco has returned after two-month refurbishment of its The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands store, unveiling the debut of Ecco Prime concept store in Singapore.
Hong Kong street-front rents have plunged by 54 per cent from their peak in the first quarter of 2013, according to data from real-estate advisor Savills.
Club Factory, the Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised US$100 million in a fresh round of financing.
Police in Hong Kong have warned retailers to be aware of a Bitcoin blackmail operation linked to the ongoing protest activity.


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Woolworths May Sell Two David Jones Stores in Revamp Efforts
Woolworths Holdings Ltd., the South African food and clothing retailer which bought David Jones last year, may sell two of the Australian retailer’s sites as it looks to revamp other stores in central business districts.
With consumers expected to buy less this holiday season, categories poised to outperform the industry include off-price and personal care. But brands can still appeal to shoppers by conveying a sense of value, whether through discounts or a point of differentiation.
More than a handful of brands confirmed reports of chronic late payments that sparked some vendors to halt shipments to the US department store. Owner Hudson’s Bay Company said it raised $340 million to help fund its retail operations.


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The yuan’s slide to a decade-low is adding a new dimension to China’s balancing act: How to support the economy while avoiding a currency policy that widens its rift with the U.S. on trade.
The yuan steadied on Thursday when the People’s Bank of China set the daily reference rate higher than expected -- even though it was fixed at a level that’s weaker than 7 per dollar for the first time since 2008. That signals that traders are convinced that the yuan won’t be allowed to fall precipitously, even amid pressures from the trade war with the U.S. and slowing growth.
Leaving China aside, we take a look at the US side of the story.
The 10 year has posted a island reversal
The first of the data point is outstanding commercial paper. Its slightly below the highs but still high leverage.
US Trade balance
The trade balance with China is between 350 and 400 bn a year. That is still just a tag above the all time lows. The Tariff have had a minor effect till now. The fact is that no other economy is able to supply the US consumer at a scale and cost that China has been. The Trade balance with Mexiso is rising.
Clearly the chinese imports have stalled on the basis of the tariff However the last quarter shows a rise again. This could be front loading before the new tariff hit on 1 sept.
China trade with US has shown no signs of a stall. Any fall is compensated with the next quarter. The grouse for US is that the imports from US is not growing. China imports are diversifying.
The supply side inflation is sharply falling.
The inflation at the consumer side has not seen any effects from falling prices.
JAPAN: Expenditure picking up
Japan capital expenditure is stable but the GDP data is staying above the 0 mark for now. BoJ has accepted that inflation and growth will not meet their objective.
USDCAD was a long trade on QUANTO at 1.3030 and what a move to 1.33 it has been for the system. Currently we have issued a new trade on USDCAD .
Equity returns are now sitting above +100%. Clients who started in May can withdraw the full capital and let the profits run. A 25k account would be siting at 52k now and they can withdraw the initial capital.
The august returns are at +16%
Average weekly returns are at 6.2%. Every week the system is making over +6%.
If you want to start trading QUANTO sysem on a MT4, please contact us


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New Delhi: Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer has entered into tech market with a luxury handset Tag Heuer Racer. The new Tag Heuer Racer smartphone is inspired from technology used in the making of super cars.
The new phone is crafted with carbon fiber that makes it ultra-lightweight and shock-resistant. The device is powered by Android Gingerbread and features an exclusive 3D interface.
This newest entrant in the luxe phones category is all set to give competition to high-end phones like Vertu Signature Collection and Prada phone by LG.
The company said that “Swiss engineered for ultimate lightness and strength using only high-tech materials. The shockproof rubber chassis is supported and strengthened by the screwed-in titanium and carbon fiber bridges.”
Tag Heuer’s Racer is priced at $3,700 and will hit the markets in July this year.


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Posted BY: Jasmine | NwoReport
According to market reports, sales of Bud Light beer have dropped 17 percent since it tried to raise sales by advertising with Dylan Mulvaney, a man who claims to be a woman.
The sales drop means that Anheuser-Busch, the Belgium-based brewer, is selling five bottles of beer for every six bottles it sold before it advertised with the self-proclaimed “transgender” man who displays himself as a giddy young girl.
“The latest sales data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting shows that Bud Light sales fell 17% in dollars, while volume dropped a whopping 21% in the week ended April 15,” the New York Post reported on April 24, adding:
Trending: A Dozen Biden Relatives Implicated in Foreign Business Schemes: Comer
“These numbers are staggering,” according to an April 23 report from Insights Express, a beer-focused newsletter. “Right now this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser Busch, the Bud Light brand and for AB distributors.”
Company officials have reportedly punished two executives for green-lighting the Mulvaney advertising.
The Wall Street Journal posted a chart showing the lurch downwards in Bud Lights sales — and the lurch upwards in sales of rival beers Coors Light and Miller Light:
Bump Williams Consulting
The drop in sales was predicted by a Rasmussen poll of 1,041 adults, released on April 18. Fifty-four percent of Americans support a Bud Light boycott, including 53 percent of men, 57 percent of white respondents, 66 percent of Republicans, and 57 percent of people under age 40, the poll reported. Roughly one-third of people in each income group say they “strongly support” the boycott.


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The global tourism industry has undergone seismic shifts in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with one notable consequence being the significant decline in Chinese tourists. Once a valuable contributor to the UK’s tourism sector (over 1 million visitors in 2019), the absence of Chinese visitors (just 73,000 in 2022) has been worsened by the removal of tax breaks for shoppers from China, adding a layer of complexity to the recovery process.
The Pre-Pandemic Boom
Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were a vital component of the UK’s tourism industry. Renowned for their enthusiasm for luxury shopping and cultural exploration, they played a substantial role in boosting the economy, spending 1.7 billion in 2019. From high-end retail opportunities in London to day or weekend trips to historic landmarks and cultural attractions across the country, Chinese tourists had a substantial presence and significant financial contribution.
The Pandemic Fallout
As countries gradually reopened their borders post-pandemic, hopes of a tourism revival emerged. However, the recovery in Chinese tourist numbers for the UK has been slower than anticipated due to a reluctance to travel, ongoing concerns about health and safety, and changing travel dynamics including changes in flight paths and availability.
Compounding these challenges is the removal of tax breaks for shoppers from China. Previously, Chinese tourists enjoyed tax-free shopping benefits, making their purchases more attractive and providing an additional incentive to spend while visiting the UK, however, with ongoing uncertainties and economic concerns, many potential travellers are opting for more conservative spending habits. Therefore the removal of this perk has had a dual impact—discouraging spending for tourists that do travel to the UK, and further diminishing the appeal of the UK as a shopping destination.
Adapt and be agile
In the face of these challenges, and with Chinese tourism not expected to fully bounce back until 2025 the UK’s tourism industry must adapt to the current ‘new normal’. While the slow return in Chinese tourists is a setback, it also presents an opportunity for innovative strategies to attract a more diverse range of visitors across the UK, Europe and the USA, and also be at the forefront of conversations with tourist boards to create enticing packages for the Chinese tourists that are choosing the travel. Investing in targeted marketing campaigns and focusing on creating unique and tailored experiences for tourists are essential steps in rebuilding the appeal of the UK as a destination. There are however positive signs for the hospitality industry, with Bloomberg reporting that London has seen Chinese tourists returning, however spending less, meaning that businesses will have to work harder to secure the disposable income of the Chinese traveller. Visit Britain has also confirmed that Chinese tourists are returning at a positive rate with direct seat capacity now at 70% of pre-pandemic levels.
One thing is clear: the hospitality industry can’t afford to sit still and wait for Chinese tourists to return.


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Samsung acted with "arrogance" and "double standards" in the handling of its Galaxy Note 7 recall in China, state broadcaster CCTV wrote in a damning opinion piece on its website.
The South Korean electronics giant was forced to recall of 2.5 million of its Note 7 phablet this month after reports that the device was exploding and catching fire. Samsung acknowledged issues with the battery. But the company initially did not include China as part of the recall as Note 7s supplied in the country had a different battery maker.
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But shortly after, reports of Note 7s exploding in China surfaced, forcing Samsung to issue a recall there too.
CCTV however accused Samsung in being discriminatory to its Chinese customers in the way it handled the recall. The broadcaster said that while Samsung issued a video apology to U.S. users, all Chinese consumers got was a 200 word statement.
"Samsung Electronics said they wanted to be an enterprise that's favored by the Chinese people, however it's not easy for China to like them. Samsung also wants to be the enterprise that contributed to Chinese society, but contribution requires sincerity instead of arrogance," CCTV wrote.
"Samsung made it look like they are fixing their mistakes, but in fact they are hold double standards on the recall of its products. With a less than 200 words statement, Samsung excluded China from the markets where Note 7 would be recalled and replaced. Samsung's discriminative policies have caused significant dissatisfaction among Chinese consumers."
CCTV's condemnation is likely to hinder Samsung as it looks to continue momentum in its smartphone division in China. Samsung, like Apple, is also trying to boost its presence in China, a market it once dominated but has now fallen behind local players such as Huawei and Oppo.
Earlier this week, Samsung said it had received around 60 percent of recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices in Europe with a similar figure returned in the U.S. and South Korea. In Europe, the company also said the Note 7 would go back on sale from October 28.
- Additional reporting by CNBC's Haze Fan.


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A new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and JLL finds that non-retail tenants – including food and beverage (F&B), leisure and community amenities – have led to 28% estimated rental value growth, a 7.24% increase in footfall and a 1% decrease in vacancy rates across 12 European shopping centres in the past 12 months.
The report, Trading Up: Dining, leisure, amenities, and the new shopping centre, is the second in a series commissioned by ULI’s European Retail and Entertainment Council to better understand the role of non-retail elements in the continued reinvention of shopping centres. It is informed by the analysis of 12 shopping centres across the UK, France, Poland and Spain that have recently upgraded or extended their centres to include additional non-retail tenants. The report also draws on insights from interviews with industry experts, as well as a survey of ULI members working in the retail sector. In addition to examining F&B and leisure, this year’s report looks at community amenities including healthcare, dentists, libraries, co-working spaces, and community uses.
Christian Luft, director of valuation advisory at JLL, commented, “It’s now more important than ever that shopping centres provide that exciting, innovative space that people want to come to, spend time and money in, and return to. The survey’s findings are encouraging and build on what we found last year, that non-retail offerings add value to modern shopping centres. Getting the tenant mix right helps to create successful retail destinations which thrive, benefitting consumers, retailers and landlords alike.”
58% of the survey respondents reported that the addition of F&B, leisure, and community amenities has had a positive impact on the financial performance of shopping centres. As in last year’s survey, respondents indicated that increased dwell time (the time a consumer spends in a centre) and footfall are the two most important contributions non-retail offerings can make to shopping centres. However, this year’s survey found non-retail tenants’ roles in supporting overall retail sales and rental income to be almost equally important. This suggests that there are increasing expectations around how non-retail tenants can contribute to a shopping centre’s bottom line.
“Over the past year or so, we have seen how F&B, leisure, and community amenities have become such a strong focus of attention in the industry – from the perspective of the landlord to that of the operator,” said Chris Igwe, co-chair of the ULI Europe Retail and Entertainment Council. “Today, as questions are asked about the future and sustainability of non-retail tenants as a viable long-term offer, this report not only provides interesting insights, but also explores what we are learning and what we should be cautious about going forward.”
Marije Braam-Mesken, co-chair of the ULI Europe Retail and Entertainment Council, added, “While the results of the survey show that non-retail uses are indeed contributing to the success of centres, it has also become clear that it is not always easy to get the right size and tenant mix.”
The report also includes several case studies that examine how shopping centres around the globe are implementing non-retail offerings.
Source : JLL


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Is skiing dead due to global warming? It depends on whether we can get our carbon emissions in check by the middle of this century….
About Doug Moss and Roddy Scheer
Posts by Doug Moss and Roddy Scheer:
Thanks to global warming, we can expect shorter and less intense fall foliage displays in the United States moving forward.
A new set of sustainability guidelines from leading outdoor gear retailer REI will force upwards of 1,000 brands to go greener.
Are record heat waves across the United States, Europe and elsewhere the new normal in a world under the vice grip of global warming?


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Lora Kolodny covers startups and venture capital for CNBC.com in San Francisco. Previously she was an editor at TechCrunch, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and a contributor to The New York Times. She is a graduate of Williams College. Reach her on Twitter @lorakolodny.
A VC firm started by OpenTable founder Chuck Templeton has closed its second fund at $180 million to invest in food tech startups.
Hardware start-ups can't fight Apple, Amazon and Google, so VCs are backing start-ups with health or enterprise tech.
Now they've disrupted everything — Good2Go launched a mobile app that gives users access to clean bathrooms in big cities.
Good2Go launched a mobile app that gives users access to clean bathrooms in big cities.
A new chatbot called Raheem.ai lets the public rate police interactions as easily as they'd review a product on Amazon.com.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday revealed that Apple Watch has become the top-selling watch in the world, ahead of traditional brands like Rolex.
A Seattle start-up wants to help the NFL tackle its concussion problem with a new kind of helmet.
Kristina Simmons and Kanu Gulati have joined the Khosla Ventures investment team.
Deere is acquiring Blue River Technology, a start-up that does precision spraying of crops with robots that affix to tractors.
This start-up left Silicon Valley to work on education benefits for 64 million American workers who aren't programmers and don't have college degrees.


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With Covid-19 completely dismantling the economy, innovation sprung in different spheres of business as coping mechanisms. With regard to international business, trade finance –constituting financial product and solutions that facilitate cross-border transactions under regulatory surveillance – also received few updates. Existing trade finance regulatory provisions and banking practices in Bangladesh required restructuring for a while now; its significance was genuinely felt during the pandemicsince March 2020. Hence, several digitisation initiatives are required, mobilised by regulatory support and the introduction of Blockchain technology, to kick-start the next generation of trade finance.
The volume of international business is reflected by $35 billion exports and $56 billion imports during FY 2018-19 according to Bangladesh Bank. During each LC opening which is the prerequisite for each cross-border transaction, our regulation requires submitting several hardcopies e.g. insurance cover notes and Letter of Credit Authorisation Forms (LCAF) for import LCs. Extensive time is consumed in collecting hardcopy authorisation and commute to complete the process. With the country under lockdown, the emergence of work from home (WFH) and limited banking operation during April and May, it became highly challenging for businesses to fulfil these requirements. The situation started normalising since June with offices and regular banking operation gradually resuming. Resultantly, Covid cases among employees surged. The future seems bleak with winter knocking and a second wave is predicted,and things are not looking optimistic globally. If the prediction is right, another lockdown and subsequent limited banking operation are highly likely, bringing us back to the same old woes. Therefore, before things get worse, it is high time banks, leading corporates and regulators come forward to digitise relevant hardcopy requirements while ensuring security against financial fraud.
Along this way, the next-gen Bangladesh trade finance might start by implementing Blockchain for LC opening and settlement. It involves creating a network of participating importers, exporters, and their corresponding banks. Using the platform, the importer and exporter can communicate with each other and share the draft LC before finalising it. After it is checked by both parties, it flows to the LC issuing bank i.e. importer’s bank for issuance. The issuing bank can then send the LC advice to the beneficiary bank i.e. exporter’s bank all while using the platform instead of sending SWIFT message. This allows the beneficiary bank to receive LC advise in real-time for confirmation.
(Figure: LC issuance process using the Blockchain platform)
As explained in the figure, the entire communication happens across parties using Blockchain platform in real-time. Conventional LC opening process involves multiple steps and persistence to ensure timely communication; thus,it is prone to discrepancies. Since the entire process does not require any hardcopy documentation, the role of regulation will be critical in implementing the solution in a scalable manner. The possibility of Blockchain can also be extended to shipping document retirement by bringing shipping line companies to the network to introduce the electronic bill of lading.
On a brighter note, banks are rolling out their online trade platforms to expedite the digital movement. The platforms are designed to replace hardcopy instructions and requests not mandated by regulation e.g. LCA forwarding letter, document acceptance and shipping guarantee issuance. Since these initiatives are supposed to change the existing way of working, it requires top management support of businesses to incorporate the new culture. From the bank’s perspective, it must be ensured that the platforms are constructed in a user-friendly way.
To conclude, with the second and probably the third wave of Covid-19 predicted around the world, it is safe to assume that work from home will prevail till a recognised vaccine is found. Regardless, the post-covid workplace will include more virtual activity as the potential of running giant companies through technology is demonstrated in these trying times. All these underpin the digital movement happening unfolding and their unbound possibilities. However, banks should have a serious commitment toward customer data protection and their responsible usage. We have seen reports in the past where online banking accounts were compromised by unauthorised access, causing customers financial loss and banks their reputation. Several layers of proactive, maintenance and reactive IT measures would save banks from such incidents and boost customer confidence in adopting digital means.
The writer is a treasury professional at a multinational fast-moving consumer goods company who can be reached at [email protected]


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We're sure by now your Platinum Jubilee weekend plans are well under way: street parties arranged, decorations on order and playlist created - but with the long weekend inching ever closer, how about celebrating the Queen's Platinum anniversary by picking up a few souvenirs to help commemorate the occasion?
Marking 70 years on the throne, her maj will be celebrating in style with a series of events happening across the four-day-weekend - one of the most anticipated occasions being the Queen's Platinum Party at the Palace, a huge concert bringing together a host of celebrities to mark the Platinum Jubilee. While the Royal Family (and BBC) will gather at the palace, retailers have released a whole host of merch to commemorate our longest reigning monarch.
From designer scarves through to kid's clothing by Princess Charlotte's fave Rachel Riley to a picnic-in-a-bag, we've found plenty of trinkets to honour the occasion - including some heirloom (pricier) items that are sure to be collector-worthy in years to come. On the homewares front, Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater have designed royal-themed crockery that is just the right amount of kitsch (without a Union Jack in sight) and make for the ultimate Jubilee party tablescape.
Whether you're looking for souvenir socks or stylish fashion to shop ahead of the weekend, keep scrolling for the 30 best Platinum Jubilee memorabilia items to shop now - no tat allowed.
SHOP: The Best (& Non-Naff) Queen's Platinum Jubilee Memorabilia
SHOP: The Best Platinum Jubilee Memorabilia
When Is Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee?
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee officially takes place on the June 2 with celebrations continuing until June 5 - because who doesn’t love a huge party? On day one, there’ll be a military parade on Horse Guards Parade and Sandringham, and Balmoral will be open for visitors to enjoy the celebrations. On day two, there’ll be a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s before a Platinum Party concert at Buckingham Palace on day three. On day four, there’s a big Jubilee lunch when the public has been encouraged to host street parties across the UK.


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The company will also stop A340-600 services. Four A330-300 aircrafts will also be decommissioned. By July, Thai Airways hopes to sell 22 of its aircrafts.
The stoppage of services and decommissioning of planes comes amidst a series of losses for the company. The Thai carrier has approximately $5.9bn in debts (the highest in the region) and has seen 7 straight months of losses.
The company’s restructuring is being overseen by Thai Airways president Charumporn Jotikasthira. Charumporn is expected to cut capacity by 20%, sell non-core assets and reduce the fleet size from 101 to 77 aircraft by the end of 2015. As part of the downsizing, the company will be phasing out A340s and 747s. Plans to close routes to Moscow, Johannesburg and Madrid have also been announced.
Thai Airways was once a leader in the cargo market, but the company has stopped and started its freight services multiple times in recent years. The carrier was the first to use a 777F in hopes of returning to freighters. But its losses are partly due to the fact that air freight exports have declined. BFS (Bangkok Flight Services) stated that exports were down 4% in February year-over-year.
The decision to stop cargo services gives other competitors, like Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, an advantage. Cathay Pacific is investing heavily in cargo despite Thai Airways and IAG stopping their services. Other airlines, like AF-KLM and Singapore Airlines, have decided not to re-invest.
While Thai Airways has seen consecutive losses, Cathay Pacific has seen an increased profit of 20%. Cargo revenues were up in the middle of 2014, which provided the company with a strong fourth quarter.


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The City of Round Rock and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts reached an agreement Tuesday, Aug. 31, that prohibits the state from implementing a subsection of a new sales tax sourcing rule, pending a final hearing.
The City filed a lawsuit in July seeking to overturn portions of the Comptroller’s Rule 3.334, which would source sales tax revenue from many online purchases to the buyer’s location instead of the seller’s place of business. This change to decades-old sourcing rules would have cost Round Rock millions of dollars a year in lost local sales tax revenue, most notably from online sales made by Round Rock-based Dell Technologies.
The agreement was reached following a hearing in the 250th Civil District Court of Travis County on Monday, Aug. 30. A trial date for the lawsuit is anticipated to take place the week of June 13, 2022.
On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, Justice Cindy Bourland provided an update to City Council regarding the lawsuit. A video of the presentation can be viewed below:


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Visible “Likes” may soon become a thing of the past according to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. He dropped this social bombshell to a roomful of anxious influencer marketing firms at the recent Wired25 conference in 2019 announcing that his wildly popular platform would begin testing the removal of visible “Likes” from feeds in the United States.
The news comes months after Instagram conducted similar tests with influencer marketing strategies in seven countries around the world. It remains to be seen how such a change would affect the influencer ecosystem, but it’s possible Instagram’s initial test data saw positive results and believe the platform could sustain the new policy.
Mosseri stated that the company’s mission is to protect the “safety and wellbeing” of its users, as research suggests that social media can lead to negative effects on mental health.
“The idea is to try to depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with the people they love and things that inspire them,” Mosseri said.
Reception to the news has been polarized. Some of the best influencer marketing companies are worried expressing concern that this will negatively impact engagement. For many, the fear is that the lack of visible Likes will unincentivize users to Like at all, as seeing how others react to content is a driver in how we respond to it. As Business Insider wrote, “there’s no applause at the end of the show.”
It’s true that the positive emotions experienced when receiving Likes have been a driving factor for both Instagram and social media as a whole.
“We crave it and actively seek it. ‘Likes’ give us a feeling of popularity and meaning,” writes digital analyst Brian Solis.
The days of “likes” could be replaced by other forms of “Social Validation” in Instagram influencer marketing, using a content-rating system powered by algorithms.
Likewise, Open Influence CEO Eric Dahan noted the social impact of Likes and other metrics. “Instagram’s a platform where people go to engage, and they look to others to validate their decisions,” says Dahan. “Think about it – are you going to pay attention to a video with ten likes, or some with a hundred thousand?”
Nonetheless, Dahan remains open to the change. He points out how certain content formats – such as Instagram Stories – already hide their performance metrics with no discernible downside. In addition, the proliferation of TikTok influencer marketing strategies may end up surpassing Instagram’s import in the next couple years. Remains to be seen.
Furthermore, such a policy wouldn’t affect how marketing companies work with influencers or the data and insight we can receive. Creators affected by this test are still able see their own Like performance and report it – similar to how they currently do with Story views.
In addition, AI-powered content analysis can always be programmed to discover actionable insights that set an influential marketing strategy and creative direction.
In addition, Instagram may be hoping that visitors start using other recently launched influencer marketing strategies such as “Create Mode” which allows users to produce content without building off a pre-existing photo or video.
Lastly, this decision is not set in store – far from it. If the platform does indeed experience a steep decline in engagement and overall use, it’s possible they will find some other means of solving the issue. As Mosseri said, “We have to see how it affects how people feel about the platform, how it affects how they use the platform, how it affects the creator ecosystem.”


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- USC Senior VP for Administration Todd Dickey apologized Tuesday for the questions contained in the school’s mandatory Title IX training course.
- Dickey also stated that the inappropriate sexual history questions would be removed from the training.
And set it straight:
A model for
The Head of State.
With fifty cents
You sell your souls,
Like stinking trolls.
EXCLUSIVE: Textbook sales leader says national Common Core education standards are ‘all about the money’ as teacher insists bureaucrats created a ‘new f**king system that f**king sucks to sell more books’
- Conservative muckraker group Project Veritas caught a textbook sales executive and a New York teacher talking about Common Core standards
- ‘I hate kids,’ confessed the textbook sales leader. ‘I’m in it to sell books. Don’t even kid yourself for a heartbeat’
- Hidden camera video shows teacher hammering the program as a ‘bulls**t’ system designed ‘to sell more books’
- ‘Oh my god, it’s all a money game. It’s all a money game,’ she said
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt fired the sales executive Tuesday morning after DailyMail.com told the company about the video
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3394331/Textbook-sales-leader-says-national-Common-Core-education-standards-money.html#ixzz3xBMM6jLb
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/chicago-police-fight-destroy-misconduct-records-launch-homan-square-investigation/#l1jAHhW4RvbEqtlE.99
“You must have a capacity to receive, or even omnipotence can’t give.” ~


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- SPECIAL REPORT – Part 1: Southend ‘sex ring’ victim says ‘heads should roll’ after paedophile ‘informant’ was set free to molest more children - 23/12/2019
- SPECIAL REPORT – Part 2: ‘Shoebury Sex Ring’ victim breaks 30-year silence to detail horrific web of abuse - 23/12/2019
- Thurrock worst in Essex for air quality - 12/12/2019
CASTLE Point Council has announced that its town centre car parks will become free in the lead up to Christmas.
The authority said it was removing parking charges to encourage residents to shop locally during the festive season.
The two car parks are in Hadleigh town centre and at the Knightswick shopping centre on Canvey Island, a civil servant said.
The car parks will become free every day starting from Saturday, December 14.
The last day of free parking will be Boxing Day, December 26.
Southend Council announced last week that it would offer free parking on Sundays and on Thursday evenings in the run up to Christmas, also in an effort to encourage local shopping.
Nine car parks in Southend will be free all day Sundays and from 4pm onwards on Thursdays.
The car parks which will be made cost-free are: Alexandra Street, Clarence Road, Essex Street, Seaway, Short Street, Tylers Avenue, University Square, Warrior Square and York Road.
In addition, this Saturday, December 7, seven Southend car parks will become free as part of Small Business Saturday.
They are: Ceylon Road, Elm Road in Leigh-on-Sea, Hamlet Court Road, Ilfracombe Avenue, North Road, North Street and Thorpe Bay Broadway.


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Tesla owner files lawsuit claiming car suddenly accelerated
Man says car crashed through his garage and into his living room, injuring him and a passenger
Tesla Motors Inc. is being sued by a Model X owner who said his electric SUV suddenly accelerated while being parked, causing it to crash through the garage of his home and into his living room, injuring the driver and a passenger.
In the lawsuit filed Friday, Ji Chang Son said that one night in September, he was slowly pulling into his driveway as his garage door opened when the car suddenly sped forward.
"The vehicle spontaneously began to accelerate at full power, jerking forward and crashing through the interior wall of the garage, destroying several wooden support beams in the wall and a steel sewer pipe, among other things, and coming to rest in plaintiffs' living room," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, seeks class-action status. It cites seven other complaints registered in a database compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) dealing with sudden acceleration.
Acceleration '100 per cent'
Tesla said in a statement that it had "conducted a thorough investigation" of the claims made by Son.
"The evidence, including data from the car, conclusively shows that the crash was the result of Mr. Son pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to 100 per cent," a Tesla spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Tesla said it has various ways to protect against pedal misapplication, including using its autopilot sensors to distinguish between erroneous pedal application and normal cases.
- U.S. investigates after death of Tesla Model S driver using autopilot
- All new Tesla vehicles will have self-driving technology, Elon Musk says
- Tesla Autopilot credited with preventing collision with truck
The lawsuit alleges product liability, negligence and breaches of warranty, and seeks unspecified damages. The allegations have not been tested in court.
NHTSA did not return a phone call seeking verification of the complaints in its database.
The luxury Model X, launched in late 2015, was Tesla's first sport utility vehicle.
In its marketing, Tesla claims the Model X is the safest SUV in history.


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The Dominican Association of Show Business Chroniclers (Acroarte) announces that the Soberano Awards, the Oscars for the Dominican entertainment industry, will take place on Tuesday, 15 June 2021.Color Visión, Channel 9 will air the awards ceremony from the National Theater under Covid-19 protocols.
The show is produced by René Brea and the Caribbean Media World, with the sponsorship of the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, the Presidente beer brewery. The hosts are Caroline Aquino and Clarissa Molina.
For the first time, all categories are open to popular vote through the Premios Soberano website premiossoberano.com.do.
Read more in Spanish:Soberano Awards Listin Diario
12 May 2021
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AppLovin wants to buy video game maker Unity for $20 billion • TechCrunch
One year later publishapp growth and monetization agency AppLovin sent an unsolicited ad proposal today to buy the Unity game engine in a deal worth $20 billion. But there is a catch: Unity should end its recent merger agreement with ironSourcea competitor of AppLovin.
Unity powers thousands of console games, but when it comes to mobile apps, Unity supports games like Pokémon Go, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Call of Duty: Mobile and more. Unity CEO John Riccitiello said he was interested in the agreement with ironSource as it would give Unity developers more tools to develop and monetize their apps, but the company has yet to respond to AppLovin’s offer, which would provide similar benefits to creators.
“We believe that together, AppLovin and Unity are creating a market-leading company that has tremendous growth potential,” said Adam Foroughi, CEO of AppLovin, in a press release. AppLovin estimates that together the companies could achieve an estimated run rate-adjusted EBITDA of more than $3 billion by the end of 2024. In AppLovin’s proposal, Unity would own 55% of the shares of the merged company, which represents 49% of the voting rights. But in the deal with ironSource, the Israel-based company would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Unity.
Today’s Unity news doesn’t end there, however. Reuters reports that Unity has reached a billion dollar deal to create a joint venture in China. Partners in the venture, which will be called Unity China, include tech giants like TikTok parent ByteDance, Alibaba and more. The deal will help Unity develop local versions of its products for game developers.
Amid falling tech valuations, M&A activity is becoming increasingly popular, and gaming is no exception. Microsoft should close a $68.7 billion acquisition of game company Activision Blizzard next year, but the deal didn’t come without shareholder control.


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Find out what QSRs have been up to on social media this week.
BRAND AND STORE UPDATES
LEON released its latest cookbook, “Happy Fast Food”.
Taco Bell provided an updated list of the stores they have reopened.
Pizza Hut and Nando’s are just some of the chains that shared an updated list of their health and safety procedures as restrictions ease.
Bubbleology announced that delivery is now available to more locations in London via Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
NEW ON THE MENU
Starbucks teased a new frappuccino.
Photo credit: LEON Facebook
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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The company has been in a release spree lately and the new product covers one of the default MSFS helicopters as well as one of the best ones available for X-Plane: the Bell 407.
The company developed their 1st generation of the Mi-24 model.
The company continues to release replica controls for several models, although there is always something you need to keep in mind.
The new control builds on the previous version and is a response to requests from customers.
The company is joining the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Microsoft Flight Simulation.
The company has released their kit, which replicates the cyclic and the collective of the AH-64 Apache.
The control set is already available in either separate units or a stand-alone solution.