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Dubai: An expatriate in the UAE has just struck gold, quite literally.
Edmundo Catangay from the Philippines has been declared winner of a kilo of gold worth Dh150,000 at a recent raffle, which is part of the annual Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) extravaganza.
The precious metal is estimated to be worth more than 2 million pesos in the Filipino expat's home currency. It was the grand prize of Majid Al Futtaim’s shopping promotion during DSS that encouraged mall visitors to spend a minimum amount.
The expat, a father of three children, has been in the UAE for two years now and intends to use his winnings to purchase a house and lot back home. He works as a general techinican in Ras Al Khaimah.
He admitted, though, that he had forgotten about joining in the draw, so when he received a phone call from the organisers, he thought he just got pranked.
All throughout the DSS period, a huge gold bar was on display at City Centre Deira to entice shoppers to open their wallets. As part of the campaign, those who spent at least Dh200 at any stores at City Centre Deira until August 12 had the opportunity to bring home the precious metal.
Shoppers who spent at least Dh400 at any fashion outlet in the same mall also had the opportunity to bag airfares for two people to visit various destinations, including Oman, Jordan, India, Sri Lanka and Lebanon.


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MPL new apparel sponsor of Indian cricket team
Team Udayavani, Nov 2, 2020, 1:29 PM IST
New Delhi: Fantasy gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) has been picked as the apparel sponsor of the Indian cricket team for a period of three years. A member of the Apex Council confirmed the development on Monday that BCCI has inked the apparel and merchandise deal with MPL, replacing Nike.
“Yes, Apex Council has passed the sponsorship deal for the apparel of Indian team (men, women, A and U19).
“However the rate per match will be Rs 65 lakh per game instead of Rs 88 lakh that Nike was giving,” the senior official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. While Puma and Adidas had earlier picked up the bid papers for apparel sponsorship, they didn’t fill the bid as they felt that the deal needed to be reduced to one third from the original bid. Nike had a five-year deal during which they paid Rs 370 crore from 2016 to 2020 with a 30 crore royalty. “No sporting apparel major was ready to pay that kind of money that Nike paid in the current economic climate (due to COVID-19).
“One of the major reasons being merchandise items being very costly for common public,” the source said.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
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Cryptocurrencies worth over $1 billion lost to hackers in Q3 2021
While comparing more statistics from now and 2020, the Ethereum ecosystem and cryptocurrency exchanges remain the primary targets for hackers.
Data published by Atlas VPN, a digital security and privacy solutions provider, shows that blockchain hackers have stolen over $1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies in the third quarter of 2021.
While blockchain-related hacks and scams continue to rise, the Ethereum ecosystem suffered from the most significant number of hack events and lost the most money during attacks, according to the report. The ecosystem suffered 20 hack events and lost over $800 million in Q3 2021. One of the most significant hacks was the Poly Network heist, in which the hacker stole $610 million from the cryptocurrency platform.
Cryptocurrency exchanges had five hack events in which they lost $114 million. A noteworthy hack happened to a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, Liquid, as cybercriminals took away about $90 million worth of digital coins.
Other types of hacks and scams have accumulated 28 events, resulting in the loss of $193 million.
According to Atlas VPN, in the three quarters of 2021, there were more hack events than over the past three years — 146. While comparing more statistics from now and 2020, the Ethereum ecosystem and cryptocurrency exchanges remain the primary targets for hackers.
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Retail Decline: The Impact On Binghamton
If you've lived in the Binghamton area for any amount of time, you've probably noticed a drop in brick-and-mortar retail stores in the past few years. According to a study by Upgraded Points, Binghamton lost around 13.8% of its physical retail spots between 2011 and 2021. That's pretty significant!
This decline isn't only happening in Binghamton, it's happening everywhere across the United State. More people are doing their shopping online and buying things from the comfort of their own homes. In fact, e-commerce sales went from making up just 0.9% of retail sales in 2000, to 14.6% in 2020. That's crazy growth!
The COVID-19 pandemic made the whole online shopping trend grow faster. Many physical retail stores had to shut down temporarily or even permanently, as customers turned to online shopping for safety and convenience. It's been a tough time for the brick-and-mortar shops.
According to the same study, cities like Silicon Valley and others in the West and Midwest have been hit harder than places in the South. I think I know why but I'm going to keep my thoughts to myself. If you know, you know.
It's not all doom and gloom, there are still some independent retail stores that have managed to weather the storm. These stores cater to people who want to support local businesses and find unique and special items.
The future of retail is definitely up in the air, with new technologies and changing shopping habits. We don't know what will happen for sure but there's a chance we'll see a resurgence of brick-and-mortar stores with a fresh twist!
For now, if you're in Binghamton and looking to do some shopping, I hope you'll support locally owned stores that are still standing strong. They definitely deserve our support!
Southern Tier Of New York Businesses We Lost in 2023
Gallery Credit: Google Maps Street View
The 10 Most Stolen Items at Walmart
Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart


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While everyone is focusing on Apple's upcoming Fall product launch of the Apple Watch Series 6, new iPad, and iPhone 12 models, some of us don't know about the other Apple product that will be an upgrade.
Additional features you may not have heard about include advancing its home devices for the HomePod and Apple TV and the developmental stages of the Apple TV Remote upgrade.
We will uncover the details for each news later in the article.
Apple Plans to Improve Apple TV and HomePod Features
As seen throughout the year 2020 so far, Apple has not stopped looking for ways to innovate and further improve its product. The Apple TV is no exception.
At the beginning of 2020, Apple decided to "merged some of the Apple TV and HomePod engineering teams as it looks to renew its focus on home devices."
Previously, consumers noted that the HomePod lacked Siri functions and could improve with better speakers. If Apple takes this feedback into account, it could make the home theatre experience more immersive than before with the Apple TV functions.
While the Apple TV app continues to add new shows to its collection, Apple has an opportunity to take advantage of everyone's time spent more at home now with the ongoing pandemic.
Apple TV Remote Potential Upgrade
The main upgrade to users' Apple TV experience is the remote. Other than adding a faster processor for enhanced gaming time, users will enjoy the new remote control Apple is working on.
If you ever find yourself searching for your remotes and any other accessories in your home, you will appreciate Apple's solution.
Rumor has it that Apple is in the development stages of adding the Find My app feature previously seen on iPhone devices to the Apple TV remote.
Regardless of Apple succeeding in integrating the Find My feature to future Apple TV remotes, the big tech company also has the AirTags, similar to the Tile accessory, in the works as well.
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When it comes to streaming, Apple TV has got your back. A small, compact device that'll connect to your TV seamlessly, you can download a variety of apps for your entertainment on the Apple TV. With apps for Apple TV+, Netflix, YouTube, and more, watch all your favorite content in one place: Apple TV.
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A former Wal-Mart exec dismissed last month has filed suit alleging the company didn’t have a right to fire her, reports the WSJ. Julie Roehm, who was dismissed days after recruiting a new ad agency for the retail giant, claims breach of contract and fraud. The suit, filed in federal court in Detroit, alleges she was dismissed for failure to meet “the expectations of an officer.”
The 36-year-old former automobile-ad executive was recruited a year ago by Wal-Mart to shake up its marketing department. At Chrysler, she was responsible for such racy ads as a 2003 Dodge spot that showed two men standing at a urinal. “That’s big,” one says. “It’s seven inches longer,” the other replies. The camera pulls back to show they are talking about a Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicle on a poster.
The company has never detailed publicly the reason for her dismissal, and a Wal-Mart spokesman wasn’t available to comment. In a court filing, the company said Roehm held no employment contract, and her “improper conduct” precluded any damages.
Wal-Mart had questioned Roehm about whether she had a personal relationship with a subordinate — forbidden at the company — or had accepted gifts from ad agencies, also forbidden. Sean Womack, a protege of Roehm’s, was dismissed at the same time; both deny any improper behavior.
If Roehm’s clash with Wal-Mart intrigues you, check out last month’s page-one story, “How a Highflier in Marketing Fell at Wal-Mart.”


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Japan Seeks to Reinforce Intellectual Property for Fruits and Veggies
With the advent of the year 2020, there comes news that Japan is planning to strengthen Intellectual Property (IP) control over its premium products, like fruits and vegetables being sold overseas to prevent its high-end crops from being grown and then sold as the products of other countries.
As per Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), the crops that have been influenced by the failure to appropriate implementation of IP control abroad include the high-end Shine Muscat grapes. It is a crop being produced by other nations such as Korea and China.
FoodNavigator-Asia, one of the leading online news sources for the food industry for near about 20 years, confirmed with MAFF that the proposed initiative for ministry to handle this situation is to appoint a private company to work on the Intellectual Property Protection of Japan’s newly cultivated fruits and vegetables.
MAFF officer, who opted to remain anonymous, emphasized that although it hasn’t yet been confirmed, the department is seeking at budgeting for such a company to help Japan secure new fruit and vegetable varieties. He added that discussion on this matter is on-going internally, but no official details are in place till now. This protection would likely be applied only to new produce varieties.
That said, if approved, such a move would bring good outcomes for the country’s agricultural industry, which is striving to boost up its high-end fruit and vegetable exports from the current estimated JPY1tn (US$9.2mn), as per Japan times.
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries’s Intellectual Property Strategy 2020 report also lined up strengthening the IP protection of new plant varieties as a vital area of focus to uplift competitiveness of the nation’s seed and seedling industry.
MAFF, in the strategy report, said that it is crucial to establish an environment where breeders can easily obtain and use legal rights to promote the new and excellent plant varieties with international competitiveness both in Japan and abroad. Measures to strengthen IP protection was highlighted as a significant section of the report, with the ministry aiming to do so by both:
- Providing support against any IP infringement
- Developing technology and tools that can aid the IP-holders to prove their rights to ownership
MAFF added that it is essential to ensure that the right holders can confirm the IP violation overseas and take border measures promptly and appropriately. Besides these, several other efforts are being planned by Japan and MAFF. One out of them includes methods to identify the geographical area where a product is being produced and ways to conserve varieties for which new applications have been filed.
As part of the doings undertaken by MAFF Intellectual Property Consortium, which is known as Japan’s IP protection watchdog for its products’ overseas Trademark Applications, activities related to Geographical Indication ranked very high on the list, according to the consortium’s latest report.
Emphasizing GI, MAFF said that in Japan, many brand products have already obtained a remarkable reputation because of their unique production approaches and natural characteristics like regional climate and soil conditions. The GI Act helps the government to protect the name of such products.
He ended by saying that Japan works with a dedicated GI symbol to indicate protected products. Moreover, to achieve its aim, the nation has recently established a webpage on the online tax donation website Satofull. It is a site that allows people to donate their produces to preferred municipalities in situations of disaster. In return, they would be benefitted by having a large portion of total donation deducted from their taxes. For more visit: https://www.kashishipr.com/
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Often overshadowed by home sales activity, lot sales in St James Plantation in coastal NC are the real show stoppers. In the past year, 244 lots sold averaging $118,069; buyers paid an average of 94% of the list price.
Here’s the big take away, in a head-to-head comparison from January 1-June 23, 2020 vs. January 1 -June 23, 2021, the lot sales activity and pricing has soared. Last year’s activity reported an average sold price of $86,434 compared to this year’s $125,414.
Today there are 30 homesites under contract, leaving only 53 lots available to purchase.
Hint: When evaluating list prices, factor in that buyers are paying an average of 95% of the list price. This trend is up 4% from last year.


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With its cryptocurrency products for institutional investors, Grayscale he bought another billion dollars in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. On Friday, the company held a total of $ 46.1 billion against $ 45.1 billion that stopped the day before, according to his official Twitter account.AUM of each Grayscale cryptocurrency product. Source: grayscale.co Just a week ago, Grayscale kept up a slightly slower pace, adding $ 3 billion in 4 days, adding considerable amounts of bitcoin, ether, bitcoin cash and litecoin to its products. In mid-March, demand for altcoins caused the giant asset manager to launch funds from Chainlink, Basic Attention Token, Livepper and Decentraland.
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In addition, Grayscale announced this week that the company plans to transform its largest product, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, into a Bitcoin-based ETF. Unlike Brazil, where the CVM has already authorized the creation of 2 exchange-traded cryptocurrency funds, one of which is 100% bitcoin, the United States is still behind in this institutional race, but on the other hand, among the 31 publicly traded companies that have bitcoin on their balance sheets, including the Tesla that makes up the S & P500, according to BitcoinTreasuries, none of them are listed on the Brazilian stock exchange.See also: NYDIG signs partnerships to bring Bitcoin to the insurance industry, a $ 6 trillion market


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Hard tungsten Scrap Prices In US
- Category: Tungsten’s News
- Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 09:58
Hard tungsten scrap prices keep at USD12.25-12.75/lb for consumers; a USD0.25/lb increase compared to late April.
US has been reporting slightly higher figures over the past two weeks from what seems to be caused by rampant buying of tungsten products last month by large Chinese players. Players noted a rather interesting anomaly, mentioning that other areas of the market are still operating at an unchanged pace while scrap activity seems to be upticking as well.
Some commented that there could be some future growth in the manufacturing sector due to the recent appreciation, however, many believe that raw materials were primarily forced up, causing the entire market to experience an uptick with minimal product available for purchase.
One US-based distributor of hard tungsten scrap, who quoted rates at USD12.50-12.75/lb, stated that he was able to sell his position a week-and-a-half ago at USD12.75/lb with no negation or difficulty.
The source mentioned that major consumers seem to be buying now, which could show concern for future availability in the short-term. With scrap prices up, along with carbide, he believes the next few months could bring with it some interesting activity.
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Deal marks one of Tiger’s largest first cheque in an Indian start-up
The deal could also be indicative of Tiger’s new approach to the Indian start-up ecosystem post the departure of Lee Fixel
Mumbai: Storied American venture investor Tiger Global has invested $89.5 million in agri-tech startup NinjaCart, show regulatory filings accessed from registrar of companies (RoC) by paper.vc. NinjaCart is a marketing and delivery platform for agricultural produce.
The Economic Times was the first to report the development on Wednesday morning, citing the filings accessed by paper.vc. The newspaper reported that Tiger Global has picked up a 26.5% stake, valuing the company at close to $320 million.
Interestingly, this investment also marks one of the largest first cheques written by the investor in an Indian start-up. According to data compiled by paper.vc, Tiger’s previous large initial investments were in startups such as Ola ($57.5 million), Delhivery ($43.6 million) and Hike ($43.2 million).
While being one of the largest first cheques written by Tiger in India, the deal could also be indicative of Tiger’s new approach to the Indian start-up ecosystem post the departure of Lee Fixel, who was credited for backing startups such as Flipkart and putting the Indian start-up ecosystem on the global map.
Fixel left Tiger Global, where he was heading a $13 billion venture investment unit, in March. The firm had announced that co-founder Scott Shleifer will take over as head of the unit.
The Tiger investment in NinjaCart follows the start-up's $35 million fund-raising in December which saw participation from investors such as Accel (US) and Switzerland’s Syngeta Ventures. New investors, including South Korean private equity firm Neoplux, founder of ZiGeXn Jo Hirao, Russian firm HR Capital and venture debt firm Trifecta Capital, also participated in the round. NinjaCart’s existing investors Accel India, Nandan Nilekani NRJN Trust, Misteltoe and Qualcomm Venture also contributed.
Founded in 2015, NinjaCart connects farmers to end retailers such as grocery stores, supermarkets and restaurants, which buy fruits and vegetables. It runs a logistics network enabling swift pick-up and drop of farm produce.
The agri-tech start-up is currently operational in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.
Started by Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Ashutosh Vikram, Kartheeswaran K.K., Sachin Jose and Sharath Loganathan, NinjaCart started as an on-demand grocery delivery service, before pivoting to a business-to-business agri-marketing platform.
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Myntra, the online fashion marketplace for most people today is a company doing extremely well. It has its own private labels coupled with a lot of exclusive brands. It has done everything right until now. The huge sale that took place a couple of weeks ago was well received by the consumers. Jabong is still in the huge sale phase as the deals are still running around its platform. Myntra and Jabong are running on the same thing even if they appear to be two different companies.
The two companies have completely integrated on all levels of business and systems. Their operations in the department of technology, finance, revenue, creative teams, marketing, and category are the same. The companies have been working hand-in-hand in all ways possible. This has allowed them to tackle the competition out there. In 2018, both the companies did not plan huge things but were busy developing their own brands and collecting exclusive rights.
However, everything might come to a stand-still for Jabong and Myntra after the newest e-commerce policy. The new e-commerce policy does not allow the websites to sell the products in which the company has stakes or owns. This has totally pushed back the plans of the Flipkart-owned fashion companies. All the work of 2018 has gone down the drain as the companies will have to look for a new plan in order to get back on track for 2019.
That said, Myntra has suffered a huge drop in revenue in the Financial Year 2018. The revenue of the company has slid down by almost 80%. As of March 2018, the company’s revenue stood at $60.6 million which is about INR 427 crore, according to MCA filings. Such a drop in the revenue was because of the heavy losses it incurred during the last fiscal year.
Myntra’s losses rose to $21.4 million which is around INR 151 crore. The total expenses of Myntra also took a climb to $131.5 million which is about INR 926 crore. Myntra’s finest seller Vector E-commerce has plummeted by 90%. Its revenue is what took the fall. Its revenue was $173 million about INR 1216 crore in 2017 which dove down to $11.5 million in 2018. This all boils down to the high profile exits at Flipkart.
Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal were the ones to take in Myntra and Jabong and after their exits, everything has gone down. Walmart is trying to bring Flipkart back on track. It has incurred losses in the sum of $293 million which is increased by 700% from 2017. This shows how poorly Flipkart has managed the exits of Sachin and Binny Bansal.
– Unmesh Phule


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It seems Apple has finally reached pay equity for all of their employees, including underrepresented minorities and women.
Walk into any of Apple’s stores. What are you greeted by? Yes, large, glass doors that openly display the vastness of the store. What else? Yes, a substantial, eclectic selection of high-end gadgets such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. What else? Yes, a sea of people huddled around the various iDevices and Macs. What do you notice about these people? Yes, there is an alarming amount of children playing around on iPhones and iPads.
What else? Yes, there is a surprising number of elders asking rudimentary questions, taking up your oh so precious time. What else? Yes, a small group of them—the elite, if you will—are clad in Apple’s trademark T-shirt or sweatshirt. And what do you notice about these people? Yes, a good number of them are white. What else? Yes, a significant number of them are male. What else? Yes, there is a lack of diversity amongst Apple’s staff.
Therein lies the problem: Apple is notorious for its lack of diversity and inclusiveness, and CEO Tim Cook is aware of this.
Back in 2015, CNN Money reported, “Apple, like the majority of the tech world, is a male-dominated company. Seven out of ten Apple employees are men, and virtually the entire senior leadership team is male.”
Later in the report, Cook claims, “I think it’s our fault—’our’ meaning the whole tech community. I think in general we haven’t done enough to reach out and show young women that it’s cool to do it and how much fun it can be.”
Interestingly, Tim Cook calls this underrepresentation “solvable,” and Apple may have finally cracked the code.
According to Apple’s recent report, “We’ve achieved pay equity in the United States for similar roles and performance. Women earn one dollar for every dollar male employees earn. And underrepresented minorities earn one dollar for every dollar white employees earn.”
Named “Inclusion & Diversity,” this report delivers some shocking and relieving statistics on what’s currently happening and what Apple is doing to lessen the situation.
As noted in the report, 54 percent of Apple’s new hires are more diverse than their current employees. The infographic just below this percentage breaks down the number: 24 percent of new hires are Asian, 13 percent are Hispanic, 13 percent are black, four percent are multiracial, and one percent are “other,” totaling to 54 percent. Compare that to the 46 percent of them who are white, and you’ll start to notice an exasperating problem: Apple is primarily a white-dominated company. Something more disappointing is that 56 percent of current employees are white. Compare this to 19 percent of current employees who are Asian, 12 percent who are Hispanic, 9 percent who are black, 2 percent who are multiracial, and 1 percent who are “other.” Again, this is quite disheartening.
Another rather frustrating statistic is the overall Global Gender analysis of Apple’s company over the last three years. Back in 2014, a staggering 70 percent of men dominated the company compared to a measly 30 percent of women. In 2015, 69 percent of men dominated the company compared to 31 percent of women. Although we’re just a little more than halfway through the 2016 year, 68 percent of men dominated the company compared to 32 percent of women. Clearly, there is progress, but we’re talking about 1 percent per year. That is not enough to recompense for the years of non-diversity.
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) August 4, 2016
Apple proudly displays “We want Apple to be a reflection of the world around us” on the report’s page. Well, while we can commend them for making progress, there is still a long way to go. I suppose we can revel in the fact that at Apple, men and women of all backgrounds now get paid the same for the same performance. The same can’t be said at competitions like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and others.
You can read Apple’s report in full here.
[Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images]


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Fortnite fans have discovered a wealth of leaked skins, items, loading screens and challenges in the Avengers Endgame update.
Fortnite developer Epic Games released update 8.50 during a period of downtime earlier today (April 25).
According to the 8.50 leaks, Fortnite fans will be able to earn a host of Avengers-themed rewards and items by completing challenges or visiting the in-game shop.
As you can see from the leaked images below, this includes a Black Widow pack.
Fans will soon be able to pick up the Black Widow skin, the Widow's Pack backpack, the Widow's Bite harvesting tool and more.
Fortnite Battle Royale players will also be able to unlock Marvel rewards by completing Avengers Endgame challenges.
"Complete the Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame Challenges to earn free rewards including Sprays, Banners, and the Avengers Quinjet Glider!" reads a Fortnite leak.
Fortnite Avengers Endgame leaked challenges:
• Deal damage while hovering with Iron Man’s Repulsors
• Collect Infinity Stones
• Play matches on Endgame
• Deal damage by throwing Thor’s Stormbreaker Axe
• Deal damage whilst flying with the Chitauri Jetpack
• Eliminations in different matches of Endgame
• Deal damage with Captain America’s Shield
• Deal damage with the Chitauri Laser Rifle
• Win matches of Endgame as a Chitauri or Thanos
• Deal damage within 10 seconds of grappling with Hawkeye’s Bow
• Deal damage with the Chitauri Energy Launcher
• Win matches of Endgame as the Hero Team.
Fortnite's Avengers Endgame event launched alongside update 8.50.
"Endgame features a team of heroes fighting to stop Thanos and his Chitauri from claiming all six Infinity Stones," read the Epic post.
Heroes start with a treasure map leading to a Mythic Avengers item. The aim is to equip these items and destroy Thanos and his army.
Chitauri Invaders, on the other hand, start with a powerful laser rifle, an anti-structure grenade attack, and a jetpack that lets them briefly leap high into the air.
The first Chitauri to recover an Infinity stone will be transformed into Thanos. Finding additional stones increases Thanos' power.
The Thanos team wins by claiming all of the Infinity Stones and eliminating all enemies.
Fans have also discovered variants of existing skins (above), which can be unlocked by completing Overtime challenges.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Shoppers and employees at a University City Walmart had quite a surprise Monday afternoon after a deer wandered into the store -- and it was all caught on video.
IMAGES: Deer wrangled after wandering into Walmart
A customer at the store on North Tryon Street sent Channel 9 video of what looks like a doe in the aisles of the store.
People were frantically trying to subdue the animal, eventually pinning it down.
Edmond Ratcliffe told Channel 9 it’s not what he expected to see while doing his last-minute Christmas shopping.
“It was kind of a stay out of the way situation because I know if I'm in the way, it could be trouble,” he said.
Animal Control was called to the store to remove the deer. It was unclear what happened to the animal after that.
MUST SEE: Deer wanders into University City Walmart
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Australia's first ever R18+ rated videogame hit shelves this week, and the iGEA and media were there to help celebrate.
- Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA) accepted a framed copy of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus, and recalled some of the pivotal people in making the R18+ age rating happen.
- MCV takes a look back at the key events in getting the ten year battle of the R18+ rating approved.
- We speak to Curry about what conversations the R18+ has been distracting from.
- The launch of SimCity, while still frought with issues, wasn't quite as heavy a disaster in ANZ as it was in the US.
- Tomb Raider has been attracting praise in the local mainstream press for its representation of a strong female lead character.
- QV Software throws Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 a launch party in Sydney.


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Tourism Ireland discusses 2013 season with local tourism operators
Senior managers of Tourism Ireland were in Cork today – meeting with some of the key players working in the tourism industry in Cork city and county. They discussed the 2013 season to date and the extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland has in place to highlight Cork and the island of Ireland around the world this year.
Simon Gregory, Tourism Ireland’s director of markets, said: “We are delighted to be in Cork again today, to have the chance to meet with representatives of the tourism industry and to hear directly how their businesses are doing this year. Our meetings will also afford us the opportunity to discuss the extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking this year across the globe. We have a major focus on The Gathering, which is a fantastic ‘hook’ for us to highlight Ireland. We are extending an invitation to the millions of people everywhere who have ancestral links with Ireland to ‘come home’ this year; our message is that there has never been a better year to visit.”
Tourism Ireland’s promotional activity to highlight Cork around the world this year includes:
• Cork ‘Gatherings’
The Gathering Ireland has been a major focus of Tourism Ireland promotions around the world for the past 18 months. So far this year, 417 Cork ‘Gatherings’ have been confirmed. Tourism Ireland has been working hard to raise awareness of key Cork Gatherings – including last week’s Redhead Convention in Crosshaven and Cork Rebel Week, which takes place in October – through social media and e-marketing campaigns.
• Co-operative promotional campaigns to boost travel to Cork Gateways
Cork Airport and the Port of Cork are important gateways to this region. Tourism Ireland has been working hard throughout 2013, and for many years, to drive demand for air and sea services to Cork, through co-operative marketing campaigns in conjunction with the airport and ferry port, major airlines and ferry companies, and other partners. Examples include:
- ad campaigns have been undertaken in co-operation with Aer Lingus around Mainland Europe this year, including in France (to highlight the Paris-Cork route), Germany (to highlight the Munich-Cork flight), Belgium and the Netherlands;
- an advertising campaign in Great Britain is under way right now (May until October), in conjunction with Jet2 – to promote attractive fares from Newcastle to Cork; the campaign includes outdoor, regional press and radio, as well as online advertising;
- also in GB, Tourism Ireland co-operated with Aer Lingus Regional this summer, to promote the Manchester to Cork service; activity included press, radio and outdoor advertising;
- in France, Tourism Ireland works closely with Brittany Ferries, encouraging car touring holidays and travel to Cork from Roscoff;
- and Tourism Ireland partners with Ryanair in GB to promote direct flights to GB; and in Italy to highlight great fares and ease of access to Cork from Milan and Pisa.
• Starring role for Cobh and Cork in Tourism Ireland’s new online food film
Tourism Ireland recently launched the first in a series of new online films – set to entice ‘foodies’ from around the globe. Showcasing some of the wonderful food gems to be found around the island of Ireland, the films demonstrate the passion of our chefs and food producers for sourcing, using and promoting local Irish produce. The first film begins in Belvelly Smokehouse in Cobh – featuring artisan producer Frank Hederman, who represents just one of the many traditional smokehouse producers around the island of Ireland. He takes the viewer on a journey around his native Cobh and gives a real insight into the age-old smoking techniques used to produce his delicious smoked salmon. He speaks about Ireland’s ‘wonderful raw material’ with ‘our landscape at the heart of what we create’ and even passes on his tips about the best way to hold a salmon! Cork’s English Market also features, as does the South County bar in Douglas.
• Influential international travel writers visit Cork
Tourism Ireland has invited a number of influential travel and lifestyle journalists to visit Cork this year – so they will encourage prospective holidaymakers to come here, through their articles, broadcasts or blogs. A recent example includes the visit of Mr FAN Yibo, China’s number one travel blogger (also known as ‘Map of Seven Colours’ on Sina Weibo – a major Chinese social networking site), who was in Cork earlier this month and visited places like Blarney Castle and Cork city.
Earlier this year, the renowned Travel Classics writers’ conference took place at Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry. Forty-three of the top American travel writers travelled here, to take part in this year’s conference – including editors from a wide range of high profile publications like Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Harper’s Bazaar, AFAR, Saveur and Coastal Living, all of which reach hundreds of thousands of readers across North America, as well as globally.
And in July, a group of journalists from six different countries – including Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Sweden – visited West Cork; they represented a radio station and a variety of online and print publications, with a combined audience of over 3.1 million people – or potential holidaymakers.
• Cork tourism enterprises join Tourism Ireland at trade fairs and promotions around the world
A number of Cork tourism enterprises have joined Tourism Ireland during 2013, promoting the city and its hinterland at various consumer and travel trade fairs, and as part of travel trade missions, around the world. These have included representatives of Cork Convention Bureau (at business tourism promotions like IMEX in Frankfurt and AIBTM in Chicago); the River Lee Hotel (at Tourism Ireland’s ‘Jump into Ireland’ sales blitz in Canada); Cork Airport (at ITB in Berlin); and Actons Hotel in Kinsale and the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery (at the ‘Best of Britain and Ireland’ in Birmingham).
• Leading international tour operators visit Cork
Tourism Ireland has also invited some of the leading travel agents and tour operators from around the world to visit Cork this year – to ensure that this part of Ireland features in their programmes and brochures and that they will sell the destination with as much enthusiasm as possible. The programme has included a visit earlier this month by five of India’s top tour operators – including representatives of TUI India and 7th Heaven Holidays.
Also, to mark their 50th year selling holidays to the island of Ireland, the sales staff of leading Dutch tour operator, BBI Travel, flew to Cork at the end of May, to take part in their very own ‘Gathering’. The group – whose visit was supported by Tourism Ireland – had a packed programme which took in West Cork (including Bantry and Glengarriff) and Kinsale.


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Logistics giant Wincanton trumpeted new business with Asda and Sainsbury’s after reporting a performance “in line with expectations” for the past three months.
In May Sainsbury’s signed up Wincanton to handle its warehousing and distribution in London.
Alongside the supermarket duo, Wincanton said it had secured “an important win with Kiddicare”, which was bought by Morrisons in 2011. The group also cited “key renewals” with dairy Crest and Irish retailer Superquinn during the period covered by the trading statement, from 1 April to 26 July.
“We have started the year well and are on track to deliver our plan,” said chief executive Eric Born.
“Despite a challenging economy, we continue to make good progress along our path to return to sustainable profit growth.”


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Reliance Jio — A Youtube user named We Love Jio has posted a screencast of upcoming 4G tariff plans and prices from what looks to be the beta version of jio.com, the company’s official website.
According to the video, Reliance Jio LTE offerings will include VoLTE, Mi-Fi devices, routers and smartphones. The video also offers preview of the Jio data plans. A JioFi Combo plan gives 75GB of 4G data for 90 days while a HD Voice Combo plan offers 75GB of data, 4500 minutes of talktime, 9000 SMS with 90 days of validity. Pricing of these schemes haven’t been revealed in the video. According to a recent report, Reliance Jio is also likely to offer 40GB of data with validity 90 days. This suggests, Reliance Jio data plans may be available between 40GB and 75GB with three months of validity.
However, there is a separate ‘prepaid plans’ section of the website that is explored by the user. While the ‘postpaid plans’ section is empty, the prepaid plans section shows two plans — one for Mifi and another one called Voice Combo that is given free with LYF phones. It is possible that Jio could give Voice Combo offer to those who buy their SIM cards, but at a price of Rs 500-1,000, or it could be restricted to those who buy LYF handsets. Frankly, we don’t know much except that LYF phone buyers will definitely get the Voice Combo plan free of cost with their purchase.
The cheapest option among the devices is the Mifi device, which costs only Rs 1,999 according to the leak. For Rs 1,999, you get the device and 75 GB of 4G data. If this tariff actually makes it unchanged to the beta launch of Jio’s 4G services, it
would mean that Jio will offer between 40 GB and 75 GB for subsequent recharges of around Rs 1,000.
The cheapest LYF phone from Jio will be the Flame 1, which costs Rs 5,133 according to the website. It will give free data of 75 GB, plus 4,500 minutes and 9000 SMS. Taking a regular tariff price of Rs 40 per GB and 50 paise for 1 minute of call and 1 SMS, the total value of the offer comes to Rs 3000 + 2,250 + Rs 4,500, or Rs 9,750 for a phone that costs around half as much.
According to reports, Reliance Jio 4G basic tariff for local and STD calls will start at 2p per second, Re 1 per SMS and international texts at Rs 5. 4G mobile data would be priced at 0.5p per 10KB, which is roughly Rs 5 per MB whereas video calls will cost 5p per second. It may also launch a family and friends basic and gold plan for Rs 37 and Rs 38.
The video emphasizes on Reliance Jio’s preloaded applications — JioPlay, Jio-on-Demand, JioBeats, JioMags, JioNews, JioDrive and JioExpressnews. These services are likely to be subscription based and likely to be free for the first 90 days. Also, these could be available as standalone applications for the iOS and Android platforms. The video doesn’t reveal the pricing of these services.
The JioPlay will allow users to stay up to date with their favorite TV programs. Ji calls the service as “Catch-Up TV.” The Jio on Demand is similar to the Eros Now and Hooq streaming service allowing users to watch movies, TV shows, trailers among others.
The JioBeats is similar to music streaming services like Wynk and Saavn whereas Jio Mags is a Flipboard-like service. According to the video, the JioBeats will have millions of HD songs in over 20 languages. It will be available as a standalone application for Android and iOS platforms.
JioDrive is the native service for cloud storage where users can store their photos, videos and documents. Jio will be offering 90 days of access to JioDrive with 101GB of cloud storage. The Jio Money also features in the video revealing that its similarities with other wallet services that allow users to pay to merchants as well as pay utility bills.
Relaince Jio ScanBox:
Now, in another leaked video, we have come across something called ‘ScanBox’ which has be placed in retail stores to ease the activation process. Report said, the boxes installed at multiple retail stores in Delhi.
The video gives us a closer look at the ‘ScanBox’ and its working. For starters, these scan boxes are expected to be available across Reliance Digital retail stores. As we can see in the video, the box has LED lights and a small opening on the top to place the smartphone’s camera. The smartphone has an app that lets the retailers scan and attach files.
Reliance Digital has also launched its LYF-branded 4K LED smart TVs that run on Android KitKat OS, priced between Rs 65,990 to Rs 199,990. We are hoping more details to be available in the coming weeks.


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Henrico-based Collared Greens is ‘restructuring’ and holding a total inventory closeout sale, but says it is not closing its store | Local
The owners of Henrico County-based Collared Greens menswear brand have hit the pause button but have no immediate plans to close the company’s store in the Short Pump Town Center, a spokeswoman said.
The company, which specializes in American-made ties, shirts and other products, announced late Wednesday that it was restructuring and holding an inventory closeout sale at its store and online.
“The retail industry is itself undergoing a huge change, with the fact that e-commerce is on the rise and the change in the basic retail structure,” said Julie Antrim, company spokeswoman and wife of Mason Antrim, the company’s CEO and one of its co-founders.
“We are kind of scaling back and deciding which model to focus on. Do we go straight e-commerce? Do we stay in stores on the wholesale side, that sort of thing. Do we go back to just being a small brand that focuses on one item? Top down, we are taking a look at how we are doing things, how we are selling things, where we are selling things.”
Her husband said in a statement Wednesday: “We don’t know what the future holds for Collared Greens, but we hope everyone will stay tuned.”
The company’s store in Short Pump opened at the regular time on Thursday, and the store’s shelves were stocked with bow ties, regular ties, dress shirts, T-shirts and other merchandise.
Collared Greens was founded in 2009 by a group of Hampden-Sydney College graduates, including Mason Antrim, who is a Richmond native.
The company moved its headquarters in 2014 from High Point, N.C., to a 5,000-square-foot combination office/warehouse facility in western Henrico County. Its products are American-made and sold online and at retailers across the country.
It also operated a flagship store, initially at 5707 Grove Ave., but relocated that store in October to the Short Pump Town Center.
“We have no current plans of closing it,” Julie Antrim said, referring to the store.
“There is no end date. We are hoping to keep it open as long as we are going through this process. Right now we are selling off our inventory both through our e-commerce web site and in the store until we decide what we are going to focus on next. So while we have product to sell and are in that transition mode, the store will stay open,” she said.
Collared Greens has merchandise on order, but the company is not planning to make any additional orders until its owners decide how they will operate, she said.
Sales have not declined, but production costs were rising, she said.
“Being American made is our No. 1 priority and it’s going to stay our No. 1 priority, but unfortunately its a more expensive way of producing clothing. The more we make, the higher the costs are, and we didn’t want to continually have to past that cost off to our customers. So if we continue to add to to three new products each season, the costs are going to go up,” Antrim said.
Retail researcher Frank Badillo of Henrico County-based MacroSavvy LLC said competing against inexpensive foreign imports is tough, especially in casual clothing lines.
“If you can build a brand that really stands for American-made quality and that consumers will pay extra to buy, then you have a chance,” he said. “Ironically given the current environment where we have these tariff trade war battles going on, some of these American-made enterprises may actually have a better chance going forward.”
Collared Greens has six full-time employees and several part time employees. No one has been laid off and there have not been any changes in the company leadership, she said.
“The original founders are still involved. They are on the board. It’s a board-driven company,” Antrim said.
Source link Google News


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Tata Sons' chairman emeritus Ratan Tata has a penchant for e-commerce startups despite the 'pricey' valuations attached to several such ventures. In fact, seven out of his 27 investee companies are e-commerce firms, data from VCCedge shows.
"By and large I have been backing businesses in the e-commerce space, because they enable goods and services to reach people who could never have been catered to before in this manner. They never got a chance previously to order what they wanted, have it delivered to their doorstep, pay when they receive it, and return it if not acceptable," Tata said in an interview to Tata Review, the Tata Group's internal magazine.
"This sort of reach has never been there in the brick-and-mortar world," the 78-year-old added.
Top angel investor
Tata, who was one of India's most active angel investors last year, started 2016 with five new startup deals. Of this, three were e-commerce investments. He put money in specialty tea e-tailer Teabox.com, baby products e-commerce site FirstCry.com and online pet shop DogSpot.in.
"We have a consumer population of 300 million that may go up to 600 million in the years ahead. There are tremendous opportunities in reaching this population and the task is being undertaken by passionate young people. They need backing," Tata said.
Tata's most profitable bet would probably be online marketplace Snapdeal, which caught his attention back in 2014. Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl believes Tata's investment in Snapdeal worked as a good luck charm for his company. In August 2015, Snapdeal raised $500 million (Rs 3,250 crore) in fresh funding led by Taiwanese iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and existing Japanese investor SoftBank.
Tata's bullishness on specialty e-commerce comes at a time when several angel investors are going slow in this space. Seed investor Sanjay Mehta, who has backed about 40 tech startups, recently told Techcircle.in that he will not put money in e-commerce platforms.
Tata too is selective in his approach.
"Some of the valuations are pricey. I support those who are really making a difference," he explained.
While Tata invests in only those ideas that excite him, he also needs to get a good impression of the team backing the venture, he had said at a fireside chat recently.
An entrepreneur's value system and his long-term commitment to the startup idea are among the key factors that influence Tata's decision to invest in a new-age venture.
Tata is building a portfolio of new-age businesses across sectors ranging from consumer internet â€“ particularly e-commerce â€“ to social impact, e-health, home services, animal care and clean-tech sectors.


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The Drewry Multipurpose Time Charter Index weakened slightly over June, by just 0.6 percent, to USD11,050 per day.
In May 2022, Drewry’s rate stood at USD11,120 per day. The marginal decline was attributed to softening spot rates in competing shipping sectors. “Going forward we expect the weakening trend to continue in July, albeit very slowly, with rates dropping a further 1.4 percent, to USD10,900 per day,” said Drewry.
It also drew attention to market uncertainty. “Chinese exports are still hampered by covid restrictions, European demand is weak due to increasing economic concerns and inflation in the US coupled with the continue supply chain issues at the major ports mean that consumer confidence is receding fast,” said the analyst.
“On the multipurpose charter market, the shortsea sector is becalmed with rates over much of June steady in the face of rising fuel costs and continued conflict in Ukraine (and what that means in terms of vessel supply and certain trade lanes). Add to this the inevitable summer slowdown that this smaller sector faces (as steel mills close for the holidays and harvests are not quite ready) and there is some space in the sector in the short term.
“For the larger, more heavy lift capable sector rates have weakened in line with the weakness in the container sector. That said, we don’t expect this softening to quicken, with only a very gradual decline expected over the summer as the capacity issues start to unwind slowly on some routes.”


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(FreedomJournal.org)- Popular social media app TikTok’s days appear to be numbered in the United States, unless a deal can be made with an American company.
After months of speculation, President Donald Trump announced Friday that he decided to ban the app in the U.S. It has come under fire for apparently compromising users’ data. TikTok is currently owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the president “will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party.”
But all is not lost for TikTok fans in the U.S. Microsoft is currently in negotiations with ByteDance to purchase all its business based in America, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
On Sunday, Microsoft confirmed it was in talks with ByteDance to make the acquisition, which Trump initially said he opposed. In a blog post, though, Microsoft said its CEO, Satya Nadella, has spoken with Trump about the deal, and hopes talks conclude by September 15.
Republican lawmakers seem to back the plan for Microsoft to purchase TikTok.
Texas Senator John Cornyn tweeted that a ByteDance divestment “and purchase by U.S. company is win-win.”
The chair of the Commerce Committee, Senator Roger Wicker, agreed, adding “tight security measures need to be part of any deal in order to protect consumer data and ensure no foreign access.”
The Trump administration and specifically the Committee on Foreign Investment on the United States “agrees that TikTok cannot stay in the current format because it risks sending back information on 100 million Americans,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.
He added that congressional leaders “all agree there has to be a change.” Trump has the ability to “either for a sale or the president can block the app using (International Emergency Economic Powers Ac).”
A Reuters report said ByteDance came to an agreement with the White House to divest all of its operations in the U.S. It originally wanted to retain a minority stake in the company, but the White House rejected that idea.
Senator Marco Rubio said he would support the deal “if the company & data can be purchased & secured by a trusted U.S. company that would be a positive & acceptable outcome.”
Microsoft’s former CEO Steve Ballmer told CNBC on Monday that the deal could be a good one for the company.
“Obviously it depends on the price,” he said. “Price is important as well as whatever restrictions come with it from a government perspective, but I think it’s an exciting avenue for Microsoft to really increase its consumer base.”
If Microsoft were to complete the deal, there are concerns about what regulations would be put on TikTok in its new form. After all, there were already major concerns about the app’s security, and people are naturally going to question whether foreign entities would still have access to user data after the deal is completed.


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On May 10, the decentralized blockchain network Flow received a $725 million fund to advance its expansion in the near future.
According to the company, this fund was one of the biggest ever made for any available blockchain in the market. It will be used to provide backup for more than 7 thousand Flow developers in creating products on the NFT such as DeFi, infrastructure, gaming, and content creator.
Today, the CEO of Flow Roham Gharegozlou stated in a tweet that the company's funds will be held as an investment instead of the grants provided to the developers.
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Also note that the $725m is mostly investment capital not grants #onFlow 💰— roham (@roham) May 11, 2022
This significant amount of money will act as an investment in NFT's expansion that will hopefully provide Flow's ecosystem an increase.
Additionally, on May 10, LG Doucet put out a tweet where he introduced an agenda of products that should be sponsored with the fund of $725M. The host of one of the NFT-related podcasts listed programs such as the mobile app for Emerald, wallet integration on Shopify, video education on Flow, athlete, non-cartoon, animal art, and a whitelist app.
According to statistics, even though Flow’s market cap is estimated at $1.4 billion and the blockchain managed to earn $50 million in NFT sales per month, it still remains behind in the list when compared to the base networks. For instance, amongst the largest blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana, Flow is ranked third by leading the NFT sales. With such a fund, Flow hopes to change this lag for the better.


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An interview with Girish Upadhyay, Chief Operating Officer, Madison Media Infinity. This is part of a special series of conversations with media agency heads - interview 23 of 31.
What, in your view, was your agency’s best campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you?
The ‘Missing i’ campaign we did for Tata Salt is something to be proud of. While iodine has always been a key highlight of all communication by Tata Salt, we spotted just the right media opportunities to engage with our consumers and thus created a multi-platform, ‘i-deficient’ campaign across networks. It not only delivered numbers but also shed light on an issue which requires attention.
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite media agencies?
We can see the shift to personalised experiences all around us. Behaviour towards entertainment is changing fast. People are increasingly creating their own media menus and are rejecting the bundles of channels their cable operators are selling to them. Instead, they’re constructing their own ad-hoc bundles comprising various OTT players and are consuming it at their own pace. This great unbundling is happening at a pace much faster than anyone expected. This will definitely excite media agencies in the year to come.
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
It definitely has to be around cross-media audience measurement. Being able to identify and measure audiences’ media consumption, as a ‘single view’ across media, is a much needed breakthrough for the Indian media planning and buying industry.
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has crept up on us – and least?
Through many of us would tend to name the auto category as the most affected one, I will differ on this. With new launches and the roll out of BS VI, the category will see a new sense of excitement in the next financial year. Real estate, telecom and e-commerce might go slow whereas FMCG, education and retail should be least affected.
And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in rural versus urban markets?
Consumption in rural India has hit a seven-year low and this trend might continue next year. Demand is being eroded by falling crop prices, stagnant incomes, farm distress and erratic rainfall patterns. Urban growth might still be a little better, but not significantly better. We will need to adjust to the new norms of growth, across urban and rural.
In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud menace will come from…
The solution has to come from publishers themselves. They need to work with high-end, reputable ad exchanges and invest in the technology required to detect and manage fraud. Agencies and brands need to ensure their programmatic advertising is delivered to humans in brand safe environments and not fall for unrealistic traffic numbers.
What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies today?
The kind that understands marketing, not just media. The outcome for a planner has to go beyond reach, frequency and CTR to sales, revenue, customer satisfaction and customer lifetime value.
I wish clients would…
...understand that agencies need capital to attract good talent, and that effectiveness is far more important than efficiency.
Note: This interview was conducted for the mid-March edition of our magazine afaqs!Reporter. It is a special issue dedicated to the top media planning and buying executives, who service some of India's largest advertisers. Market conditions have changed dramatically since this interview was first written and any apparent obsoletion therein must be seen in that context. To read/download all 31 interviews, please click here.


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New York Fashion Week was a rounding success for Victoria Beckham in more ways than one.
Not only did her collections garner critical acclaim, but the star also got Twitter thrumming, becoming the most talked about designer on the social network.
Victoria gained an extra 57,000 followers as a result of her Big Apple outing.
The good news comes courtesy of New York-based social media agency Whisper Group, who scoured Twitter to identify which designers reigned supreme at last week's unveilings.
Marc Jacobs was snapping at Victoria's sky-high heels, with Diane Von Furstenberg completing the top three.
Even if the stats hadn't gone her way, Mrs Beckham would still have been floating home from the US.
She effortlessly struck the balance between high fashion and high street, presenting her impeccably tailored garments alongside an economic, ready-to-wear line.
Both hit the spot with the crowds, as did the presence of Victoria's adorable daughter Harper, and husband David, who were supporting from the front row.


text: Jeffery Beckles is the head of a company called Island Pay. Their business is to transfer money abroad. Their customer base is the large expatriate community here that sends money back home. Mr. Beckles was in the press (Tribune 24 March 2023) calling his own fish stink so to speak. He said that the country should be concerned about the 136 million dollars in remittances that foreign workers sent last year back to their home places. He said The Bahamas was losing that money and we should be concerned. But hang on a second, we thought that the more remittances that went through, the more profits for your company. And in any event, the money going out, is replaced by money coming in and each time there is a transaction or activity, there is money to be made. So the situation is dynamic. It is not as negative as it appears on the surface. There is too much doom and gloom being preached in this society which makes our economists sound like amateurs. The Bahamas made 100 million off work permit fees over the past year. Not bad.


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The current Pixel Buds are closing in on their 1-year anniversary, so it would be surprising to see Google release a replacement already. However, a couple of devices stopped through the FCC this week that could very well be a new pair, though it remains to be seen if these are a replacement or simply another option that Google will sell alongside the $179 model sold since last April.
The evidence here isn’t as obvious as it has been in the past when an FCC listing pops up. The listings (spotted by 9to5Google) we have today are not actually filed under Google’s FCC ID and are instead from a company called Weifang Goertek Electronics. If that is confusing to you, I’m with you, but understand that Weifang is the same company that made the original Pixel Buds with the wire between them back in 2018. Here is that FCC listing.
The two listings today are separated (possibly for left and right buds) and simply referred to as a “Wireless Device.” They were tested for Bluetooth 5.2 only, not WiFi or cellular. They also happen to be small enough that an FCC label could not fit on them, just like a pair of earbuds. They measure in at 27x20x15mm, which is really close to the size of the current Pixel Buds.
The other bit of info we have is in the model numbers of each, which the FCC lists as “G7YPJ” and “GPQY2.” I know that those don’t give you much, but they match up to the styling of Google product numbers that have released recently, like the new Nest Hub (“GUIK2”) and new Nest Thermostat (“G4CVZ”).
And that’s pretty much it. It’s obvious that Weifang is going out of their way to not reveal much about these products, but just enough evidence is there.
The question now is – will these be a high-end pair with ANC or a low-end pair that is more affordable? We can’t be replacing the current-gen already, can we?


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The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity returned this week (June 18-22) to recognise and reward the best organisations involved in creativity, advertising, media, technology and innovation.
With the growing progression of digital and influencers using social media over the past year, the annual event drastically reshuffled its program and staple awards, which saw new categories added – including the eye-catching Social and Influencer Lions.
There’s no denying that influencer marketing has become a solid avenue in the creative and performance world, with more brands harnessing the power of authentic relationships to promote their campaigns. Recent stats show that 86% of marketers are now investing in the channel with an additional 39% set to increase their budgets on influencers in 2018.
With influencer marketing in the spotlight at Cannes, there were talks and announcements surrounding the channel, so here’s a breakdown on some of the key takeaways from this year’s event.
Straight away a big move came from Unilever’s chief marketing officer Keith Weed when he announced that the brand will no longer be working with influencers who buy fake followers as it continues to crack down on transparency. Wood also added that they will prioritise working with partners who increase transparency and help prevent bad practices throughout the digital ecosystem.
While he said the channel has “its dark side”, Wood was positive of its growth and encouraged the industry to take steps to ensure the market and channel is fit for purpose.
Facebook becoming more difficult
Despite the continued developments of its platforms to benefit advertisers and content creators, the last 12 months for Facebook as not been particularly fruitful – most noticeably the platform’s fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal where 87 million user profiles were used for data purposes in the run up the US presidential election.
On the publications’ relationship with the social media platform, The New York Times CEO Mark Thompson said they found it more difficult, following the suspension of its paid promotion due to Facebook’s issue-ads policy which pushed some of its content in with political/advocacy ads.
“There are incredibly complex algorithms which are changing, optimising and changing the whole time, which neither the marketing industry, publishers nor the public has any detailed understanding of,” said Thompson; “We constantly hear about good intentions from all the platforms. But I do feel this is the moment where, whether it’s voluntary or through regulation, that we have a statutory [law] or that we understand exactly how these things are happening.”
Social and Influencer Lions
Of course, the most talked about aspect of Cannes this year was the introduction of the Social and Influencer Lions to celebrate creative and strategic influencer marketing solutions – showcasing levels of engagement, social reach and commercial success.
A total of 67 Lions were awarded among Gold, Silver and Bronze levels, followed by the top prize the Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was awarded to Nike’s “Nothing Beats a Londoner” ad campaign by Wieden & Kennedy London, featuring London athletes training and performing in their hometown.
The campaign excelled on social media which saw sports stars and celebrities posting individual screens on Instagram and linking them to the next competitor. Facebook’s VP and chief creative officer, Mark D’Arcy, said: “this is how culture gets shaped and it is pretty incredible”.
Tech companies, creative and advertising agencies alike shared some thoughts on this year’s Cannes Lions with NMPi’s CEO Luke Judge calling it a week of fascinating, informative, exciting and occasionally sobering discussions about “the present and future prospects for the advertising industry.”
This comes following the media agency acquiring US-based creative specialists Joystick, expanding its range of services from media, technology and creative through to experiential.
On the glaring topic of transparency within influencer marketing, Aaron Brooks, co-founder of influencer marketing platform Vamp believes that the channel remains an effective marketing strategy and choosing the right influencer for your brand should be taken seriously.
“They should embody your values and represent you positively,” he said; “Rushed influencer campaigns without background checks, or self-serve platforms that allow anyone over a certain number of followers to submit content, are leaving brands open to fraudsters.”


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From shortage to sluggishness, the semiconductor market experienced a roller coaster ride in 2022.
According to Gartner, global semiconductor revenue inched up 1.1 percent in 2022 to reach US$601.7 billion. The combined revenue of the top 25 semiconductor vendors increased 2.8 percent to account for 77.5 percent of the market.
“2022 began with many semiconductor devices in shortage resulting in extended lead times and increasing pricing which led to reduced electronic equipment production for many end markets. As a result, OEMs started hedging themselves from shortages by stockpiling chip inventory,” said Andrew Norwood, VP Analyst of Gartner.
“However, by the second half of 2022, the global economy began to slow under the strain of high inflation, rising interest rates, higher energy costs and continued COVID-19 lockdowns in China, which impacted many global supply chains. Consumers also began to reduce spending, with PC and smartphone demand suffering, and then enterprises starting to reduce spending in anticipation of a global recession, all of which impacted overall semiconductor growth,” he added.
Samsung Electronics kept the top spot despite revenue decline of 10.4 percent, primarily due to drops in memory and NAND flash sales. Intel, which was second with 9.7 percent market share, experienced significant decline of the consumer PC market and strong competition in its core x86 processor businesses.
Memory, which accounted for around a quarter of semiconductor sales, was the worst-performing device category, shedding 10 percent. By the middle of 2022, the memory market was already showing signs of a significant collapse in demand as electronic equipment OEMs started to deplete memory inventory they had been holding in anticipation of stronger demand.
Conditions have now worsened to the point where most memory companies have announced capital expenditure reductions for 2023, and some have cut wafer production to reduce inventory levels and try to bring the markets back into balance.
Non-memory revenue grew 5.3 percent in 2022, but the performance varied wildly across the different device categories. The strongest growth came from analog with a 19 percent increase, closely followed by discretes, up 15 percent from 2021. The growth for both analog and discretes was driven by strong demand from the automotive and industrial end markets underpinned by secular growth trends in vehicle electrification, industrial automation, and energy transition.


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The Smart minicar brand believes that China could surpass Germany and Italy as the largest market for its vehicles, according to Smart chief executive Annette Winkler. She remarked to Reuters that at the start, there were doubts that Smart could become successful in China since typically, the country’s premium market is about big cars.
However, in some months of 2014, China proved to be one of the top global markets for Smart as sales of premium compact models starts to pick up. Smart has been in China for five years and posted sales of around 17,500 cars in the country in 2013.
Daniel Lescow, the brand’s chief for China, told Reuters that Smart is expected to post a slight growth this year to record sales, no thanks partly to model changes. However, Lescow expects the volume to grow further after the brand rolls out new Smart two-seater and Smart four-seater in China.
He said that Smart, a unit of German carmaker Daimler, will log a double-digit growth in 2016, as more young Chinese people are becoming rich enough to purchase a Smart car. On the other hand, Daimler is planning to launch its car2go car-sharing service to China.
As of end of last year, car2go’s fleet of over 10,000 Smart ForTwo cars was running in around 25 cities in Europe and North America. According to Lescow, Daimler is holding discussion Chinese city governments about car2go and is evaluating the business model in the country.


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Mr. Peanut is back, but Planters is giving away the $5 million it would have spent on a Super Bowl ad
This year, Planters will give away $5 million to people doing charitable acts it’s calling “acts of substance,” as it seeks to position the brand as a substantive alternative to other snacks.
After an unlikely death, a star-studded Super Bowl funeral and an apparent reincarnation, Planters’ monocled Mr. Peanut is back.
But instead of running a Super Bowl spot this year, the snack brand is giving away the $5 million it would have spent running one.
Kraft Heinz’ year-long circle-of-life campaign around Mr. Peanut culminates Monday with a new storyline and an announcement that Planters will take the roughly $5 million it would ordinarily spend on a Super Bowl ad slot and instead route that money to recognize people doing charitable acts. The brand is calling them “acts of substance,” a play on positioning the snack as a substantive alternative to options like potato chips.
The new campaign, done with VaynerMedia, also represents a broader shift in how the company plans to do some of its future marketing, according to Sanjiv Gajiwala, Kraft Heinz’s U.S. chief growth officer.


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Newsroom Press releases
Tim and Eric Crown founded Insight in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona.
Global headquarters are in Tempe, Arizona.
Insight has operations in 21 countries.
We have partnerships with 3,500+ tech manufacturers and publishers.
We’re Microsoft’s largest global partner.


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Joe Belfiore has today officially announced his return to Microsoft, doing exactly what he was doing before he left on a year sabbatical, but with a few crucial changes. Belfiore is now in charge of making Windows 10 the best it possibly can be for the education sector, and isn't necessarily focused on fixing Windows Mobile anymore.
In an interview with Mashable, Belfiore says his new job evolves around making sure Windows responds to the education market in the best ways it can, as that was something he saw when on his sabbatical that needed improvements.
He now serves as the education sponsor and advocate in the Windows team. There's no title, but his job is to make sure that Microsoft is focusing on and responding to the education audience
The announcement for his returns is timely, as there are rumors that Microsoft will be holding a hardware event in early May, which could also be where Windows 10 Cloud is announced. Windows 10 Cloud looks an awful lot like something that can compete against Chromebooks, and therefore compete in the education market.
And Belfiore thinks Windows 10 is definitely up to the challenge when it comes to competing against Chromebooks thanks to several improvements being made in the Creators Update, such as making the OS take up less space on the hard drive and less memory when in use, allowing costs to come down when making hardware.
Microsoft is yet to announce an upcoming hardware event, but when/if they do, we wouldn't be surprised to see Joe Belfiore take the stage to announce a few new things, especially Windows-related things.
Fix up your Xbox Elite Controller with these parts
Need some replacement parts for your Xbox One Elite Controller? From new paddles, grips, bumpers, thumbsticks, and more, we have you covered.
Hands-on with Windows 10 build 20161 showcasing the new Start menu
Yesterday, Microsoft released a new build of Windows 10 that includes an updated Start menu design with translucent Live Tiles, improvements to Notifications, and behavior changes to things like Tablet Mode and the Taskbar. It's been a while since Microsoft released a build with any surface-level changes, but now it's finally happened, we're back showcasing all the changes on video.
Everything we know about 'Xbox Series S' Lockhart
The Xbox Series X is getting a baby brother in the form of a console codenamed Lockhart, most likely to be called Xbox Series S. Here's what we know so far.
Best Samsung Galaxy Book S Accessories in 2020
The Samsung Galaxy Book S is an incredible little ARM-powered machine, but what are some accessories that will make your experience with it even better? Here's a list of our favorites.


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Chinese company Huawei is rumored to launch its first LTE smartphone in India, the Ascend D2. The smartphone has already been available in various countries since March last year, but the LTE smartphone will soon make its way to India as well. The ... Softpedia, 1 month ago
Huawei Ascend D3 flagship rumors include image - Phones Review, 2 months ago
Huawei Ascend D3 with almost non existent bezels leaked - Fone Arena, 2 months ago
3 images for "Huawei Ascend D2"
While there's some level of choice for high-spec, high-value smartphones at the ~5" display size segment, the same is far from true for phablets. The Galaxy Note line is generally considered to be the only phablet worth looking at, and there really ...AnandTech, 1 month ago
The upcoming Huawei smartphone so, far known only by its codename Mulan , is in the news again, this time because it's been pictured in all its glory. No less than four shots of the handset have been made public on China's equivalent of Twitter, ...GSMArena.com, 1 month ago
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LEE COUNTY, FL- A new computer program may help victims of theft get their stuff back faster.
That is, if it's been sold to a pawn shop or second hand dealer.
"This is all I got back."
Marjorie Griffin came home one day in november to find her home burglarized, jewelry, electronics, and even her daughter's Maltese- stolen!
The theives were caught and arrested and her dog was returned.
She found some of her jewelry at a second hand dealers store.
The sheriff's office says victims finding their stolen items is becoming more common, thanks to a new program called Finder Pawn Web.
"As soon as they type in their transaction and they hit submit, it goes right into our network."
The dealer types in details about the items sold.
Deputies can then search the database and locate stolen items- quicker.
One second hand dealer says it's better for everyone.
"We don't want stolen items, so it's good for us, the quicker, we know, the quicker we can recover the money. It helps everybody get through the recovery process much quicker."
Once and item is located..the dealer can either give the victim their property back or the victim can pay for it.
If the dealer refuses, the victim can write them a certified letter requesting their property.
"They have ten days to either rectify this or make some kind of arrangements, if not then you can file the Writ of Replevin, you file the Writ of Replevin at the clerks office, by law they can't charge you for it."
Griffin says she didn't have to go that far, the dealer gave her jewelry back.


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Google owned YouTube’s iconic logo underwent a changeover and introduced some major design changes to its desktop and mobile apps. Today, YouTube has millions and millions of users and channels and is mostly used app in all times. This is something really noticeable that YouTube has done. Earlier, there have been some minor tweaks but this is the biggest change that the app has received over the years. And it’s not only the logo, but the service is also getting a new typeface and color scheme.
The logo ditches the red color inside the “Tube” part of the name and places the now familiar play icon to the left side of the YouTube name, said a report in Android Authority on Wednesday. According to reports, the service is also getting a new typeface, color scheme and several major changes to the look, feel and functionality of its desktop and mobile app.
Earlier this year, YouTube had made a major change to its desktop website which delivered a cleaner interface and new features such as a “dark mode” for night-time viewing. “Google-owned YouTube took the second spot overall with 71 per cent app audience penetration and Google’s Search app took fourth place with 61 per cent,” the report says.
According to a new report, Google and Facebook rule the app ecosystem in the United States. Today, where everything new gets viral or is trolled, we hope that everyone likes the new look of the logo and it isn’t trolled or disliked.


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RECORD-BREAKING BONUS PAYMENTS FOR KBBG MEMBERS
The Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG) has recorded its highest ever payout of bonuses to members. Part of the renowned DER KREIS, Europe’s leading kitchen and bathroom buying group, the KBBG provides a range of exclusive, tailored benefits and services to support independent kitchen and bathroom specialists. One of the many, valuable benefits of membership is the annual supplier bonus payment, which reflects the members’ trading success.
This year the total bonuses paid to KBBG members were the best they have ever been and many members of the group received their highest payments to date.
With a recent study showing that 44 per cent of UK homeowners can’t afford to do any home improvement work in 2023 because of the rising cost of living1, and due to a natural reduction in new sales enquires, the bonus payments have provided KBBG members with an injection of cash when they needed it the most this year.
Bill Miller, Managing Director, KBBG, comments: “Not only is this a record-breaking year for our annual bonus payments, it also marks 10 years since the KBBG launched in the UK. We were the first independent buying group, specifically for the KBB industry, to launch in the UK. It’s fantastic to see the KBBG go from strength to strength, and we can confidently say that our members are reaping the benefits of being part of the buying group.”
The bonus payments are just one of the many advantages that the KBBG has to offer, as well as exclusive buying conditions and access to a broad range of leading kitchen and bathroom suppliers. It is the KBBG’s aim to ensure its members stay ahead of the competition, while maintaining their independence.
Martin Jones, Director, Cwtch Haus, adds: “As a member of the KBBG, we certainly take advantage of the exclusive offers and buying conditions available to us through the buying group. The ever-expanding list of suppliers is exciting, delivering further opportunities for us in the future too. The exclusive annual members bonus payment is an additional benefit and we were pleased to receive our highest payment to date. The cash injection is invaluable, enabling us to invest it back into the business and work towards even better results.”


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GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 4 | NOVEMBER 2022
The week kicked off with the prestigious European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards, which was held on the 21 November in London. The awards recognize enterprises, teams and projects across Europe that standout as leaders in delivering exceptional service to customers. Some of the prominent gold winners included 24-7 InTouch (Best New Contact Center), Webhelp (Best Supporting Team – Customer), Ascensos and KFC (Best BPO Partnership – Small), Teleperformance (Best BPO Partnership – Large), and Concentrix and Grypp (Best Innovation in Customer Service). In the silver category, the Sigma ReachOut Team won an award for Best Small Customer Service Team.
Looking further at the European market, the disappearance of floundering customer experience (CX) teams and the consolidation of leading ones are one of several predictions made for the region by Forrester. Currently, 80% of European organizations do not view CX as being important, but at the same time enterprises in the region are struggling to address customer pain points. The erosion of CX differentiation and a surge in acquisitions among CX tech platform players are some of the other key predictions of the 2023 European CX landscape.
In a global sports event that is wracked in controversy, Qatar has onboarded telecoms giants, Ooredoo and Huawei, to boost CX during the FIFA World Cup 2022. From ensuring fast, reliable internet connections in stadiums and trains to immersive TV viewing to augmented reality assisted operations, both telecom providers are pulling all the stops to make this year’s global football event memorable for more positive reasons.
Speaking of controversy, US shoppers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with CX delivered by Amazon, as indicated by ISI survey data. The percentage of customers who report being “extremely” or “very satisfied” dropped to 79% this year from a high of 88% nearly a decade ago. The survey also found that almost a third of Amazon shoppers regularly receive their delivery late or receive a product of poor quality.
Over in the APAC region, Medtronic, a leading provider of healthcare technology, has launched the Medtronic Customer eXperience Center (MCXC) in Singapore. The center will use extended reality (XR), augmented and virtual realities and robotics solutions to enhance the connection of the global healthcare community. Additionally, these network capabilities will provide access to immersive learning experiences, round-the-clock remote training and future healthcare technologies and innovation.
In South America, the Brazilian CX industry celebrated the recognition of Atento, a global provider of CX solutions, with the Frost & Sullivan 2021 Customer Value Leadership Award for delivering superior CX services and facilitating CX digitization in the Brazilian market. Atento offers CX outsourcing services, bolstered by an innovative CX model, which combines artificial intelligence (AI)-based products, optimized virtual hub, detailed analytics and consulting services.
Canada will play host to the Five9 CX Summit on December 1, 2022, followed by in-person networking events in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary. The event will explore industry trends, strategies and new solutions to move Canadian enterprises forward in migrating on-premises contact centers into the cloud. Issues of helping contact centers migrate to cloud platforms with greater ease will be one of many discussion points at the summit.
Although the global customer journey mapping software market is projected to achieve a noteworthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6% over the next four years, the Ukraine-Russian conflict has disrupted further potential growth gains. This was covered in the “Customer Journey Mapping Software Global Market Report 2022: Ukraine-Russia War Impact” by ReportLinker. An increased focus on improving data quality and security of customer data among global organizations is one of the major factors that will contribute to the global customer journey mapping software market’s growth from US$10,83 billion in 2022 to US$20,71 in 2026.


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Currently, there is widespread public uncertainty and distrust around how organisations handle their data. In fact, almost half (45%) of the British public don’t trust that third-party organisations can keep their personal information safe or private.
From a survey of 2,000 UK based respondents, key findings include:
- The majority (80%) of UK consumers “don’t have a clue” how many organisations use, store or have access to their personal data, including their email addresses, contact numbers, and bank details.
- Yet almost half (48%) of UK consumers say they are very aware of the laws that protect their personal data. As a result, almost one third (32%) would proactively get in touch with an organisation to see how it is using their personal data or to check if it is storing their personal data in a compliant manner. More than one in ten (13%) have already done so at least once.
- Just one in 10 (9%) UK consumers believe we are already at the point when every business is meeting its legal obligations to keep customer data private. In addition, almost a quarter (24%) of the UK public either see this as a distant future or believe it will never happen.
- Nearly half (49%) of UK consumers would pay more to do business with an organisation that is committed to protecting their data privacy – surpassing Germany (41%), Spain (36%), and France (17%).


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Consumer Alert: Warning issued about buying pets online, Medicare robocalls and Secret Sister gift exchange
Call 1-800-422-7128 to report a scam or ask questions
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Consumer experts are issuing new scam alerts about buying pets online, Medicare robocalls, and a secret gift exchange you may have seen on your social media pages.
A lot of people have added a pet to their family during the pandemic.
The Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection says people in the state have lost thousands of dollars to online pet scams in recent months.
This scam isn’t new, but we want to remind you how it works.
The seller will say you can’t see the pet in person, or come up with a story about the pet not being available and there’s a second seller who may have a pet for sale.
Consumer Protection officials say you should verify the business, and search the name online with the word scam or fraud.
Ask for the name of their vet, search for the vet online, and then contact their office using the number listen, not one given to you by the seller.
Lastly, don’t pay until you verify the seller - don’t give into high pressure sales that you have to act fast.
Consumer and insurance officials are also warning about an increase in robocalls and suspicious sales calls for health insurance and Medicare.
An Action 2 News viewer says he got a call asking to verify his Medicare number for his new card. He knew it was a scam and said he’d already received his new card.
Every year during open enrollment, scammers show up to try and take advantage of you.
Don’t respond to calls or e-mails who claim to help, or ask for your personal information.
Secret Sister Gift Exchange
And, as we enter the holiday season, officials with the Better Business Bureau are warning about a gift exchange being shared on Facebook.
Officials say the Secret Sister Gift Exchange is back after being around for years.
How it works: A friend asks you to share your name and address, and you’ll get on a gift list and receive dozens of presents. It became popular in 2015 through Facebook posts that promised participants would receive up to 36 gifts in exchange for sending one gift.
BBB officials say it’s actually an illegal pyramid scheme, and could open you up to fraud if you share too much information.
Officials say a newer version of the scam revolves around exchanging bottles of wine, or purchasing $10 gifts online. You could also see references to receiving “happy mail” or doing the exchange “for the good of the sisterhood.”
The BBB says the U.S. Postal Inspection Services says the gift exchanges are considered a form of gambling, and that participants could be subject to penalties such as jail time, fines or a lawsuit for mail fraud.
If you are told you’ll receive a large amount of gifts or cash by mail, e-mail, or social media, you should do the following:
- Ignore it - Click here to report chain letters involving money or valuable items and promise big returns to the U.S. Postal Inspection Services.
- Report social media posts - you can do so by clicking in the upper righthand corner and selecting “Report post” or “report photo.”
- Don’t give personal information to strangers
- Be wary of false claims - some pyramid schemes will try to win you over by claiming they’re legal and endorsed by the government. Pyramid schemes are illegal in the United States and Canada, and won’t ever be endorsed by the government.
Click here for information about the scheme from the BBB.
A simple gift exchange with friends or your office is okay.
Consumer protection officials are asking you to share tips with friends to keep them from getting scammed, and if you have any questions or want to report a scam, to call the Wisconsin Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-422-7128.
Copyright 2020 WBAY. All rights reserved.


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Tuesday was the scheduled day for the reveal of Grand Theft Auto VIbut someone got their hands on the trailer early. Not long after the leak showed up online, developer Rockstar Games pulled the trigger and the official trailer went live Monday evening.
Only a game like the return of Grand Theft Auto could invite such anticipation for a mere 1 minute and 30 second trailer of a game that won’t come out until 2025. Rockstar confirmed last month it was dropping its trailer for its hotly-anticipated follow-up to Grand Theft Auto 5.
Rockstar offered us a few scant details about the game’s world and story. The new game takes place in the fictional state of Leonida, obviously a stand-in for Florida. With that, there’s a whole lot of swampland for players to navigate and ‘gaters falling into suburban pools and strutting into convenience stores. There’s also the Miami-standin Vice City that’s moved on since the 1980s and Tommy Vercetti’s mob rampage.
The company stressed in a release how this was an “immersive evolution” of the GTA series, but we still don’t have details about gameplay or on what seems to be the game’s two main characters.
Last year, players had a small taste of what was an early, early build of GTA 6 when a hacker breached Rockstar’s servers and released some footage of the game in pre-alpha development. That gameplay footage included players being able to enter a strip club and rob a small restaurant. Other than that, players have had very little to go on save for the hints of a return to the hazy neon of Vice City through a few promotional images featuring that purple color palette and plenty of palm trees.
It’s been 10 years since GTA: V hit the shelves, back during the seventh console generation. Despite the years, the game became the third-best-selling game of all time behind Minecraft and Tetris. Despite its strong sales, the game’s multiplayer component GTA: Online proved so popular it was spun out into its own downloadable title filled to the brim with purchasable content. Take-Two Interactive told investors earlier this year that GTA: V and GTA Online together netted the company nearly $8 billion in revenue over the past decade. With that, you can put a big bet on Rockstar trying to recreate that online success with the next GTA sequel.


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Feeling the Strain
Though inflation in the U.S. has slowed from its peak of 9.1% in 2022, very few people are feeling any kind of relief on their wallets. Prices continue to rise in housing, energy, groceries, and many services, which puts an extra strain on the middle class.
In order to pay for those necessities, things that you have treated yourself to for years may be out of reach soon. Unless something gives, these little luxuries are going to be unaffordable for the middle class in the coming years.


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MicroStrategy Total BTC Holdings, Total Cost, Average Price and Recent Purchases
Purchasing about 2,395 Bitcoins for $42.8 million between November 1 and December 21 through its MacroStrategy subsidiary, MicroStrategy (MSTR), the business software provider that was co-founded by crypto enthusiast Michael Saylor, increased its Bitcoin (BTC) stockpile, as per a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.
In the last two months, the business has paid upwards of $55 million purchasing Bitcoin.
The company’s average buying price per coin has decreased to $30,397 following the most recent round of purchases. Since the summertime of 2020, it has spent slightly over $4 billion purchasing bitcoin.
Michael Saylor, the chairman, tweeted about the acquisitions as well. As of Dec. 27, MicroStrategy’s entire bitcoin holdings were about 132,500, according to the company. The most recent acquisitions were made as the bitcoin’s value fell to its historic lows in far more than two years due to the failure of FTX as well as other cryptocurrency businesses, the company said.
BREAKING‼ MicroStrategy just bought 2,500 #Bitcoin
— Bitcoin Archive (@BTC_Archive) December 28, 2022
MicroStrategy revealed the transactions in two parts: 2,395 coins were bought between November 1 and December 21, and an additional 810 coins were bought on December 24. The average cost per coin for the coins bought on Christmas Eve was nearly $1,000 less than the cost per coin for the previous batch. This represents an increase of approximately 1.9% of their total holding.
MicroStrategy has bought Bitcoin on the whole over this time, but it has also chosen to sell a part of its stockpile.
According to the petition, the corporation traded 704 bitcoins worth $11.8 million at an average cost of about $16,776 each. Comparing that to its typical buying price of little over $30,000 per coin, that is a loss of about 50%.
Since the beginning of October, MicroStrategy has also earned around $46.4 million by trading shares of its stock, the business revealed.
Current BTC Holding of Microstrategy: Microstrategy and its subsidiaries now hold, 132500 BTC at at average price of $30,397 per BTC. Till date, the company has spent a whooping $4.03 billion to acquire 132500 BTC.


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Posted on March 18, 2013 AT 10:19am
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct hits stores in the U.S. tomorrow and to celebrate Activision has released the official launch trailer.
The game is due out tomorrow, March 19 in the U.S. and March 22 in Europe for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U. You can check out the trailer below.
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