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Halifax airport sees jump in cargo plane traffic
Cargo flights are 'critical,' says airport spokesperson
The Halifax Stanfield International Airport is experiencing a jump in air freight traffic, with dozens of additional cargo planes landing at the site last month.
During a typical week in the winter only about 25 cargo planes touch down at the airport. But in March, between seven and 10 more airplanes a week arrived, a roughly 30 per cent increase from 2019, said Leah Batstone, a spokesperson for the Halifax International Airport Authority.
The increase in cargo traffic has been a bit of good news, said Batstone. The more imports and exports that fly into and out of the province, the more money is brought into local businesses and the airport.
"The cargo revenue doesn't really make up for the loss in passenger revenue that we've seen due to the pandemic, but it's an important part for the economy," said Batstone.
She said the cargo flights are "critical," bringing in things like personal protective equipment and vaccines, and aiding with e-commerce: "It plays a really important role in facilitating the delivery of those goods."
The entire air travel industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with travel restrictions, quarantine measures and advisories to avoid domestic and international travel decimating the industry. With so few people flying, airports and airlines lost millions. Some airports estimate it will take up to five years to recover.
Some of the new air traffic into Halifax is coming from British Airways jets carrying cargo out of London's Heathrow Airport. They've been bringing in raw materials for a manufacturer in Nova Scotia. Batstone wouldn't name the company bringing in the goods, but said it had more than a dozen planes come into the province in March and early April.
Cargo planes are also now making technical stops in Halifax.
"A technical stop would be when an aircraft would arrive, they would be obtaining fuel, doing some maintenance, maybe doing a crew change. So we're seeing a few more technical stops now as part of the regular schedule for some of these carriers," said Batstone.
These planes never stopped in Halifax before because there simply wasn't enough room at the airport. That changed in December with the construction of new aprons, areas off the runway where airplanes park to be loaded and unloaded.
Right now there are three aprons for cargo planes, with two more under construction. The new aprons will be able to handle a Boeing 747-400 freighter, which can carry about the same amount of cargo as five transport trucks, said Batstone.
The new aprons are part of the Air Cargo Logistics Park, which is being built on 10 hectares of vacant land that runs along Highway 102. When finished, the park will contain buildings specialized for cargo handling, aircraft de-icing and operations, according to a 2019 Halifax airport news release.
One of the buildings is currently under construction and is expected to be finished this summer. It will include cold storage to help better preserve seafood before it's flown out to places like Europe and Asia.
"It will help with preserving the freshness and helping to increase the exports of seafood from Nova Scotia," said Batstone.
Construction of the cargo logistics park is set to cost $36 million. The federal government put up $18 million for the project, the province chipped in $5 million, while the airport authority put in the remaining $13 million, according to a news release.
The entire facility is expected to be up and running by the end of this year.
"Having these aircraft coming and going and seeing that increase already, and we've just opened three of the five aprons, it just goes to show that this infrastructure was needed by the industry and we're already seeing the value of it," said Batstone. "It will benefit the community and the regional economy quite significantly in the years to come."


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Yahoo beats expectations as it focuses on mobile, original content.
Google changes terms of service after criticism over e-mail scanning.
Google is briefly opening the doors to its Google Glass explorers program to any U.S. adult with a shipping address.
Google said Monday that it has bought drone-maker Titan Aerospace.
Why Google bought the drone maker that Facebook reportedly ogled.
Monday's announcement means that all customers who aren't already on unlimited plans will now have unlimited talk and text.
Even before Heartbleed, Americans reported data breaches were on the rise.
BlackBerry says it’s still going to make smartphones, despite reports to the contrary.
Google is going to open a few spots in its Glass Explorers program on April 15, giving those who want to buy Glass a perfect way to spend their rebate.
Companies had said they would not change WhatsApp policies against collecting and sharing personal data with advertisers.
A side-by-side comparison of the two hottest Android smartphones on the market this month.
Facebook is moving all its messaging to a separate app
What can you do about the massive security bug taking over the Internet? To be honest: not much. But here’s a catch-up on the few steps you can take.
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is water-resistant, meaning it can survive a brief dip. It’s also a good phone.
Yes, it's the day of the XP apocalypse -- the day when Microsoft stops offering support for its 2001 operating system. But before you start freaking out, take a deep breath. Here are five things you need to know about what's really going on.
Twitter’s new profile design looks mighty familiar.
We know. XP is like an old friend. But here’s your guide to moving on.
HTC is still facing an uphill battle, but it’s not all bad.
With the Plates app, users can skip back-of-the-receipt arithmetic. Free on iOS; Android version in the works.
What Amazon has in the Fire TV is a lot of potential.
Hayley Tsukayama covers consumer technology for the Washington Post. A Minnesota native, she joined The Post in 2010 after completing her master's degree in journalism. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she sings alto with a local choir and plays video games in her copious free time.

domain: news


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PrimeTime Lighting makes national sales director hire
Subscribe to NewscastStudio's newsletter for the latest in broadcast design, technology and engineering delivered to your inbox.
Gleason is an experienced sales and business development executive with decades of experience in the broadcast industry where he provided products and unconditional service to broadcast studio facilities, systems integrators, dealers and resellers.
Texas-based PrimeTime Lighting Systems designs and builds LED broadcast studio lights to stand up to long-term heavy commercial use.
The passively cooled LED lights are engineered and built in the USA with a five-year warranty.
“We are thrilled and grateful to have Brian’s breadth of experience and sales leadership to bring a new level of excellence to PrimeTime,” said Glen Harn, president, PrimeTime Lighting Systems, in a statement. “In this key leadership role, Brian will build relationships and sales among new and existing customers.”
The latest in design, production and engineering
Subscribe to NewscastStudio for the latest delivered straight to your inbox.


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DAF online sales of new trucksApril 22, 2020
Given the difficult environment associated with the spread of coronavirus infection, DAF has taken a number of measures to ensure the safety of its customers and provide them with uninterrupted service.
As the press center of the concern informs on Wednesday, April 22, one of such measures is the transfer of sales of new DAF trucks in online mode. So, on the company’s web portal, thanks to 3D DAF Configurator, it is possible to independently select the configuration and send a request to the dealer. An agreement can also be reached on trucks available – DAF dealer sales departments are still operating remotely.
Regarding maintenance, the company is advised to contact the DAF service station in advance of the visit. At the same time, spare parts for DAF service stations are delivered as usual.
In this way, the company helps freight carriers by providing important services to support their business – as the transport industry provides transportation of vital medicines, food and everything you need to maintain infrastructure.
- 2021 Hyundai Bayon crossover unveiled
- Kia launches online configurator for Kia Carnival 2022 minivan
- BMW M4 Coupe received a wide-body kit
- French Bugatti may be sold to Rimac
- Volvo to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2030


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The overseas surgery industry, once a slightly scary medical niche, has taken off to a remarkable degree, its rise fueled by the continued rise in health care costs and by an economy that is creating an army of underinsured Americans looking for bargains.
Unlike its rivals, which sell printers at a loss and make huge profits on the ink, the photo giant has been marketing its ESP printer line with an appealingly contrarian pitch: a fairly priced printer that takes cheap ink.
This year, a record wave of recession-struck families are expected to drive, rather than fly, on their summer vacation. But they won’t be in the wagons of yore or even the minivans and SUVs of the gas-guzzling era.
Few borrowers read every line of the avalanche of paperwork that comes with a mortgage, and even the most well-intentioned consumer might have difficulty understanding all costs associated with their loan — and how it compares with what other lenders are offering.


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Dubai, United Arab Emirates-Wednesday 23 October 2019 [ AETOS Wire ]
H.E. Li Xuhang, Consul General of People’s Republic of China in Dubai, Xiao Jianhua, the head of the China Tourism Promotion Group, H.H. Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum and Hoor Al Khaja from DTCM were all present at the "Beautiful China" 2019 Asian Tourism series, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China. The promotion which saw over 220 representatives from the tourism and media of the two countries was held at Address Sky View Hotel, Dubai on 21st October.
The evening demonstrated China's brilliant history, culture and charismatic tourism resources from cultural and tourism management departments from 11 provinces to the UAE tourism industry and residents in the form of public flash publicity, industry exchange negotiations and tourism promotion meetings.
H.E. Li Xuhang, in his address said, “Tourism is very important to the bilateral relations between China and UAE. It is an important bridge for enhancing mutual understanding and friendship, as well is a catalyst for pragmatic cooperation in other fields. It is also an important part of the Belt and Road initiative. In recent years, under the background of the continuous development of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and UAE, the culture and tourism fields between both countries have become increasingly frequent. With the implementation of the visa-free policy of China and UAE, Dubai has become one of the most popular overseas tourism destinations for Chinese citizens.”
He also noted that in 2018, the number of Chinese tourists entering and transiting at Dubai Airport reached 3.77 million, while the number of inbound tourists reached 875,000. China become the fourth largest tourist source market for Dubai. The Beautiful China tourism promotion activities in Dubai, have promoted the pragmatic cooperation between China and UAE and deepened the friendship between the two countries. It is hoped that the tourism industry of both countries can benefit from the golden period of the relations between China and UAE, and push the two countries to achieve more new results under the Belt and Road initiative.
Xiao Jianhua, said, “On May 15th, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Asian civilizations dialogue conference that China is willing to implement the Asian tourism promotion plan with all Asian countries to contribute more to the economic development in Asia and to enhance friendship among Asian peoples. In 2019, the only tourism promotion activities in Asia are being held in Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai. All these efforts reflect our emphasis on promoting the development of tourism relations with Arab countries. With continuous and rapid development of tourism, China is now not only the world's largest outbound tourist market and the largest domestic tourist market, but also the fourth largest inbound tourist receiving country in the world.”
During her speech Hoor Al Khaja said, “China is a leading source market for Dubai. Through a series of strategic cooperation and marketing plans to China, Dubai, the very attractive tourism destination become particularly popular among Chinese tourists. Since the implementation of the visa-free policy of China and UAE and also the capacity increase in air transportation between the two countries, the number of Chinese tourists to Dubai continues to grow. The first eight months of this year, Dubai welcomed a stellar 650,000 visitors, representing a 12% year-on- year growth. Through the China-Readiness Strategy, Dubai aims to enhance the holistic experiences of Chinese visitors across the emirate – particularly those who are increasingly seeking personalized itineraries and independent travel solutions. Among other elements, the strategy includes, encouraging the industry to employ more Chinese-speaking staff, providing authentic Chinese cuisine at hotels and mobile payments favored by Chinese tourists. Dubai instant tax refunds via WeChat at the airport and expanding the Chinese New Year celebrations city-wide.”
It is believed that through these promotion events, UAE residents will learn more about the rich and colorful Chinese culture and tourism resources and there will be more UAE travelers visiting China.
Melwyn Abraham, +97143430888
Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/lsquobeautiful-chinarsquo-asian-tourism-promotion-series-concludes-in-dubai/en


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Disguise Inc, subsidiary of JAKKS Pacific, Inc and world leaders in costume design and manufacturing, with Snap Incorporated announced the launch of an AR shopping experience for Halloween costumes on Snapchat featuring Disguise’s 2022 line.
Starting now, Snapchatters can try-on, share with friends, and buy costumes of their favorite characters from the world’s hottest brands and franchises; Disney’s Hocus Pocus, Disney Princess, Disney Villains, Harry Potter, from NBCUniversal – The Office and Chucky; from Netflix – Squid Game and Stranger Things; as well as Minecraft, Power Rangers, Transformers, Cobra Kai, Ghostbusters – Just to name a few!
Since January of last year, more than 250 million Snapchatters have engaged with AR shopping Lenses more than 5 billion times, with 92% of Snapchatters showing interest in using AR for shopping. As more brands build AR shopping experiences on Snapchat, it’s a great opportunity to bring costume try-on to the app.
“Imagining what a costume will look like on you is a big part of Halloween shopping. Snapchat’s new AR try-on capabilities take the wonder out of your costume shopping experience,” said Stephen Berman, CEO of JAKKS Pacific. “Disguise is excited to partner with Snapchat this year to bring these Lenses to life. We have enlisted some of our top licensors to help us create an enjoyable try-on experience for customers and fans. All Lenses will also have a direct line to purchase if you like what you see!”
“These Halloween AR try-on experiences represent what makes shopping on Snapchat so seamless and fun,” said Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc. “We’re thrilled to partner with Disguise to bring these Lenses to our community, as well as make choosing a Halloween costume that works for you, without ever having to step foot in a store, easier than ever on Snapchat.”
You can find these Halloween try-on AR Lenses in Disguise’s public profile on Snapchat by searching ‘Disguise Costumes’ in the search bar. You can also search using specific brand names, like ‘Power Rangers’ and ‘Harry Potter’, in Snapchat’s Lens Explorer, or unlock a specific Lens using each Snapcode.


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The Pickled Chef brings signature grilled cheese and more to Unity
Regulars on the farmers market and food festival circuit, The Pickled Chef , a local canning, preserving and pickling company, now has a restaurant and storefront.
The Pickled Chef Kitchen & Farmers Market is serving patrons at 1020 Latrobe 30 Shoppes, Suite 427, Unity.
Chef Greg Andrews, wife Ashlee Andrews, and Ashlee's mother, Debra Driggers, started the company in 2014 while operating The Supper Club restaurant in Greensburg's PNC Train Station.
That restaurant closed on Jan. 14, 2017.
The new site offers breakfast and lunch 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, according to its website.
The Pickled Chef has gained a following for its gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and variety of all natural canned products, including bread and butter and dill pickles and unique pickled vegetables, utilizing locally produced seasonal ingredients.
The menu at its first brick and mortar business offers those "made-to-order" grilled cheese sandwiches, along with homemade soups and sides and limited dinner menus including Texas-style barbecue, Southern-style fried chicken and Andrews' steak and seafood favorites.
The Farmers Market will offer the full line of jarred products along with additional local producers' specialties such as Logan Family Farms Beef, Jamison Farms Lamb, Pleasant Lane Farms Honey, Paul Family Farms Maple Syrup, Clover Creek Cheese Cellars Artisanal Cheeses and Family Farms Creamery Dairy.
Details: 724-420-6105 or thepickledchef.com
Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5401 or email@example.com or via Twitter @MaryPickels.


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Melbourne startup She’s a Crowd has taken home the International Prize at the Melbourne Knowledge Week Open Innovation Competition, and will be taking its women’s safety data platform to Indonesia.
The competition saw six startups presenting solutions for a safer city, with parking sign startup Can-i-park taking the top prize and winning $20,000.
She’s a Crowd is a platform allowing harassment victims and survivors of sexual assault to share their stories and experiences, building up a bank of statistical data to help map public spaces and combat crime targeting women.
For the Open Innovation Competition, founder and chief Zoe Condliffe, who recently featured in SmartCompany’s Smart 30 Under 30 list, worked with Tess Guthrie, founder of data analytics and consulting business WhyHive, to apply the She’s a Crowd model to Melbourne’s cycle lanes.
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The pair took home the coveted International Prize, winning a trip to Bandung in Indonesia for a week-long program working with the Bandung Institute of Technology and the City of Bandung, to explore how the initiative could be implemented there.
Condliffe and Guthrie also won one of two available spots in the MAP Velocity program, and finished in third place overall, winning prize money of $3,000.
Speaking to StartupSmart, Condliffe says she was “so surprised” to win the International Prize.
“Sometimes you think that, because it’s gender-focused, it won’t speak to everyone,” she explains.
“It’s just really, really delightful that other markets, other countries, are seeing this as something they want as well.”
Validating the proposition
The competition comes almost a year after Condliffe completed the BlueChilli SheStarts program.
Since then, the startup has been working on securing its first customers, and embarking on various strategic partnerships, the founder says.
She’s a Crowd has gathered about 10,000 stories, Condliffe says, and is building the second phase of the platform now, which will focus more on the users.
So far, “we’ve been focusing on our customers”, she explains.
“Because we’ve got a double-sided marketplace … we’re trying to figure out what to prioritise.”
While Condliffe herself is passionate about making sure the women using the platform are spoken to, “in the first 12 months it was really key for us to validate our value proposition”, she says.
While the founder says she is “obsessed” with the users, and understands them, it was important for her to focus on the customer, even though that didn’t necessarily feel intuitive to her.
“We had to make sure we know we are solving for the right problem … and we know the data we are gathering is the right sort of data,” she explains.
“Otherwise, it’s just a storytelling platform.”
The idea is that women know why their stories are being used, where they’re going, and how they will help solve the wider problem, Condliffe says.
“I want to know that we can answer them.”
A global vision
The win is a potential first step for She’s a Crowd to realise Condliffe’s “global vision” for the business, the founder says.
Sexual harassment and assault is a problem faced by women in literally every city in the world, she adds.
Condliffe lived in Cambodia as a child, where she later started her first NGO. She has also worked in international development in Southeast Asia. So, expanding in this direction seems like a natural next move for the startup.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about Southeast Asia as a region and how She’s a Crowd will work there,” she says.
“I have already got global ambassadors putting their hands up to champion She’s a Crowd in their own countries.”
In five years’ time, Condliffe wants the startup to be “the biggest spatial data set for the prevention of gender-based violence, globally”, she says.
That said, the founder hasn’t given much thought to whether it is going to make her rich.
“I realised a couple of months ago that potentially it was going to be really big, and that would put me in a place of being able to exit at some stage, but I just don’t think like that at the moment,” she adds.
“I need to get the business model and the social impact model right before I can even think about the long-term money-making side of things.”
Make your own rules
When it comes to founding and running a startup, Condliffe’s advice is to do things on your own terms.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that a startup founder has to be unhealthy and living on ramen … and just dying of sleep deprivation or whatever,” she says.
“It’s not true.”
There’s a long game to be played, she says. If a founder can’t take a day off, or keep their weekends free, and if they don’t see family and friends, they will burn out.
“It’s just not worth it and you’re not going to be helpful to anyone,” Condliffe says.
“I was told so many times this is what a startup founder looks like, this is what startup life is,” she adds.
“I rejected it from the start.”
This is about looking after founder mental health, but it’s also about making startups more accessible, she says.
Women, for example, are often expected to provide emotional support, and time, to their families, while “potentially men have been able to neglect their families and work long hours”, she adds.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable, and I think we really need to expand our definition to make sure we’re inclusive of everybody and that everybody gets a go,” Condliffe says.
“You’ve got to make the rules for yourself.”


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Unveiling Tecno’s Innovative Galaxy Z Flip Competitor with a Screen Inside its Camera
Tecno, the innovative smartphone manufacturer, has recently taken a bold step into the world of foldable technology. Their much-anticipated entry into this arena includes not one, but two groundbreaking devices: the Phantom V Fold and the Phantom V Flip. In this article, we’ll delve into some exciting details about the Phantom V Flip, which is creating quite a buzz in the tech community.
According to an exclusive tip received by Gsmarena from an anonymous source, an accessory manufacturer has inadvertently unveiled some key design elements of the upcoming Tecno Phantom V Flip. This revelation has left enthusiasts and experts alike intrigued and excited about what Tecno has in store for the foldable smartphone market.
One of the standout features of the Phantom V Flip is its circular cover display, which is encircled by two cameras and an LED flash. This unique camera arrangement raises questions about the capabilities and functionalities of this O-shaped island. Tecno’s willingness to push the boundaries of design in a crowded smartphone market is truly commendable.
The device’s design not only captures attention with its unconventional aesthetics but also promises practicality and innovation. The power button on the Phantom V Flip is set to double as a fingerprint scanner, eliminating the need for a dedicated sensor beneath the foldable panel. This innovation enhances user convenience and elevates the device’s overall user experience.
For selfie enthusiasts, Tecno has positioned a solitary selfie camera within a punch hole, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted display experience. Additionally, the lower section of the device is set to incorporate a USB-C port, keeping it in line with modern connectivity standards.
It’s important to note that the images accompanying this leak are simulated representations based on schematics. While they provide an accurate depiction of the dimensions and placements of functional components, it’s possible that the final appearance may differ. However, given the consistency with previous leaks, there’s a strong likelihood that these images offer a genuine glimpse into Tecno’s upcoming masterpiece.
To uncover the full potential of the Tecno Phantom V Flip and gain a more comprehensive understanding of its features and capabilities, we eagerly await Tecno’s official announcement, which is expected to be made soon. As the smartphone industry continues to evolve, Tecno’s commitment to differentiation and innovation is setting a promising course for the future of foldable smartphones. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting technological development.


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FNB Connect introduces lowest local and global call ratesBy Hanleigh Daniels 22 November 2010
FNB Connect has introduces a new service offering what it says are the lowest local and global call rates. FULL STORY >
Tech News Roundup - Pay TV scene hots upBy Hanleigh Daniels 7 May 2010
In our weekly tech news roundup: MultiChoice now faces competition, Facebook privacy bug fixed and Apple Developer Conference rumours. Facebook addresses a bug that was giving rise to some privacy issues and expectation and hype over Apples iPhone 4G... FULL STORY >
Most Read Articles
Have Your Say
What new tech or developments are you most anticipating this year?


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Soaring inflation affects real-terms pay, despite record wage increases.
The Bank of England introduces its largest hike in 33 years.
Soaring energy and food prices are putting a strain on the sector.
Credit and debit card spending drops across all areas.
Soaring inflation sees real terms rate drop in the year to April.


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A PASSION FOR SEAFOOD
Since 1896, NORDSEE has stood for unbroken
passion, respect and pioneering spirit in dealing with
the food of the ocean and its preparation. As the
company continues its international expansion, RLI
sat down with CEO Robert Jung to discuss exactly
how the brand is looking to move forward.
Back in April 1896, a group of Bremen ship-owners and merchants founded the German steam fishing company NORDSEE on the initiative on Adolf Vinnen, Paul Barckhan, Wilhelm Oelze and Johann Friedrich Lampe. The company’s own fishing fleet began with just seven fish steamers and 16 fishmongers.
NORDSEE’s first ever sales counter opened in Bremen the same year, and the company has never looked back. Today there are 372 NORDSEE stores worldwide, with 315 in Germany, 33 in Austria and 24 additional units spread across many other countries which are
predominantly in Eastern Europe.
“Last year we really pushed the brand forward, rolling out our new store design, introducing
new products and launching our new NORDSEE app and loyalty programme,” explains Robert Jung, CEO of NORDSEE. “Figures over the last
12 months show that our sales are growing and that the business is highly profitable, which will
allow us to invest in even more development moving forward.”
A store that highlights this remodeling and
new design scheme is situated in the Loom
Bielefeld in Germany, a centre owned by
NORDSEE’s partner ECE. Another key flagship
location for the brand was the opening of its
fourth store in the city centre of Vienna, in
The company’s key objective over the coming
12-18 months is to convert the company
owned business into a franchise business in its
home market of Germany as well as Austria.
Internationally, NORDSEE is developing the
brand in new markets and are currently looking
for strong partners and operators interested


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Since we first learnt of Raya and the Last Dragon and had it listed as one of our most anticipated animated films of 2020, a lot had happened. The film got 2 delays, a change of lead voices actress, 2 additional directors, and the arrival of a tiny little global pandemic to top it all off. But that's all in the past, and the film is gearing up for its big debut this week on Disney+. So, how did it fair critically? Here's the roundup:
This time last year, the gaming world saw the likes of Granblue Fantasy Versus, Doom Eternal, Animal Crossing and Nioh 2 all graced the gaming world with their presence. Now its 2021's turn. However, despite two brand new Next-Gen consoles being on the market, this March line up isn't looking as spicy. Luckily, there are still enough gems releasing this month for us to enjoy. Here's the best of the best:
Yes, Pokemon Sword & Shield had new art/graphics (which many believed could've been much better), but the game followed mostly the same gameplay formula that existed for 25 years. As someone that was there for Pokemon Blue, Sword & Shield didn't exactly reinvent the wheel enough for me to lose my sh#t. Luckily, Gamefreak had an ace up their sleeve, which was revealed moments ago during a special Pokemon presentation. Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Pokemon Legends: Arceus...
Square Enix's massively successful 3DS RPG series Bravely Default, makes the leap into HD with an exclusive sequel landing on the Switch this month. Default II features a new story/cast of characters, and contains a variant of the prior game's "Brave Point" system, and use of collecting different "asterisks" to change a character's job class. So are these changes enough for us to once again brave the default? Here's the roundup:
We have been hearing/reading about Pixar's new Mediterranean adventure for some time now, and apart from a very short teaser and news of a Summer release date, we haven't heard much. Until today that is, as Pixar has now pulled the curtains back on a brand new trailer for its next film, and it looks gorgeous.
After news broke that Netflix would be teaming up with the original creators of Avatar the Last Air Bender to create a live-action series for the streaming platform, we were cautiously optimistic. Since then, the creators left the project over "creative differences", and our collective hopes for great new content in the world of Avatar was again dashed. In step Nickelodeon to our rescue with the recent announcement of Avatar Studios.
Hey I am Marlon Mcfarlane the writer here at Blue Crescent Studio & a longtime lover of all things Animation & Gaming.


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Travel industry calls for more government support
The coalition has written to the chancellor, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the chair of the House of Commons transport committee, Huw Merriman MP, about the restart of international travel and the need to support the travel industry throughout the recovery.
The coalition is made up of 15 travel associations and trade groups. The latest coordinated activity follows the publication of the Global Travel Taskforce report.
The group is calling on the government to retain existing furlough and self-employed income support for businesses operating in international travel, without tapering, for a minimum of six-months from 17 May.
The furlough scheme is currently due to finish at the end of September. Extending it for six months from 17 May would mean the scheme running until at least mid-November.
The coalition is also urging the government to extend full business rates relief for travel companies operating from rateable premises for a minimum of six-months from 17 May.
The travel framework set out by transport secretary Grant Shapps has 17 May as the earliest date which international travel could re-start.
The coalition also wants to see a new sector-specific ‘recovery grants’ regime for travel agents, tour operators and travel management companies that are reliant on international travel for their revenues.
It also pointed out that HMRC should look to reduce the cost of testing for members of the public by exempting PCR tests from VAT.
The group also group stressed the need for urgent clarity on the approach to FCDO travel advice around the restart of international travel and how it will work with the new country traffic light system.
Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA, said: “It is really important we continue to put forward a consistent argument and approach to the UK government, and devolved nations, on the issues facing the sector and share our expert insight around the restart of international travel.
“There is still a number of unknowns around the government’s plans for the restart and a lot of detail missing, by engaging with ministers, departments, and a broader group of MPs, we can make sure that the voice of the organised travel sector is heard, and we are providing expert insight and constructive solutions about the restart of international travel.”
The Save Future Travel Coalition previously appealed for more support for the travel industry ahead of the Budget in March.


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Research by the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) found pub closures slowed slightly in 2015 to 27 a week, but the UK now has 52,750 pubs — 20% fewer than in 2006 when there were 66,177.
Beer sales slide
The dramatic figure, together with news that sales of beer in Britain declined by 1.5% compared to the previous year, have bolstered campaigns for a tax cut in next month’s Budget.
The British Beer & Pub Association’s quarterly Beer Barometer survey indicated a loss of 114 million pints from Britain’s pubs, bars and restaurants (compared to the previous year), as off-trade sales held steady.
Chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “The figures show this is no time for complacency, and any re-turn to tax rises would wipe out this fragile recovery.
“We need another penny cut in the Budget — to safeguard jobs and much-loved pubs, and to help Britain’s hard-pressed beer drinkers.”
The figures are not all bad news as Britain’s beer sales have stabilised during the past three years following years of sharp decline — due to the “disastrous” tax policy of the beer duty escalator, which saw beer tax rise by 42% from 2008 to 2013.
“Since then, we have seen growing confidence in the sector, but figures show this is no time for complacency, and any return to tax rises would wipe out this fragile recovery,” Simmonds added.
The closure figures are a slight improvement because 33 were shutting a week in 2014, but CAMRA is still fighting for a duty cut.
CAMRA’s chief executive Tim Page said otherwise the trend of slowing closures could “very quickly be reversed”.
Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Kate Nicholls said closure figures are a step in the right direction but says the tax burden remains too high.
She said: “The recovery is fragile. There is little doubt that this will be a challenging year with food inflation, rising wholesale prices and a big hike in labour costs all eroding margins.
“If the Government wants to see pub closure figures continue in the right direction then we need action now on business rates and employment taxes to stabilise the market.”
Nicholls argued that a duty cut could be wiped out by beer wholesale price increases.
This year will also see rising costs from the implementation of the national living wage, higher business rates, and the apprenticeship levy.


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Farewell to the mother of all depressions
The British economy is now officially 0.2% bigger than it was at its last peak, in the first three months of 2008.
So, as I mentioned earlier this week, Britain's longest depression since serious record-keeping began is now officially over.
Plainly this is good news (and do read my earlier note for reasons why you probably won't be feeling as prosperous as you did six years ago, or why the actual moment of depression's end will probably turn out to have been a bit earlier than currently thought).
Here's one positive knock-on: an unexpectedly large growth in profits announced by Royal Bank of Scotland this morning - which has boosted RBS's capital and share price, and perhaps means taxpayers' losses on the eventual privatisation of the bank won't be as ginormous as feared.
So what kind of recovery has this been?
Well it has been completely dominated by our service industries.
Which should not be a great surprise since they contribute more than three quarters to our national output.
Glass half full?
Without a resurgence in services, there would be no prospect at all of the UK regaining the income lost in the great crash of 2007-8.
But nonetheless many will be slightly depressed that although the service economy is now just under 3% bigger than it was at the peak, manufacturing is still more than 7% smaller, and the production industries as a whole have been diminished by 11%.
As I have bored on about for a while, although it is heart-warming to see UK manufacturing growing right now, there has been no rebalancing of the economy back towards the makers.
Also, within services, the contribution of shoppers to the recovery remains immense - and the retail trade made the biggest contribution to the latest quarter's services surge.
That suggests we may be at a premature end to households' attempts to strengthen their finances and pay down debts - and shows that growth in the economy remains perilously sensitive to the cost of money.
Or to resume my habit of telling you stuff you know, the scale and pace of interest rate rises will have a hugely important bearing on the sustainability of this recovery.
That said, the glass is definitely half full today.
Boom and bust
The UK is growing much faster than all the UK's big rich competitor economies, including Germany and America.
And although it has taken us much longer to grow above the past peak than it did for the US and Germany, the original contraction in our economy was much sharper than for them - because we were so dependent on our bloated, hobbled banks.
Here is the measure of how and why, for the UK especially, a depression caused by a banking crisis is so much worse than other economic contractions.
We are now 25 quarters, or six years and three months, since the slump began.
After 25 quarters had elapsed from the very painful downturn of 1979, the contraction that defined the early years of Margaret Thatcher's government, the British economy was 8% bigger than its previous peak.
And 25 quarters after the recession of 1990, that caused by Nigel Lawson's boom and bust, the UK was 16% larger than its past record level.
Today, 25 quarters on from a great crash that many blame on Gordon Brown's complacent attitude to City regulation, the economy is more-or-less the same size as it was.
Lest we forget, this has been the mother of all modern depressions.


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Samsung Electronics Unveils Plans For 1 4nm Course Of Expertise And Investment For Manufacturing Capability At Samsung Foundry Discussion Board 2022
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And there are persevering with questions on who designs the algorithms that monitor the pursuits and activities of Americans online. That wording displays growing unease about China’s ability to access the personal info that Americans hand over to mobile apps and other companies. The committee, recognized by the acronym CFIUS, is believed to be already scrutinizing TikTok, the favored Chinese-owned video app that critics fear could expose its customers’ information to the Chinese authorities. Russia is the world’s second-largest arms exporter, behind the United States. Russia exports arms to over 45 countries and has accounted for around 20% of worldwide arms gross sales since 2016. Between 1985 and 2018 almost 28,500 mergers or acquisitions have been announced in Russia.
Biden Points New Order To Dam Chinese Language Investment In Technology In The U S.
Russia’s most visited and well-liked landmarks embrace Red Square, the Peterhof Palace, the Kazan Kremlin, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and Lake Baikal. Russia is one of the few countries on the planet with a home grown web search engine who owns a related marketshare as the Russian-based search engine Yandex is utilized by fifty three.8% of internet users in the country. As of December 2007, there have been an estimated four,900,000 broadband traces in Russia. Automotive manufacturing is a significant trade in Russia, immediately using round 600,000 folks or 1% of the nation’s complete workforce. Russia produced 1,767,674 automobiles in 2018, rating thirteenth among car-producing nations in 2018, and accounting for 1.eight% of the worldwide production. The main native brands are gentle vehicle producers AvtoVAZ and GAZ, whereas KamAZ is the leading heavy automobile producer. Eleven international carmakers have production operations or are constructing their vegetation in Russia.
Before American authorities caught on, the information that 22.5 million Americans had filed for security clearances was in Chinese hands. In latest months, evidence has emerged that TikTok staff in China had the flexibility to entry information about Americans who signed up for the service. There isn’t any public proof the corporate has handed information over to the Chinese government, however Chinese nationwide security legal guidelines might require the company to take action. The issue nows whether requiring the switch of all that information to American-based mostly servers would remedy that downside, or merely mitigate it.
Lada is a model of AvtoVAZ, the biggest Russian car manufacturer within the Russian automotive trade. Russia is the most important diamond-producing nation on the planet, estimated to supply over 33 million carats in 2013, or 25% of worldwide output valued at over $3.four billion, with state-owned ALROSA accounting for about Legal News ninety five% of all Russian production. Russia has been extensively described as an vitality superpower; as it has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, the second-largest coal reserves, the eighth-largest oil reserves, and the biggest oil shale reserves in Europe.
Until October 2007, Russia maintained impressive fiscal discipline with finances surpluses every year from 2000. Between 2000 and 2008, Russian financial system received a significant … Read More


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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has increased its new car forecast from 2.22 million to 2.25 million units following a 4% increase in the October market.
New car registrations increased to 157,314 units in October and registrations year-to-date are up by 10.2%.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “With October new car registrations up we have now seen 20 consecutive months of growth.
“These sustained rises have been driven by robust private demand, a trend that has given us the confidence to raise our year-end forecast to 10% ahead of last year.
“Looking ahead, we anticipate more moderate growth as the market stabilises.”
The SMMT is expecting the growth to slow next year and in 2015 with an estimated 1% growth for both years.
Dealers have told AM that pre-registration activity accounted for a large percentage of registrations in September, but the SMMT is still confident private growth is driving demand, with a 4.5% gain in October and 15.7% increase over year-to-date.
The UK new car market has seen a shift from traditional family cars (particularly the upper medium segment) towards smaller vehicles (eg Ford Fiesta), as well as MPV (eg Vauxhall Zafira) and dual purpose (eg Kia Sportage) vehicles between 2003 and 2013.
The trend for downsizing has been driven by a great emphasis on fuel efficiency, emissions and running costs, coupled with the greater refinement, performance and specification of smaller cars.
The supermini segment remains largest by volume, while dual purpose has seen the largest growth in market share.
John Leech, KPMG’s UK head of automotive, said: "Today’s numbers suggest that the tremendous growth we have seen in the UK new car market over the last few months is starting to return to a more sustainable growth path.
"And for the first time in over a year, the three other main European markets have had a similar experience, with new registrations in Germany growing by 2%, France by 3% while registrations in Italy fell by 5% due to a VAT increase taking effect.
“This slower pace of growth seems much more sustainable especially considering the potential impact the huge growth rates in new car registrations might have on used car prices. One feature of the recent increase in new car retail sales has been the availability of cheap finance from car manufacturer-funded personal car plans (PCPs). Cars sold on a PCP tend to churn faster as they approach their third birthday as consumers are faced with the choice of a large balloon payment to retain the vehicle or a replacement new car on another PCP. It is hoped that a slower pace of new car sales will avert a used car price crash such as the one seen in 2008.
“With improving UK economic conditions and rising house prices having a positive impact on consumer confidence we continue to forecast that strong private demand will see new car registrations grow by 5% in 2014 and beyond.”


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Rocawear loses bid for stadium naming rights
Rocawear has lost its bid for the naming rights to the New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena.
The Izod clothing company outbid Rocawear by offering to pay $1.4 million per year in cash and also putting together a marketing package.
The arena will open with its new name on October 31, when the Nets play their home opener against the Chicago Bulls.
It does seem kinda strange that Rocawear would lose out, especially since they put up basically the same offer (minus the marketing package and not paid for in cash) and Jay-Z, as the clothing brand’s owner, has a stake in the Nets also.
It might all make sense though when Jay gets his way and the Nets move to Brooklyn, hence the real possibility of that arena being given the Rocawear title.


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CUSTOMERS at a newly opened coffee shop had a shock when bailiffs came in and turned off the water supply.
Costa Coffee opened the branch at the former Ship And Castle pub on Porthmadog High Street yesterday morning.
But just after 9.30am two men entered and said they had come to turn off the water.
A Dwr Cymru Welsh Water spokeswoman said: “We have been pursuing an outstanding debt at the property in accordance with industry approved procedures. This has included sending notices advising of the planned disconnection.
“We had not been made aware that new occupiers were now responsible for the property. We have however now been provided with these details and the supply has been restored.”
Businesswoman Michelle Barry, of Beaumaris, had just made a delivery in the area and popped in for a coffee.
She said: “I had just been to the toilet when the water was turned off. I was unable to wash my hands. When I found out what was happening I was absolutely amazed.”
She added: “The staff were trying to tell the men that they had just opened and that any bill would have been the responsibility of the previous occupiers, but they were not listening and they just turned off the water supply.”
Staff closed the shop for the day, with a hand written sign on the window saying: “Due to new store teething problems, we have unfortunately had to close the store until further notice. We hope to see you all soon. Sincere apologies. Your new Costa Team.”
Announcing the opening of the store last month, Costa Coffee, which opened another branch in Pwllheli last year, said they expect to create between six and 10 jobs with the new development.
The company has seen significant growth over the past five years and now has more than 1,500 stores in the UK and more than 900 overseas. The firm is owned by Whitbread, having been purchased in 1995, and is now the largest coffee chain operating in Britain.


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Joh. A. Benckiser, the investment arm of the billionaire Reimann family, agreed to buy D.E Master Blenders 1753 NV for about 7.5 billion euros ($9.8 billion) to build a coffee conglomerate in the industry’s biggest deal ever.
Royal Ahold NV, the Dutch owner of Stop & Shop grocery stores, is likely to redistribute some of the 20 billion kronor ($3.1 billion) proceeds of its ICA stake sale to shareholders as it shies away from large acquisitions.
D.E Master Blenders 1753 NV rose in Amsterdam trading as investors placed their trust in Chairman Jan Bennink following the surprise departure of Chief Executive Officer Michiel Herkemij a year into the job.
Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc , the maker of Lysol cleaners and Nurofen painkillers, agreed to buy India’s Paras Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for about 32.6 billion rupees ($724 million), extending its push into consumer healthcare.
Danone, the world’s biggest yogurt maker, reported first-quarter revenue growth that beat analysts’ estimates as it sold more bottled water in Indonesia and China and baby food in Asia and the Middle East.
Joh. A. Benckiser Group’s $340 million takeover of Caribou Coffee Co. may be a small step in a larger plan to take on the likes of Nestle SA and Starbucks Corp. for leadership in the $45 billion global coffee market.
Nestle SA is working with Rothschild to sell Latin American assets valued at more than $1 billion to win regulatory approval for its purchase of Pfizer Inc.’s nutrition unit, three people with knowledge of the matter said.


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USAA Federal Savings Bank
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) announced a settlement with USAA Federal Savings Bank, a federally chartered savings association headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
As described in the consent order, the Bureau found that USAA violated the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E by failing to properly honor consumers’ stop payment requests on preauthorized electronic fund transfers, and by failing to initiate and complete reasonable error resolution investigations. USAA also violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 by reopening deposit accounts consumers had previously closed without seeking prior authorization or providing adequate notice.
Under the terms of the consent order, USAA must, among other provisions, provide approximately $12 million in restitution to certain consumers who were denied a reasonable error resolution investigation, and pay a $3.5 million civil money penalty.


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Shares in European luxury brands were hit amid fears that a new virus in China similar to Sars is keeping panicked shoppers at home.
Burberry, Hermes and Givenchy parent LVMH were among those most affected by growing worries over the virus, which has killed six people and infected almost 300. Gucci owner Kering was also hit.
The outbreak triggered a wider sell-off across Asian markets, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closing down 2.8pc, its biggest one-day fall this year. This was exacerbated by Moody’s downgrading the city state’s credit rating. China’s Shanghai Composite was 1.7pc lower.
The coronavirus, which causes a type of pneumonia, was first identified in Wuhan City. It has been compared to the early stages of the Sars outbreak in 2002, which was linked to the deaths of almost 800 people.
Luxury stocks were hit hardest amid concerns that the outbreak could dampen Chinese demand for high-end goods in both the country and overseas. Chinese consumers account for around one-third of spending on luxury goods worldwide.
Shares in Burberry, which is set to post its third quarter trading update on Wednesday, fell as much as 5pc, while Kering slid by more than 4pc. LVMH was also down 4pc and Hermes was as much as 3pc lower.
It comes as a blow for European fashion houses, already reeling from the impact of protests in Hong Kong that have forced brands to close stores in the region, impacting sales.
Piral Dadhania, an analyst at RBC, said that some sellers are likely getting out because share prices are already high.
He said: “When you look at history, some of the previous outbreaks like Sars had a more meaningful impact [on the markets] than what we’re seeing at this point, but it’s very early days.
“[Luxury] valuations are elevated and because the stocks have had such a good run, naturally you’re going to see some level of profit-taking on this type of news but I don’t believe this is a worst-case scenario.”


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WALNUT CREEK — Central Garden & Pet has named John Ranelli as its new president and chief executive officer, the pet, lawn and garden supplies company said Monday.
Ranelli will take over as the top boss at Central Garden & Pet effective at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting, to be held on Feb. 11 of this year.
Bill Brown, who currently is chairman and CEO, will retain his title as chairman of Central Garden.
Ranelli has been on the board of directors of Central Garden since 2010. He will remain a board member after he becomes CEO.
“While we have considerable work yet to do, Central is a different company today than it was a year ago,” Brown said. “We are transforming Central from what was essentially a collection of over 20 operating companies into an integrated organization. We are focused on building our brands and introducing innovative new products to the marketplace.
Ranelli has more than 40 years of experience in consumer products and branding. He has served as CEO of Mikasa, a dinnerware, crystal and home accessories firm; CEO of the principal owner of the FosterGrant eye wear company; and CEO of Woolrich, an outdoor clothing firm.
“We have a great opportunity to build our brands by continuing to invest in marketing and new product innovation” at Central, Ranelli said.
Contact George Avalos at 408-373-3556 or 925-977-8477. Follow him at twitter.com/george_avalos.


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This article was written by Shawn Radcliffe and appeared on Heathline.com on March 7, 2019.
Canada is often seen as the cure for the stabbing pain that many Americans feel in the wallet every time their doctor writes them a prescription.
The Great White North, a land of low-priced prescription drugs, is no myth, either. Many medications are cheaper in Canada, especially brand name drugs. Even U.S. politicians talk about letting Americans legally buy prescription drugs from Canada.
But not all “Canadian” sources of prescription drugs are alike.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently sent a warning letter to a Canadian company selling prescription drugs online to Americans.
Click here to read the full story on the Healthline.com website.


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The European Union has confirmed it will prolong the measures for all farmers struck by the Russian trade boycott for another year. The support program will now continue until June 2016, at least.
Drop in export
The support measures were launched to soften the blow from the Russian boycott, which started in August 2014. The boycott is on products from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway, after these had opposed the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula and issued sanctions.
Price control is the biggest measure taken to help local farmers: as export plummets, there is a surplus of supplies, which in turn causes the prices to drop. Farmers who produce less so that prices can be maintained, will get the financial backing of the European Union.
Nevertheless, a large number of farmers have found a way to circumvent the boycott and get their products into Russia anyway: they export to countries that still have trade relations with Russia. In those countries, these products are given new labels and make their way into Russia.
More good news for Belgian farmers
There is more good news for Belgian farmers because trade federation Comeos and the Belgian Competition Authority will launch a proposal to limit the impact of volatile prices in the short and long run.
In the short run, the dairy and pig industries will get temporary price support and in the long run, all parts of the chain will need to participate in a stabilising mechanism. The proposal should be finalized by the end of August and it should help halt any further Belgian farmers' protest.


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2018 Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo, Macau Begins Today
Date : 2018/03/30
Organised by the Chinese Manufacturing Association of Hong Kong (CMA), the “2018 Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo, Macau (the Expo)” officially kicked off today (30 March) at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre. The grand opening ceremony was graced by the presence of a number of prominent figures from Hong Kong and Macau, including the HKSAR Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Mr Edward Yau, Acting Director of Macao Government Tourism Office, MSAR, Mr Cheng Wai Tong, Head of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department, Economic Bureau, MSAR, Mr Chan Weng Tat, and the Promotional Ambassador of 2018 Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo, Macau, Mr Steve Lee. They were accompanied by CMA President Dr Dennis Ng.
Comprising 250 booths, the four-day expo will host four thematic zones including Fashion & Beauty Products Zone, Leisure Food Zone, Living & Household Products Zone and the newly introduced Health Preserving Food Zone. The Expo continues to offer a large number of special hot deals, including “up to 90% discount items” and “MOP $1 Product”.
To complement the quality products and attractive offers, a rich and diverse line-up of entertainment programmes is also arranged for the enjoyment of visitors. The promotional ambassador Mr Steve Lee will show his culinary skills and Miss Exhibition of 52nd Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo will perform during the expo. In addition, “Shopping with Fun” Lucky Draw and Grand Lucky Draw will offer visitors a chance to win fabulous prizes, including home and kitchen appliances, and a top prize worth $10,000 MOP. Locals and visitors will be able to find tremendous value and experience a lot of holiday fun at the Expo.
At the ceremony, CMA President Dr Dennis Ng said, “2018 has a special meaning, not just because the Expo has been held for the 3rd consecutive year, but also because it is the first time for me to join this signature event as the CMA president. We are also celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo at the same time. Benefiting from the strong economy and stable growth in Macau’s tourist numbers, we wish this year’s Expo great success again.”
The Expo is open from 11am to 9pm, except from 11am to 7pm on the last day (2 April). Admission to the expo is free. To provide visitors with greater convenience, the organiser has arranged free shuttle service to run between the venue and five pick-up points. Free parking spaces are also available. For details, please visit the website: www.hkbpe.com.hk.
Other guests attending the opening ceremony included Senior Manager of Promotional Activities and Development of Conventions and Exhibitions Department, IPIM, Mr Sam Lei; Vice President of Industrial Association of Macau, Mr Jose Tang; Vice-President of Board of Directors, Macao Chamber of Commerce, Ms Ho Pui Fan; Chairman of the Hong Kong Brand Development Council Mr Simon Wong; Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries Mr Jimmy Kwok; CMA Vice President Mr Kenneth Ng; Dr Wong Chun; Dr Lo Kam Wing; Mr Dennis Ng and CEO Mr Raymond Young.


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High on ambition: Meet the Irish pilot seeking to develop the world’s biggest distillery in China
Converting the Chinese population from their favourite spirit baijiu to whiskey might be a big ask, but shareholder Stephen Alexander’s Nine Rivers Distillery aims not only to produce quality whiskey, but to start exporting non-whiskey products to Ireland, Britain and the US as early as next year
Setting up a business in a new country is hard. Setting up in a new country where you don’t speak the language and don’t know the culture, and you’re thousands of miles from friends and family, is even harder.
So when Stephen Alexander moved to Shenzhen, the Chinese city just next door to Hong Kong, he went searching for ways to expand his social circle.
Alexander, who works these days as a pilot for Ryanair, ...


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AdSense is a free, simple way to earn money by placing ads on your website. The team just launched a completely new version of their app for publishers. Read all about it here. We asked Daniel White, the tech lead for the project, some questions because the new UI happens to be built with Dart and Angular2.
AdSense launched way back in 2003. How long is it since the last big redesign?
Last big redesign was called ‘AdSense 3’ and launched about 6 years ago. It was written in Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and the UI has evolved through several iterations - but this is the first ground-up redesign in 6 years. There are a number of long-standing UX issues that we’ve taken the opportunity to solve. A big shout-out to our UX team who’ve been 100% behind this project. We couldn’t have done it without them!
How many software engineers worked on the project?
Purely on the AdSense applications, we have a team of close to 100. Around 25% of them write Dart.
AngularDart got its own dedicated team 5 months ago. Last month, we launched 2.0 final on the Dart Developer Summit. Today, we’re releasing the first minor release after that: 2.1.
Since the focus of AngularDart is Productivity, Performance, Stability, there are no major breaking changes (see the changelog) — but a lot of behind-the-scenes improvements. Your apps will get slightly smaller and faster (even relative to 2.0 which already made huge strides in size and performance since the compiled-from-TypeScript days).
On the Dart Developer Summit, we launched AngularDart Components — the material design widgets Google is using in customer-facing apps …


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Stocks and bonds alike endured a brutal day as US market opened on Tuesday; treasury yields jumped (2s logging high of 1.05%, 10s 1.88%, 30s 7-month high of 2.19%), while ES and NQ lost 1.6% and 2.6% respectively. Stocks are currently extending a global selloff today (NIKKEI -278bp, KOSPI -90bp, HSI -40bp, SHCOMP -46bp). On the bright side, PBoC pledged more monetary policy tools to spur the economy and ease credit stress.
- Crypto pretty much moving in lockstep with QQQs again; most tokens are down, with biggest losers = previous biggest winners (ADA, MATIC, LINK, ATOM, GRT, etc.)
On the NFT side, it’s a BOOOOL market
- OpenSea set new record as it surpassed previous monthly trading volume ATH ($3.4bn in Aug); current cumulative volume for Jan’22 is $3.8bn (Chart 2)
- Both trading volume and trade count (Chart 1,3) have been normalising, in line with blue chip floor prices consolidating (Chart 4), implying market is taking a breather. However, number of projects with increasing value (Chart 5, 6) are rising, hinting that market is moving further down the risk curve for ‘cheaper’ projects
1. NFT Project Updates ($LOOKS)
LooksRare shows impressive first week volume, but with a few caveats
- OpenSea vs. LooksRare: LooksRare launched on Jan 10th, and has seen impressive $1.6bn in trading volume vs. OpenSea’s $4.2bn during the same time period (Chart 8)
- Trading rebates incentives have caused serious wash trading
- Evidence #1: Top NFT sales for the week are many of the same NFT trading between a few addresses, e.g. Meebit #15115 transacting 32x for several hundred WETH in the past week between 2 addresses (vs. floor price of 3.6 ETH))
- Evidence #2: Top 5 zero royalty collections on LooksRare (Meebits, Terraforms, Loot, CryptoPhunks V2, The n Project) accounted for 96–99% of total LooksRare trading volume in the last 1 week (Chart 9). Meebits has been #1 most traded NFT in the past 7 days, boasting $2bn trading volume (vs. the runner-up, Loot, which is at meagre $295mio 7d trading volume), representing ~57% of all NFT trading volume. It’s also worth noting that out of the $2bn trading volume, only $3.6mio Meebits were traded on OpenSea.
- More on gaming the incentives: For the first 30 days, ~2.87mio $LOOKS/day (~$14mio) are emitted for trading rewards, with trading rewards calculated every day based on each user’s trading volume as a % of total platform trading volume. To put into perspective, with ~$520mio daily trading volume, $1mio of trading would result in ~$27k worth of trading rewards (aka 2.7% trading rebates). Coupled with high staking rewards clocking in at 852% APR, many wash traders are taking advantage of zero royalty collections, where only 2% fees are paid on each transaction toward the platform and back to $LOOKS stakers, to churn volume. With Phase A ending on February 9th, we expect volume to die down, and that to be a good opportunity to short $LOOKS token.
OpenSea confirms acquisition of Dharma Labs | Coinbase partners with Mastercard to let users buy NFTs via cards
- More about OpenSea x Dharma Labs
- What is Dharma Labs: a DeFi wallet startup that connects to the bank, with estimated valuation of $110–130mio (exact number was not disclosed); with the acquisition, Dharma.io will be shutting down in 1 month, and customers have to transfer/sell their tokens in their wallet
- More about Coinbase x Mastercard
- The deal: the partnership will allow people to use their Mastercard cards to make purchases on Coinbase’s upcoming NFT marketplace. CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, previously said that NFTs will onboard the next billion crypto users, potentially shedding light on Coinbase’s new strategic direction
- Why it matters: Both partnerships show NFT marketplaces’ focus on simplifying and expanding ways in which users can purchase digital collectibles and art. NFTs have caught the attention of the public, the way DeFi and BTC/ETH could not, onboarding new users to the blockchain-ecosystem. Simplified fiat on-ramp could serve as additional tailwind for the already-growing NFT market, and help realise the true total addressable market.
Animoca Brands raises $358.88mio in new funding round, bringing valuation to $5bn, led by Liberty City Ventures, and participation from Soros Fund Management, Sequoia China, 10T, Mirae Asset, Pacific Century Group, ParaFi Capital, Winklevoss Capital, etc.
- Animoca Portfolio & Investments: the firm’s major blockchain game projects include The Sandbox, the upcoming Phantom Galaxies game, the REVV token ecosystem; while for investments, Animoca has already invested in >150 NFT and metaverse-related companies, including OpenSea, Axie Infinity, Dapper Labs, etc.
Metaplex Foundation raises $46mio in a new funding round, led by Multicoin Capital and Jump Crypto, with participation from Solana Ventures, Alameda Research, and Animoca Brands (+ basketball players, including Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson + individual investors, including Snoop Dogg)
- What is Metaplex Foundation: developer of the Solana-based NFT protocol Metaplex; this represents their first fundraise, and was conducted via SAFT (wen META token?). Metaplex also announced this week that it is working on a new metadata standard for both fungible and non-fungible tokens.
Mechanism Capital launches $100mio fund to invest in play-to-earn gaming apps
- Why it matters: gaming is the new (ok maybe not that new) big thing. Other funds that are targeting the gaming space include the below, and ‘traditional’ incumbents are also exploring P2E models.
- 12/14/2021 $100mio fund announced by Gala Games, C2 Ventures
- 12/15/2021 $150mio fund announced by Solana Ventures, Fote, Griffin Partners
- 11/5/2021 $100mio fund announced by FTX, Lightspeed, Solana Ventures
- Our view: Blockchain gaming is VERY early, with lack of clear winners (and will continue to not have clear winners, just like current gaming industry). For now, the games in the space are not fun (with graphics comparable to a college student homework), and projects need people to play the games (which becomes more of a job, not a game). We sincerely look forward to fun-to-play games.
3. Non-crypto native integrations ($XTZ)
China’s Blockchain Service Network (BSN) hops onto NFT bandwagon
- What is BSN: blockchain network backed by the Chinese government; they started Open Permissioned Blockchain initiaitve, which allows local companies to harness blockchain without violating local anti-crypto regulations
- What are they doing: BSN is expected to roll out infrastructure enabling the creation and launch of NFTs by the end of this month, and all transactions will be settled in RMB
- NFT in China: tech giants, from Ant Group, Baidu, JD.com have all made forays into digital collectibles in recent months
Gap partners with Tezos to develop NFT hoodies
World’s first NFT marketplace for science and tech IP to launch in March
- More about the marketplace: RMDS Lab, a California-based data and AI platform, will create first NFT marketplace for science and technology IP by March
- More on IP NFT: Last November, Jack Fonss and his consulting company, True Return Systems LLC, auctioned US patent on OpenSea
Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard


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A customer walks out of a KFC restaurant in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters
Despite a severe cash crunch that hurt sales of consumer goods in the country during the December quarter, quick service restaurant (QSR) chains KFC and Pizza Hut have managed to grow.
System sales of the two grew 16 per cent and nine per cent, respectively, during the period in India. System sales of Pizza Hut during the preceding quarter grew six per cent, after declining seven per cent in the June quarter. KFC’s sales grew 13 per cent in September, after falling one per cent in the previous quarter.
During 2016, system sales of KFC grew seven per cent, backed by an increase in sales during the second half of the year. Pizza Hut’s system sales grew one per cent. The market here contributes about one per cent of the global sales of Yum! Brands’, the US-headquartered QSR company that owns both. In 2015, system sales of Yum! in India declined five per cent. System sales growth figures exclude foreign currency translation. “This represents our second consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth. Over the past six months, we have driven growth by realigning our business structure and focusing on core offerings and relevant product innovations. In the wake of external factors like demonetisation that affected the industry in the past few months, this is a reiteration of the confidence that consumers have shown in our brand. Our focus for the coming year is to sustain this growth,” said Rahul Shinde, managing director, KFC India.


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Family businesses ‘more willing to go for growth’
FAMILY businesses are more open to expansion by acquisition or in emerging international markets than other private sector companies, according to research.
A survey by KPMG compared the responses to its Business Leaders report from family businesses with the private sector averages, and it showed that 35% of family businesses, as opposed to an average of 30%, plan to grow through transactions, and 26%, compared to an average of 21%, will be exploring emerging markets.
Nick Pheasey, private client director at KPMG in the North West, said:
“For many family businesses, maintaining the value of the firm for future generations is paramount and, given the slow growth of European economies, it makes sense that these businesses are looking for opportunities in the double-digit growth economies of the East and Africa, or considering the potential of an acquisitive strategy.
“Their independence and ability to take a long term perspective means family businesses are arguably better able to make such forward looking investments than businesses that must dance to the tune of external stakeholders.
“The North West is blessed with a strong cadre of growth-oriented family businesses that highlight our survey findings. Take, for example, Liverpool’s Bibby Line Group, or Warrington-based recruitment company Fircroft Engineering Services which has recently announced new operations in Brazil.”
Other major family businesses in the region include Warburtons, Booths Supermarkets and TJ Morris – operator of the Home Bargains discount chain.
KPMG has recently entered a strategic partnership with the Institute of Family Business. According to the IFB the three million family businesses in the UK account for 66% of our small and medium sized enterprise (SME) population, provide 9.2 million jobs, and in 2010 made a £346bn value-added contribution to UK GDP.


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Brand known for happy-go-lucky tweets gets all mortal
Innocent Drinks, the Coca Cola-owned drinks brand known for smoothies, hats on smoothies, and kooky tweets, has learned the — possibly manufactured — risk of assuming that the world is in on the joke. Having “released” a new conker milk drink for autumn, Innocent has had to issue a series of clarifying tweets reminding the public to neither eat nor milk conkers. Conkers — horse chestnuts — are inedible, poisonous, and possibly deadly: making milk out of them would not be a good idea. The brand even stipulated that it had “used” edible sweet chestnuts, although that wouldn’t be conker milk at all.
As the brand writes: “Why not make a fake dairy free drink as a joke? Something weird and ridiculous that no one would want to drink, to get people talking? It was genius.” A message that becomes marketing itself, right down to the brand’s voice, part of the endless cycle that conker milk began.
DO NOT EAT CONKERS— innocent drinks (@innocent) October 18, 2019
Hello everyone. Yesterday we made a mistake. Now we're trying to put things right.
Long story short: PLEASE DO NOT EAT OR MILK CONKERS pic.twitter.com/3tFqJXsRdm
And in other news...
- Chick-fil-A’s first U.K. restaurant is cancelled after protest against its record of funding anti-LGBTQ organisations.
- Pie and mash is dead, long live pie and mash: G. Kelly reopens on the Roman Road.
- Jamie Oliver’s former flagship restaurant is going to turn into a pub.
- Nominate your favourite London restaurants of 2019 for this year’s Eater Awards.
- Pret a Manger continues its commitment to basing things on plants with vegan versions of popular sandwiches. [Guardian]
- Businessman Luke Johnson plans to sell Bread Holdings, which owns bougie bakery chain, Gail’s. [Sky News]
- Nando’s will open its third “nino” express peri peri chicken restaurant on Lavender Hill. [Big Hospitality]
- Good tweet:


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SAN FRANCISCO — Sid Meier, creator of Civilization, says gamers are a bunch of head cases.
“Player psychology has nothing to do with rational thought,” said the acclaimed game designer during his keynote address at the Game Developers Conference on Friday. Titled “The Psychology of Game Design (Everything You Know Is Wrong),” the speech talked about what’s going on in a player’s brain as he plays a game, and how designers should anticipate and react to their irrational expectations.
As an example, Meier cited players’ perception of randomness. Most players, he said, don’t fully grasp that randomness is truly random — especially when a roll of the dice produces a negative, unlikely result twice in a row. That’s why he argues for sweeting the odds in the player’s favor after a setback.
In fact, Meier said, most lessons learned from the player can seem counter-intuitive to the left-brained game designer. But creators can find great success when they “go with the flow” — following where players lead, even if the path seems illogical.
SAN FRANCISCO — For the future of Final Fantasy, director Motomu Toriyama is looking to Uncharted 2.
The interactive cinematic scenes in Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed action game seem to have inspired Toriyama to try the same thing in the Final Fantasy games, he said at his Game Developers Conference panel on Friday. “In Final Fantasy XIII, the interactivity was focused on the battle scenes,” he said. ” I think there will be more interactivity (in future Final Fantasy cut scenes) — if you have 1000 flying dragons, hopping from one dragon to the other would be great fun.”
“If you can achieve that compared with Uncharted 2, I think that Final Fantasy is going to replicate the masterpieces of film, and that is certainly one of our goals,” he said.
Toriyama also floated the possibility of adding in downloadable add-on content to future Final Fantasy games. “We avoided it for XIII, but we have to think that every user will be online, and so the story (could) be downloaded, and the battle scenes step by step… we have that in our perspective going forward,” he said.
More snippets from the session (and possible clues to the future of Final Fantasy) are below.
SAN FRANCISCO — Final Fantasy XIII began its life as a PlayStation 2 game. Here’s what it looked like.
Speaking at Game Developers Conference on Friday, FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama talked a bit about the development history of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game, showing the early screenshot pictured above. The battle system, Toriyama said, let players attack enemies so they slammed into a wall and collapsed — perhaps the precursor to the finished game’s “Stagger” mechanic.
“The battle system and combat hasn’t changed much from PlayStation2, and the plot and characters were completed for the PlayStation 2 version, so the PlayStation 3 inherited those,” he said. What the team worked on for the final game were the “emotions” of the characters, using motion capture and detailed facial expressions.
SAN FRANCISCO — “Audio is my lover,” Akira Yamaoka said as he kicked off his presentation Thursday at Game Developers Conference. Pulling out his guitar, he played some music that he composed over the past day on his trip from Tokyo to San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO — Nintendo’s Metroid games take their creative cues from an unlikely source: Dario Argento, the Italian horror film director.
At his keynote speech during the Game Developers Conference on Thursday, Metroid creator Yoshio Sakamoto said that Argento’s films Susperia and Deep Red, which he discovered in his youth, awoke his creative sensibilities. The horror films were a big influence on the innovative, stylish space adventure Metroid games, he said.
“Deep Red has the greatest inspiration on my creative process,” he said. Sakamoto had always liked scary movies but always thought that there was “something missing” from other films. “I discovered that without a doubt, I wanted to create things in the same manner that Argento did.”


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Last year Atlus announced Persona 5 would be released on the PlayStation 3. Today we have a clearer teaser trailer for the game and the good news that it will also be coming to the PlayStation 4. Check out the trailer below, no word yet on a western release but it is planned for 2015 in Japan.
Persona 5 Trailer
A new announcement and trailer for Persona 5.


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In an interview with The Seattle Times earlier today, Costco's Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti confirmed the company is in the process of phasing out Apple products from its shelves.
The news confirms a 2-month-old rumor from iLounge that noted the process as already under way. iLounge's source had attributed the move to the wholesale retailer getting shut out of acquiring stock of products like the iPad, which competitors like , , and had gotten access to some six months after its launch.
The Seattle Times says the split is mutual and notes that, unlike some of the deals made with other large-scale Apple resellers, Costco was never allowed to sell Apple's products through its own online store. The post also highlights that Costco's sales of Apple products did not venture further than offering slightly discounted iPods and packs of iTunes gift cards.
Correction, December 10 at 10:25 a.m. PDT: This story originally mis-attributed Galanti's confirmation to a company earnings call. The comments came during an interview.
reading•Costco confirms it will stop selling Apple products
Jan 23•Apple defuses iOS 'text bomb'
Jan 23•Friendly reminder: Please don't bite your phone battery
Jan 23•HomePod, Apple's $349 Siri-enabled speaker, hits Feb. 9
Jan 23•Apple HomePod coming on Feb. 9, preorders open on Friday


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We can't wait to see what Guerrilla Games does next. And it appears we could be looking forward to multiple announcements.
According to an "inside source" cited at TheBitBag , Guerrilla is working on the next Killzone entry, although we don't know if it's for the PS3 or PS4. It also seems that an installment for the PlayStation Vita is in the works, as well as a mystery new IP.
Guerrilla has gone on record saying they wanted to tackle something new, so it's not exactly surprising. They're not trying to hide the fact, either, as evidenced by the front page of their website. The big question is: what's this new project like? It's not another Killzone entry, right? Is it another FPS, though? Well, guess we'll just have to wait and see; maybe they'll reveal something at this year's E3 in June. …too much to hope for a slick RPG?
What do you want to see Guerrilla try?


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Norican Global A/S ("Norican"), a leading metallic parts enhancement company, has entered an industry-exclusive partnership with DataProphet, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for manufacturing, to bring meaningful AI applications into real-life foundry environments.
The partnership follows a number of joint innovation projects carried out over the past 12 months with Norican brand DISA, the leading supplier of green sand foundry technology. The results of these projects are already maturing into products and the first commercial AI application developed under the collaboration is scheduled to go live in a customer production in a few months.
Anders Wilhjelm, CEO of Norican Group, says: “We know foundries and how they work, DataProphet really knows AI. Together, we can bring practical AI applications into foundries faster - applications that will have a tangible impact for our customers now, not in a distant future. In DataProphet, we have found a partner who shares our pragmatic attitude and our passion for helping foundries work ever more productively and resource-efficiently. We have started with DISA applications, but we will fast forward to the full brand portfolio and beyond soon.”
Frans Cronje, CEO and co-founder of DataProphet, adds: “We first came across DISA when we worked on a project with a forward-looking foundry in South Africa, where we helped reduce defects by 40% over 24 months and achieved 0% defects for up to three months. Working closely with an equipment manufacturer of DISA’s deep expertise allows us to make a genuine difference to operations. The team at DISA understand where foundries are on their data journey - where to look for the largest gains, which data to collect and use, which problems to tackle first. Too often AI is a solution without a problem; together, we can make it a powerful tool that solves real operational issues.”
The new AI applications developed as part of the partnership are equipment-agnostic, meaning they will be available not only on solutions from the other Norican brands (Italpresse Gauss for die casting, StrikoWestofen for high-end furnace technology and Wheelabrator for surface preparation), but will also work with non-Norican equipment.


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KUALA LUMPUR - The Health Ministry has directed the distributors of tapioca starch pearls which were imported from the Wang Tai company in Taiwan, to withdraw the food product from the market and dispose of them as they contain maleic acid.
The ministry's senior director of food safety and quality, Noraini Othman said, 66 samples of the food products comprising tapioca balls or tapioca pearls, noodles and dried mee hoon and tapioca starch, which were taken from the market, had been analysed.
She said that the results showed that 65 samples were found to be free of the acid.
"However, those who had consumed the products need not fear because the consumption of small amounts of maleic acid occasionally is not hazardous to health," she said.
Tapioca starch pearls are usually used as an ingredient in beverages.
In another development, she said imports of 16 food products had been suspended by the ministry.
She said the ministry monitored food products that were imported into the country from Taiwan and the public could obtain information on the products by contacting 03-88833652 or 03-88833653 or on the ministry's website. On May 28, the ministry suspended the import of 11 products from Taiwan.
They include the tapioca balls produced by Sunright Foods Corporation, tapioca starch (Hong Kai Foods Co), black tapioca pearls (Possmei International Co Ltd), Indica rice powder (Sunright Foods Corporation), tapioca pearls (Shang Wang) and tapioca starch balls (Grand Chainly Enterprises Co Ltd).
The others are tapioca pearls (Ting Long), noodles (Sin Chi Zhi Miang Chang), tapioca pearls (An Si Li) and tapioca pearls white and black (Tapioca Foods Company Ltd). On Monday, four more products were found to contain maleic acid.
They are green tea tapioca ball and yam tapioca ball produced by Full Free Co Ltd and vegetarian instant rice noodle and rice noodle with thick soup produced by Long Kow Foods Corp The ministry had since been monitoring food products imported from Taiwan and, on Thursday, 30 food products were confirmed to be free from maleic acid contamination.
Noraini said the public did not have to worry about the safety of foods imported from Taiwan as controls were imposed on imports from that country.


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Those opposed to plastic bags turned out in Austin yesterday to fight against a bill designed to overturn the state’s bag ban.
A hearing on Senate bill 103, introduced by state senator Bob Hall, drew opponents, some who dressed in plastic bags to highlight the environmental problems they say the bags cause.
The bill would allow businesses to provide bags “made from any material” during sales. It would also disallow cities from to charge fees on bags.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city of Brownsville last fall for charging $1 for every transaction that included plastic bags.


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Online food ordering marketplace Foodpanda is being acquired by Berlin-based online food takeaway service Delivery Hero, one of Europe’s biggest startups. Delivery Hero and Foodpanda are both backed by German ecommerce firm Rocket Internet, which has invested 800 Mn Euros in Delivery Hero last year and put 300 Mn Euros in Foodpanda which focusses on deliveries in Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
This week 23 startups raised over $88 Mn in funding altogether. (Funding amount is based on the startups that disclosed their funding amounts.)
Startup Fundings Of The Week
Serv’d: Pune-based startup Serv’d received a $100K grant from Digital Financial Service (DFS) Lab. The company had been selected from among 700 applicants worldwide, at a recently concluded boot camp in Tanzania. The venture plans to use the funds towards developing tech for new roles as well as driving activation for the existing product.
TradingBells: Indore-based discount broking company TradingBells raised $296.3K (INR 2 Cr) in a Seed funding round led by Mumbai-based stock broker Swastika Investmart Ltd. The startup plans to utilise the funds in hiring talent, expanding office infrastructure, technology up gradation, and customer acquisition. Also, it will help the company to reach 100,000 customers and INR 45 Cr revenue within the next 3 years.
ten3T: Bengaluru-based medical grade wearable device startup, ten3T raised an angel round of funding from pi Ventures. The round also saw participation by a group of angels, including V. Krishna Prasad, co-Founder of Qikwel, Bhupen Shah and other angels from Silicon Valley and Bengaluru. The funds will be deployed to beta test Cicer in multiple healthcare settings, including doctors in private practice, nursing homes and for at-home monitoring.
MoEngage: Bengaluru-based user analytics and engagement platform, MoEngage raised an undisclosed amount of investment from Anand Chandrasekaran, the Head of Platform & Product Partnerships for Messenger at Facebook. With this move, Anand will join the platform’s advisory panel.
Fitpass: Delhi-based Fitpass, the all-access pass to gyms and fitness studios raised $1 Mn in seed funding led by Mumbai Angels and a consortium of Delhi- and Bengaluru-based angels. The raised funds will be used to expand services to Mumbai, Bengaluru and other Tier II and Tier III cities. Also, the funds will be used for talent acquisition and to introduce personalised fitness management tools.
OfBusiness: B2B commerce company OfBusiness raised $11 Mn (INR 75 Cr) in a round led by Zodius Capital. Existing investor Matrix Partners also participated in the round. Going forward, the company plans to set up a non-banking finance company (NBFC) subsidiary that will map customer data, specific products for SMEs and also lend to them.
Qacco: Gurugram-based traveltech startup Qacco raised $150K in an angel funding round led by Lead Angels Network (LAN). LAN is an alumni-focussed pan India angel network. Anbu Pandian, Prabhakar MR and other investors from LetsVenture also participated in the round. The raised funds will be used to develop Qacco’s technology and team along with B2B focussed marketing campaigns.
FitMeIn: Fitness startup FitMeIn received an undisclosed amount of Pre-Series A funding from Japanese digital healthcare company, FiNC and follow-on funding from current investors GHV. With this move, FitMeIn has also signed a strategic tie-up with FiNC.
Vehico: Bengaluru-based IoT solutions provider for the automobile industry Vehico raised an undisclosed angel investment from Calcutta Angel Network (CAN) and Appliyifi Investment Network, an online platform for startup investments. Both the investors will together hold around 14.2% of the startup’s equity. The capital will be used for product expansion, team strengthening, and scaling up its technology.
Comet: Marketplace for international freight services, Comet raised an undisclosed amount in a seed funding round led by India Quotient, the Mumbai-based early-stage VC fund. Rajul Garg, founders of BlackBuck, Rajesh Yabaji, Chanakya Hridaya, Ramasubramaniam B, and Vishwanathan have also invested in their personal capacity. Other investors include Dubai-based Nobel House, Sunstone Capital, and Alok Mittal. The company plans to utilise this round of funding to build the team, technology, and increase market penetration.
Indifi Technologies: Gurugram-based platform for enabling debt financing for small businesses Indifi Technologies raised $10 Mn in a Series B funding round led by Omidyar Network. Existing investors Accel Partners and Elevar Equity also participated in the round. Indifi Technologies, while maintaining its focus on MSME businesses, intends to direct the investments towards furthering its products and technology.
Fresh Food Concepts: Delhi/NCR-based cold-pressed juices startup Fresh Food Concepts secured $2 Mn in a Pre-Series A round led by angel investors Siddhartha Gupta and Ashvin Chadha. Siddhartha will be contributing significantly, not just as an investor, but also by bringing his many years of experience into guiding and growing the startup. The current round of investment will be utilised for upgrading the production facility, enhancing the sales and distribution network, branding and marketing and to explore new products over the next phase.
Wooplr: Online marketplace for women clothing, Wooplr raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Anand Chandrasekaran, Director, Facebook India. The company plans to utilise these funds for marketing and to further develop its products.
inFeedo: HR analytics startup inFeedo raised afunding of $200K from a group of investors led by Dheeraj Jain, Managing Partner, Redcliffe Capital and Anupam Mittal, CEO of Shaadi.com. The round also saw participation from Ameera Shah, CEO of Metropolis; Vivek Bhargava, Group CEO of DAN Performance; Rahul Singh, CEO of Beer Cafe and Ambarish Gupta, CEO of Knowlarity. The company will use the funds to meet the growing demand and scale across India with plans to hit the international market in 2017.
XSEED: Edtech startup, XSEED Education raised an undisclosed amount of funding in Series B round led by Verlinvest, a Belgium-based international venture firm. The startup plans to use this round to scale its footprint to reach 10 Mn children by strengthening its technology platform, its international footprint, and brand in the K-8 elementary education space.
Doctor Insta: Telemedicine platform oriented startup Doctor Insta raised $2.5 Mn (about INR 17 Cr) in a funding round led by RoundGlass Partners. Existing investor, US-based VC firm BrahmaX Ventures, also participated in the round. The raised funds will be divested by the company to market two new products – Health ATM and Insta Wall. A portion of funds would also be used for product development, expansion of its team, and launch of omnichannel healthcare networks across India and other countries.
UrbanPiper: Bengaluru-based UrbanPiper, a SaaS platform that enables hyperlocal businesses to go online raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Axilor. A group of angels has also contributed to this round, including Ram Yalamanchili, a Silicon Valley angel investor. The startup will use the funding to enhance its offering and scale its client base.
Nykaa: VC firm Max Ventures and Industries has reportedly acquired a 2% stake in online cosmetic and wellness retailer Nykaa, for an undisclosed amount. As per a BSE filing, Max I Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Max Ventures and Industries Ltd) has acquired 2,69,955 shares of INR 10 each of FSN ECommerce Ventures Private on December 8, 2016, which represents 1.99% equity capital.
Pi DataCenters: Epsilon Venture Partners, the pan-Asian technology-focussed fund manager along with a major Australian private equity group invested about $23 Mn in Pi DATACENTERS (Pi). The round was led by Epsilon’s General Partner, Mahesh Vaidya. With this move, he will join the company’s board.
Tripshelf: Online travel marketplace for holiday bookings Tripshelf raised $235.6K (INR 1.6 Cr) in a Pre-Series A round. The investment was led by GEMS Advisory and early-stage VC fund Quarizon. Earlier in April 2016, the startup had raised $250K from GEMS group.
Amagi Media Labs: KKR-backed investment platform Emerald Media, led $35 Mn in Series D round of funding in the cloud-based geo-targetted ad firm, Amagi Media Labs. Premji Invest, the investment handle of existing investor, Azim Premji also participated in the round. Post the investment, Emerald Media will hold a minority stake in Amagi. Early backers Mayfield India and Nadathur Holdings will remain invested in the Bengaluru- headquartered media technology startup.
ideaForge: Mumbai-based ideaForge, known for manufacturing the Netra unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has reportedly raised $10 Mn (INR 70 Cr) as part of its Series A investment round led by WRV Capital and IndusAge Partners. Also, Infosys, under its $500 Mn Innovation Fund has invested an undisclosed amount in the company. The funds will be used in R&D and business development. The firm also raised an angel round of $1.5 Mn in early 2015.
PocketAces: Mumbai-based digital entertainment company PocketAces raised $3 Mn in a new funding round from a group of global investors led by Sequoia Capital India. Other investors who participated in the round included North Base Media, T.V. Mohandas Pai led Aarin Capital, 3one4 Capital, Axilor Ventures, and FreeCharge founders, Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon, among others. The raised capital will be used to create exceptional content, bolster its technology base, and talent expansion. The company further plans to create over 500 short-form live-action and food videos and at least six long-form properties over the next year.
Acquisitions Of The Week
- 1mg, Gurugram-based Healthkart’s online drug search business acquired MediAngels to strengthen its position in the eHealth space in India. With this move, 1mg will enter the space of super speciality consultations, corporate health services, and insurance partnerships.
- Mogae Media, a digital marketing company acquired Ngage. Ngage is the adtech platform of Nimbuzz, which is a Netherlands-based over-the-top (OTT) content firm. The all-stock deal is valued at around $6 Mn (INR 40 Cr). The company has announced plans to use this platform to start programmatic advertising on mobile from the beginning of January 2017 for Vodafone and Aircel.
- Bengaluru-based online healthcare platform Practo acquired advanced analytics platform Enlightiks for an undisclosed amount. Post acquisition, the entire team of 50 people from Enlightiks will join Practo and will form the analytics business unit within Practo which will be headed by Vamsi Chandra Kasivajjala, co-Founder and CEO, Enlightiks.
- Singapore-based ecommerce enabler Shopmatic acquired a majority stake in Taiwan-based technology consulting firm, 5X Ruby. The move on Shopmatic’s part is aimed at strengthening its research and technology team. Shopmatic has acquired 51% stake in 5X Ruby for an undisclosed amount in a mixed cash-and-stock deal.
- Microsoft Ventures launched a new fund for investment in AI companies focussed on inclusive growth and positive impact on the society. The first investment from this fund is for Montreal-based Element AI – an incubator and platform that helps organisations embrace an AI-first strategy in support of these principles.
- E-Cell, IIT Bombay announced the launch of the third edition of ‘The Ten Minute Million’ challenge at the Entrepreneurship Summit of IIT Bombay. The selected startups will then get an on-spot funding commitment for $22.2K.
- Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Executive Director at Wockhardt Limited announced to launch a healthcare-focussed angel fund named, ‘Health Passion Fund’ that will target to raise $19 Mn (INR 125 Cr) to invest in startups focusing in the healthcare space.
- NASSCOM announced the launch of its fourth techstartup.in in Hyderabad on IBM Cloud in partnership with IBM. Techstartup.in is a digital platform that allows startups, investors and venture capitalists to network in a city.