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British cosmetics firm Lush announced this week that it will be closing several of its social media accounts.
The company cited paying to engage with customers as one of the many issues it has with social media.
“Increasingly, social media is making it harder and harder for us to talk to each other directly. We are tired of fighting with algorithms, and we do not want to pay to appear in your newsfeed. So we’ve decided it’s time to bid farewell to some of our social channels and open up the conversation between you and us instead.”
Lush has decided to kick it old school, encouraging their customers to use live chat, email or phone. This is a bold move for a company with 569,00 Instagram followers and 202,00 Twitter followers. More than 423,000 people like them on Facebook but numbers clearly aren’t enough. Lush must have looked at the return on investment and decided it wasn’t worth it.
The announcement sent social media managers into a tailspin. Social media is their bread and butter after all and they’ve spent years telling the world and his wife how important social media is and why everyone should have a Facebook page. Many berated the company and offered advice on where they went wrong and how they could have done better.
Lush isn’t the only big company to leave social media behind. In 2018, the pub chain JD Wetherspoon quit social media stating concerns that pub managers were being side-tracked from the real job of serving customers.
Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin told the BBC that society would be better off if people cut the amount of social media use.
He said that if people \”limited their social media to half an hour a day, they\’d be mentally and physically better off\”.
He added: \”I find most people I know waste their time on it. A lot of them say they know they waste their time on it, but they struggle to get off it.\”
As a social media manager, I personally think this is a brave move. Social media was heralded as an opportunity for businesses to engage more closely with customers and get useful actionable feedback. This is mostly true but there is the matter of the ever-changing algorithm forcing you to pay more to reach your customers. And of course in this age of callout and cancel culture, it’s also an easy way for disgruntled people to harass and hold brand hostage.
Not having a social media presence won’t stop this but it does free up the time to deal with genuine complaints and concerns. Social media isn’t going away anytime soon so I don’t think social media experts need to worry about losing their jobs.


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Disney Acquires Unfinished Cruise Ship Global Dream
Disney Cruise Line has announced plans to acquire and complete the unfinished cruise ship previously known as Global Dream.
The 208,000-gross-ton ship, which was originally being built by the now bankrupt MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany for insolvent parent company Genting Hong Kong's Dream Cruises, has been sitting incomplete as the shipyard's liquidator sought a buyer.
The Walt Disney Company's cruise subsidiary on Thursday confirmed plans to acquire the vessel and have it completed at the former MV Werften yard under the management of the Meyer Group, the German company that built Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish for the U.S.-based cruise operator.
"The ship’s previous owner filed for bankruptcy before completing the vessel, enabling Disney Cruise Line to secure it at a favorable price and within the capital expenditure guidance The Walt Disney Company provided on its recent earnings call," Disney Cruise Line said in a statement.
Dr. Christoph Morgen, appointed by the court to oversee MV Werften's bankruptcy proceedings after it filed for bankruptcy in January 2022, said the Meyer Group will lease the Wismar shipyard to complete the build, generating jobs for local workers and suppliers.
"Several hundred current and previous employees of MV Werften, colleagues from Meyer Group and numerous suppliers will complete the impressive shipbuilding project in Wismar over the next two years so that it can set sail for Disney Cruise Line as a sustainable family cruise vessel in the future," Morgen said.
Disney said it will rename the Global Dream and change certain features aboard the vessel. Among most notable changes, the ship will be converted to be among the first in the cruise industry capable of running on low emission green methanol fuel.
The newbuild is scheduled to enter service in 2025 and will be based outside the United States, Disney said. The cruise line expects the passenger capacity to be approximately 6,000, down from the 9,000 originally envisioned by Dream Cruises, with around 2,300 crew members.

domain: news


text: As communicated by Jung Hai-jin (president of LG Electronics Vietnam), the exiting smartphone production at the LG facility in Vietnam is part of company’s plan to restructure the core product portfolio. “The closing of LG’s mobile business – he said – will not significantly impact LG’s production, business activities or employees in Haiphong”. Jung said LG will reorganize and expand its Vietnam production by focusing on manufacturing a wider range of products that are currently in high demand around the world, such as home appliances. LG plans to complete the transformation and reallocate all workers within this year. Additional investment plans will be announced once the transformation has been completed. LG opened its Haiphong Campus in 2015 to produce smartphones, TVs as well as household appliances. Affiliates such as LG Innotek and LG Display have also setup in Haiphong, producing camera modules and displays.


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Summarised by Centrist
The article by Mike McDaniel discusses a phenomenon he calls “menu anxiety” among Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals. He suggests that many in Gen Z find it challenging to make simple decisions, such as ordering food from a menu at a restaurant, due to anxiety. He connects this perceived fragility to other trends in Gen Z, such as sensitivity to micro-aggressions and trigger warnings.
McDaniel cites a recent survey, amongst US and UK diners, indicating that a significant portion of Gen Z experiences menu anxiety when dining out, with some even asking others to order for them or avoiding dining out altogether.


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According to the first sales reports from Japan, PlayStation 5 sold 118.000 units in four days while Xbox Series X|S sold 21.000 units in its first week.
The next-gen, or shall we say the current-gen race now that the consoles have been officially released is shaping up to be quite an interesting one as we receive first sales reports from the UK and Japan. Microsoft confirmed earlier several days ago that Xbox Series X is their best selling console in history in the first week. Sony are yet to reveal the details but we expect to hear similar story from the Japanese tech giant.
Today, sales report from Japan emerged where the PlayStation 5 console has outsold its main rival Xbox Series X|S by a large margin. According to the report in Famitsu, the PlayStation sold 118.000 units in four days while Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S managed to sell 21.000 units in six days.
This is certainly a big difference but it does not come as a surprise since Japan is a big market for PlayStation and Xbox only recently revealed their plans for the Japanese market, where they're traditionally behind PlayStation.
It's worth noting that Xbox Series X|S completely sold out in Japan and low stock could be one of the reasons for these numbers. Who knows, if retailers had more consoles on the launch, the sale numbers could be a lot higher.
Additionally, the report also claims that the best selling games are Spider-Man: Miles Morales with 18.460 sold units and Demon's Souls with 18.607 copies sold.
You can find more details in Famitsu's report.


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Here at the Lonely Outlet, I think many of us are still somewhat in shock from the recent announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion. There have of course been other news stories since, in all media spaces, but to a large degree these have felt small, insignificant, and vapid in comparison. Seldom is there a story that so greatly captures the attention of nearly everyone interested in gaming. Rarely has there been an event like this that will no doubt impact gamers in such a big way. Of course, there are bigger stories, and more important ones outside of all this fun, pop-culture nonsense, but I have always felt that we (mostly) try to provide an escape, distraction or alternative, from those more complicated and widely reported tales. Back to the gaming sphere though, what does all this mean? I doubt even the most loyal Outlet reader will not have heard or read about the news elsewhere (we are, in typical fashion, rather late in reporting on this), so I don’t think I need to provide a long, descriptive break down of what has happened. The question I keep seeing asked though, is “Is this a good thing?”. This all comes down to who you ask, I suppose – there are certainly positives and negatives to the acquisition. Activision was in a bad place – questionable output quality, sexual allegations and public perception in general was very poor. With Microsoft’s backing, and (hopefully) with head of Xbox, Phil Spencer’s direction, Activision Blizzard can improve. There are so many great IPs that the company has, that have either been left dormant, or badly taken advantage of. Let’s hope most of all, that Acti-CEO Bobby Kotick leaves and the actual working conditions and environment changes. It’s something that’s been needed for a long, long time.
From an Xbox player’s standpoint, this could be fantastic news, with a bunch of new exclusives and “free” GamePass additions. On the negative side, Microsoft – one of the biggest tech companies on Earth – now owns a seemingly big portion of the gaming world. From their smaller studios to the biggies like Zenimax-Bethesda, and now Activision Blizzard. I’m not going into a big discussion over monopolies, or anything like that, but I do sometimes wish that there were more semi-large independent companies, doing their own thing. And of course this could have dire impacts for Playstation gamers – even just the possibility of Call of Duty becoming Xbox (and PC) exclusive is enough to make some shake in their boots. While I don’t think that will happen (I am currently of the opinion that CoD will remain cross-platform, much like Minecraft, though it will be offered for “free” as part of Xbox’s GamePass service, unlike other platforms where you will have to pay full price.), who knows what the future might hold, especially for other, or new IPs.
Speaking of new IPs, Blizzard recently announced that they’re working on a brand new “survival” game, set in a new world. Blizzard has disappointed in the last few years, for several reasons, but I’m quietly optimistic for this title. Maybe with Microsoft backing, it won’t take 100 years for it to actually come out?


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A Hawaii grocery store operator says it may be able start selling groceries online in January, even as Kohl´s continues to battle an ongoing food safety scandal.
On Thursday, Kohls announced it was launching a pilot program in six cities to test the online grocery delivery system in January.
It said the pilot program will allow customers to get groceries on-the-go from their local Kohls, with the company offering a variety of products to choose from, such as fruit, cheese, meat, and dairy products.
In a statement, Kohls said it was excited to have the pilot in Hawaii.
“This pilot program is designed to ensure that we have the best products, services and brands for our customers in Hawaii,” the statement read.
“We look forward to continuing to expand our pilot program and delivering new products and services to Hawaii in the coming months and years.”
In addition to its online grocery service, Kohlers also has a retail store in Honolulu and operates a large online grocery store in Hawaii, the company said.
Online grocery delivery is something that has been on the horizon for Kohl, which announced in June that it would expand its online shopping service to 30 cities by the end of the year.
The company had initially announced plans to open the service in only five cities in 2017.
But Kohl said in a press release that it was “reviewing and evaluating all options” and that it is “currently evaluating the ability to expand into additional cities.”
Kohl’s previously said it would be adding at least 20 stores in Hawaii by the middle of the next year.
It was not immediately clear whether the Kohl pilot would expand to other states or if the company would seek to open more stores in other cities.
Kohl has said that the company will continue to work with state and local governments and local food safety authorities to help them determine the best way to implement the pilot.


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Finance Watch: Revolution Medicines Continues 2020’s Post-IPO Trend
Revolution has just one drug in the clinic, but its focus on KRAS excited IPO investors. Also, Deciphera’s $175m offering leads recent follow-ons and Spruce raises $88m in venture capital.
You may also be interested in...
Amgen reported 5% year-over-year revenue growth to $6.5bn in the second quarter, up 11% from Q1. It did not break out Lumakras sales but detailed upcoming data that may support future indications.
Public Company Edition: Among other recent large financings, BridgeBio Pharma launched a $650m note sale, CureVac closed a $517.5m follow-on offering and Revolution Medicines raised $260.9m.
Olema launched this year’s 75th US biopharma IPO. Also, investments in regenerative medicines reached a new high, Qiming closed a $1.2bn China-focused VC fund, D3 Bio led recent venture deals with a $200m round, and Bausch sold $2bn worth of notes to pay down near-term debts.


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Ahead of Vogue Codes 2018, Vogue spoke with Leila Janah about building a beauty brand that gives back.
In 2014 Leila Janah was named one of Fortune’s Most Promising Entrepreneurs in 2014, prior to that Janah was busy earning herself a BA from Harvard University and now the serial entrepreneur is running not one but two companies.
The CEO of Samasource, a social enterprise that aims to #givework to low-income people from all walks of life in the technology sector also found time to launch her own skincare line, LXMI, with the intention giving back to the community that inspired the line while also bottling rare and hard to source ingredients that your skin will want to drink up.
Pronounced “luxe-me”, Janah stumbled upon the inspiration behind the line, nilotica butter (often described at the African coconut oil but is technically a distant relative of shea) while travelling through Northern Uganda four years ago.
“I started using it myself and saw that it was an incredible natural ingredient that had no emulsifiers, no synthetic fragrances, or dyes – just one simple plant ingredient that actually worked to heal dry skin,” Janah recalls of her first interaction with the ingredient that would become the cornerstone of LXMI. “I was shocked that there wasn't more awareness of this ingredient outside of Uganda and East-Africa. I thought to myself: what if I could build a #givework model just like we did with Samasource, but for this new incredible ingredient? I started doing more research on Nilotica and I realised how beneficial it was -- it’s packed with vitamins A and E, it’s got tons of oleic acid which is an essential fatty acid that’s great for the skin and body.”
With an ethos to build a beauty brand that does “great things for our skin and for the world” Janah is carving out a niche for LXMI in the green beauty realm.
“So many of the ingredients in mainstream skincare are not only bad for us, they are actually toxic for the body. A lot of the chemicals that we’ve been bombarding ourselves with in personal care products, literally slathering on our faces and bodies, are known to be linked to inflammation and chronic disease. I became interested in an alternative for that, while also giving work to low-income women and supporting conservation incentives in wilderness areas through fair trade and organic suppliers,” says Janah, who adds that it was important to her from day one that LXMI give back to the communities and individuals who work across the line for all involved, customers included.
“We believe the most powerful way to give back is to #givework, especially to low-income women, who reinvest 90% of their paycheck into health, education, and housing for their children and communities,” says Janah. “I want so badly to bring this mission into the world of mainstream beauty. For me it’s a calling that goes so far beyond work. We've built our supply chain carefully via non-profit collectives. We believe that fair-wage, dignified work elevates our end product, creating a higher level of luxury for discerning consumers. The future isn’t solving problems like poverty and climate change through philanthropy – the future is integrating it into the way we do business.”
With lip, body, hand and face products, LXMI has a small but well-curated offering that is sure to please even the greenest beauty nerds. Janah herself is a huge fan of the Nilotica Melt Ultra-Hydrating Facial Balm explaining she uses it as a make-up remover and cleanser every night but also on “dry areas of my skin, and as a mask when travelling on a plane or in hotels. Similarly it's great for summer months, when you're in salt water more often!”
“We shouldn’t have to choose between a luxury experience and doing good in the world. The two are one and the same,” Janah says of her burgeoning beauty brand. We couldn’t agree more.
Leila Janah will be speaking at Vogue Codes Live on June 23, 2018 in Sydney.


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Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is no stranger to controversy. In 2013, the company’s questionable marketing practices alienated consumers by openly stating that their women’s clothing is made exclusively for skinny women. Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled against Abercrombie & Fitch’s illegal hiring policies that bar Muslim women from wearing a hijab on the job. With such a spotty recent history, it is no wonder that consumers are fighting back. As a result, the company now holds the unenviable position as the most hated retailer in the United States.
Abercrombie & Fitch’s customer satisfaction score of a 65 is a whopping 10 points less than the average rating for the retail category. Additionally, Walmart executives are most likely excited about this news because their company has finally crawled out of first place in the most hated competition. Of course, Walmart’s widespread history of controversies has not been forgotten, and they are still number two on the list.
The annual American Customer Satisfaction Index survey involves more than 9,300 consumers, and it provides people with the opportunity to assign a score to stores in six different categories. Unsurprisingly, investor confidence in Abercrombie & Fitch temporarily faltered after the news of their first place finish was made public. However, the company slowly began to bounce back up throughout the afternoon of February 25. This can probably be attributed to the main reason that the clothing retailer is still making money: controversy equals free media attention, which in turn can drive sales upward.
Interestingly, though, there are many retail experts who believe that Abercrombie’s new designation as the most hated specialty retailer in the U.S. is a sign that consumers are ready to completely move on from the brand. This comes amidst the retailer’s attempts to become less exclusive and more open to people of all sizes, but it appears that their efforts may be a case of too little, too late. After all, many of the customers and potential employees who were burned in the past due to any number of minute physical characteristics are not likely to be very forgiving of the company now.
Meanwhile, Walmart may no longer be the most hated retailer in the country, but they still hold the number one spot for discount and department stores. This is a distinction that Walmart has held since 2006, but they are a much bigger company with a larger revenue stream than Abercrombie & Fitch, which has helped them retain their hold on consumers.
Even with these factors on Walmart’s side, there will be at least 269 store closings this year. Walmart’s stock prices also slid by 30 percent in 2015. Abercrombie & Fitch does not have nearly as much wiggle room as Walmart, so the odds are high that this latest sign of customer dissatisfaction is a prime indicator that the end is near.
Although Walmart and Abercrombie both face challenges due to poor customer satisfaction rates, some companies have proven that fair business practices will be rewarded. For example, Costco is well-known to pay a livable wage, and they were rewarded with one of the highest satisfaction scores. Amazon also fared well with an 83, which puts the online retailer at the top of all eCommerce sites.
These numbers highlight a basic fact of business life: if a company fails to pay attention to the needs and wants of consumers, then its profit margin will suffer. On the flipside, people feel good about supporting companies that offer top-notch customer service and steer clear of unnecessary controversy.


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German economic miracle triumphs again: Output grows TWICE as fast as in the UK
The German economy is surging ahead with record growth of 2.2 per cent in the last quarter.
The rate of output, the fastest since German reunification, is double the 1.1 per cent improvement in the same quarter in the UK.
The rate of output, the fastest pace seen in Germany in two decades, is double the 1.1 per cent improvement seen in the same quarter in the UK.
Traders work at their desks in front of the the DAX board at the Frankfurt stock exchange yesterday. Today Germany reported a surprisingly strong growth rate of 2.2 per cent in the second quarter
And the country’s export sector has been boosted by the weak euro.
Germany mainly exports to Asia, which is hungry for its goods, while British companies export mainly to the eurozone.
The only consolation Britain can take from Germany's stunning performance is that the improved eurozone economy should trickle down to help boost flailing British exports.
Despite underwriting Greek debt to the tune of billions and an austerity package of close to £75billion over the next four years, Europe’s largest economy is setting the pace for others to follow.
Destatis, the German Federal Statistical Office, said: 'The recovery of the German economy, which lost momentum at the turn of 2009/2010 is really back on track.
'Such quarter-on-quarter growth has never been recorded before in reunified Germany.'
Separate figures showed just how far ahead it is of its rivals.
The French economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the quarter, compared with growth of 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year.
The Spanish economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, compared with growth of 0.1 per cent in the previous three months.
Carsten Brzeski, an economist with ING in Brussels, said the German economy, the largest in Europe, was in a 'league of its own'.
He put the impressive growth down to 'a catching up in the construction sector after the harsh winter and strong foreign demand for German goods'.
But Mr Brzeski warned the current growth momentum was not sustainable, and was likely to slow back down to normal levels in the coming months.
Mr Brzeski said: 'Structurally in a much better shape than many other industrialised countries, it was just a matter of time before the German economy would pick up further speed.'
He added: 'With the one-off impact from the construction sector and normalising of export growth, German growth will return to more ordinary growth numbers.
'Nevertheless, despite an inevitable slowdown, all ingredients are there for the German economy to take the next step towards a self-sustained recovery.'
The question among business leaders and banking experts in the UK now is, why can't Britain emulate the German success story by exporting its way out of recession?
Two years of lower exchange rates that have left the pound down by around a quarter against the dollar and euro should in theory have boosted the UK's overseas sales much more than it has done.
The British Chambers of Commerce, in a report due to be handed to ministers ahead of the autumn spending review, says: 'UK manufacturing has largely been seen as a sector in perpetual decline with little economic future.'
'The reality of UK manufacturing is a much more mixed picture – very few people seem to be aware the UK is actually the sixth largest manufacturer in the world, that British manufacturing output reached an all-time high in 2007 and labour productivity in UK manufacturing doubled between 1997 and 2007.'
But experts say nervousness about the future trend of growth also encouraged them to increase profit margins rather than use the lower pound to increase investment and production.
British companies export mainly to the eurozone - which as a whole is depressed, while Germany mainly exports to Asia, which is hungry for their goods.
The German government still has an official forecast for this year of 1.4 per cent growth but its economy minister Rainer Bruederle said expansion of 'well over 2 per cent' was now possible.
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Wally has used the occasion of the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show to announce a range of 30m+ super sailing superyachts.
The new performance cruiser range described as “a new line of technically superior performance cruisers” is part of a strategic push by Wally to “redouble efforts on the sail side”.
Designed in-house, the series features naval architecture by judel/vrolijk & co, while custom features and equipment can be chosen by the owners.
Speaking at the Monaco Yacht Show, Ferretti Group chief executive Alberto Galassi revealed the new range has its origins in the Wally 101 racer-cruiser currently under construction. "From there, we've designed a whole new range," he said.
"We didn't want to come out with just one model. We want to have performance cruisers that everyone can buy and we want to give a package that is faster than any other brand but is also a great cruising boat."
The new performance cruising range will feature three models all measuring over 30 metres, kicking off with the smallest in the range, the 33.3 metre Wally110. The larger models, the Wally130 and Wally150, are also being developed.
Boasting “all the hallmarks of Wally’s timeless style,” the Wally110 is “safe and comfortable” but retains a “high performing pedigree”, Wally said.
Key features include a raised saloon configuration, resulting in increased volumes, and a terrace on the sea concept to maximise living space.
“Under the Ferretti Group, Wally is redoubling its efforts and focusing also on the sailing side, and the exquisite results of this will soon be cruising the world’s oceans and winning races,” said Wally managing director Stefano de Vivo.
Speaking about the larger models in the range, Wally founder and chief designer, Luca Bassani said: “The larger 130 and 150 boast extra features, such as the comfort of a sleek deckhouse, a private owner’s cockpit aft and ample tender storage.”


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LONDON, March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Women Who Tech, a nonprofit that advocates for women in tech, and craigslist founder Craig Newmark announced today the 10 finalists for the Women Startup Challenge Europe.
Finalists will compete for €50,000 cash courtesy of the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, and $210,000 in cloud services from IBM. Contestants will pitch their ventures before a panel of tech industry executives and investors Wednesday, May 3, at London's City Hall, hosted by the office of Mayor Sadiq Khan.
"As a proud feminist, I am delighted that City Hall is hosting this exciting competition. Last year, the capital was crowned the best city in Europe for digital entrepreneurs for the second year in a row, so London really is the perfect location for this event," said Mayor Khan. "I recently unveiled my Digital Talent Programme which aims to boost the proportion of women working in the technology industry, which currently stands at just 17 percent. Both of these initiatives will help to nurture the next generation of female tech entrepreneurs and cement London's reputation as the tech and digital capital of Europe."
The panel of judges includes Baroness Martha Lane Fox, founder of Doteveryone; Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia; Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon, CEO of auFeminin.com; and Rajeeb Dey, founder of Enternships.com and CEO of Learnerbly.
"This is our first-ever international competition and the response from the tech community has been extraordinary," said Allyson Kapin, founder of Women Who Tech. "We had more than 200 applicants, and our finalists include some of the most innovative women-led startups based in Austria, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain, and the UK."
"Only 10 percent of global investor money goes to women-led startups, yet women-led companies yield a 35 percent higher return than those led by men," said Newmark. "We've got to invest in talent and close this gap."
The Women Startup Challenge Europe was created in partnership with tech entrepreneur and craigslist founder Craig Newmark through the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund.
BLITAB® (Austria), the world's first "tablet" for the blind, creating tactile text and graphics. The BLITAB® tablet empowers blind users to learn, work, and play with one mobile device, to have digital access to information in real time.
epicery (France) enables people to order fresh food online directly from local artisan shops. The best butchers, fishmongers, cheese makers, organic fruits and vegetables, and pastries of your city are now available on-demand and delivered to your door in one-hour.
Lifebit (Spain) enables real-time genomic analysis -- easy to deploy, portable across clusters and clouds, scalable, reproducible, and more time and cost-efficient.
Open Bionics (UK) is a robotics startup that uses 3D scanning and printing to create advanced, affordable, and stylish bionic limbs. They're turning children with limb differences into bionic superheroes.
See Fashion (UK) helps fashion brands identify trends and buying opportunities in their market. The online platform collects and shares data from designers' e-commerce sites along with marketplace metrics to provide highly segmented and contextualized product insights in real-time.
Simprints (UK) has developed an inexpensive biometric scanner, mobile app and cloud platform that could become the first source of providing identity to the 1.5B people who do not have formal IDs. By using people's fingerprints to accurately link them to records, Simprints aims to create a world where lack of identity is never the reason why anyone is denied the services, care, and rights they deserve.
Sound Bounce (Ireland) is an acoustic metamaterial, which provides significantly improved noise attenuation when compared to conventional materials. Sound Bounce can be integrated into automotive, aerospace, construction, and many more industries to drastically reduce the impact of environmental noise.
POP (UK) is a marketplace for film and TV Production. POP's mission is to enable productions to book, manage, and pay for all people and services required to make their show seamlessly through one beautiful, integrated platform. POP is introducing innovative technology that brings efficiency to an industry surprisingly reliant on laborious, manual, old school processes.
TechSixtyFour (UK) delivers unique and innovative technologies for families. Their lead product, the Gator watch, is a wearable mobile phone and tracker made for young children.
Tespack (Finland) provides mobile energy creation on the move with its smart clothes and Smart Wear. Combining state-of-the-art connectivity features, Tespack technology solves the biggest problems of smart clothing, battery life, and connectivity. Tespack's clients range from Vodafone to the United Nations to General Electric.
For further details visit Women Startup Challenge Europe 2017.


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Arizona Sunshine developer Vertigo Game’s other VR title, Skyworld, is finally making the jump to Sony’s PSVR headset.
Vertigo announced the news today, confirming the game would arrive in early 2019. The game is a mix of both turn-based and real-time strategy in which players control armies and build bases, preparing to head into battle and claim victory over the enemy. It offers 1v1 online multiplayer for friends to prove their strategic supremacy in.
You can check out the reveal trailer below. Vertigo hasn’t confirmed if there will be any new additions to the PSVR version just yet.
Skyworld was originally introduced around the reveal of the HTC Vive back in 2015, but didn’t end up releasing until about a year after its ever-popular zombie shooter. Despite giving Arizona Sunshine our 2016 game of the year, though, we felt like Skyworld was a step backward for Vertigo.
“Skyworld has some good ideas, but ultimately its full potential is unrealized,” we wrote in our review. “I applaud Vertigo for trying something new, but when it comes down to it, VR doesn’t really enhance a board game and simple strategy experience like this, and it often became more tedious and convoluted than fun.”
We’ll find out if the PSVR version fares any better next year.


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The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has now been in force for four years. GDPR’s reach is global, and in the four years that it’s been in force, fines have reached a total of over €1.6 billion, with the majority of fines having been levied in the past 12 months. Also during that time, the UK left the EU, data protection regulation reforms were announced in the UK and the ICO appointed a new commissioner.
Any company that offers goods or services to anyone in the EU is required to comply with GDPR, and any employee who collects, processes or stores data as part of their responsibilities, needs to be trained in data protection rules and regulations, including business owners, directors, managers, supervisors, staff and contractors.
But now it’s been over four years since GDPR came into force and some might be asking if it’s still relevant, and why they should still care.
Biggest fines for the first half of 2022
Although we’re only halfway through 2022, we’ve seen some massive fines and penalties already for GDPR violations. What were some of the biggest fines so far in 2022 and what can we learn from them?
Enel Energia: €26.5m
Enel Energia, an international electricity and gas company based in Italy, was slapped with a €26.5 Million ($29.27 Million) fine, the biggest of the year so far. Italy’s data protection agency, the Garante, penalized the company with this fine after receiving hundreds of complaints against the company. The investigation found that Enel Energia was using its customers’ personal data unlawfully. The company used their private data to carry out telemarketing calls without getting user consent and without telling users how their data would be used.
Besides the fine, Garante ordered the Enel company to implement measures to comply with GDPR going forward and the company also made a commitment to implement “further technical and organisational measures to handle data subjects’ requests to exercise their rights”. Additionally, they committed to informing Garante what steps they’ve taken to comply.
Clearview AI: €9m
The controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI was slapped with a €9m fine and told to delete the data of its UK residents. The ICO’s investigation concluded that Clearview AI Inc. doesn’t have a lawful reason for collecting personal data, nor a process in place to stop data from being retained indefinitely and also fails to meet the higher data protection standards required for biometric data.
France, Italy, and Australia had previously taken enforcement against the firm. When Italy imposed a fine on the company, Clearview hit back by saying it did not operate under the jurisdiction of GDPR. They may try to argue the same now, as they have no operations in the UK. However, it’s unclear whether their appeal will be successful.
REWE International: €8m
The Austrian food retailer REWE International was fined €8 by the Austrian Data Protection Authority for mismanaging the data of users that took part in its loyalty member program. The program, called the jö Bonus Club, collected user data without consent and used it for marketing purposes. The company is trying to appeal the fine, arguing that the Club is a subsidiary company that operates independently from REWE, so the jö Bonus Club should be fined directly. This could lead to a reduction of the amount of the fine as GDPR penalties are set according to the fined organisation’s revenue. However, it’s unclear whether the appeal will succeed.
Cosmote Mobile Telecommunications: €6m
The Hellenic Data protection authority fined Greek mobile phone operator Cosmote Mobile Telecommunications €6m. There were two reasons behind the fine. Firstly, customers’ private information was exposed due to a hack that led to a data breach in September 2020. Secondly, since the company was actually illegally processing customer data, the September hack exposed significantly more data than it would have otherwise. In addition, the private data was not completely pseudonymised, which made it easier for hackers to identify individuals.
OTE Group: €3.25m
Cosmote’s parent company OTE Group was also fined in connection with the Cosmote fine. The HDPA found that the parent group was partially responsible for the hack, as the hacker used an OTE Group administrator password to enter Cosmote’s systems. Therefore, the HDPA fined OTE for failing to properly secure their data systems.
What can we learn from these fines?
- After four years of being in place, GDPR enforcement is not going away; if anything, it’s getting stronger and fines are getting bigger as organisations by this point are expected to have processes in place for keeping and enforcing the regulations.
- GDPR has a global reach, and your organisation could be found liable and fined no matter where in the world you are located.
- Many different types of organisations in a wide variety of industries, from food to telecommunications to tech, as well as government agencies and hospitals, have been targeted and fined thousands, millions, and even tens of millions of euros.
What are the most important steps organisations can take to avoid breaches and fines?
We are now in an era of hybrid working, and one where consumers are demanding a higher level of transparency, which only complicates GDPR compliance. Experts have predicted that it’s only the beginning: analysts in the privacy and regulatory spaces think that regulators have only just begun, and as an increasing number of people begin exercising their privacy rights, we’ll see more big cases and fines coming. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to ensure all staff members have the latest training and understanding of data protection.
Training is one of the key measures a company can take to ensure that staff comply with the regulation. A one-off generic course is not enough: training should be relevant and speak to each user’s unique role and responsibilities, and guidelines and best practice guidance should be kept current in staff’s minds with regular refresher training.
VinciWorks’ GDPR compliance solution is a one-stop shop for complete company-wide compliance. Our suite of GDPR courses ensures that all staff are trained via interactive, customisable courses. Whether staff are well–versed in GDPR or require in-depth onboarding training, we have you covered.
Even with the very best training, it’s possible that a breach will occur. A transparent reporting process will help companies identify data breaches, mitigate the risks and take any action required to ensure a data breach doesn’t happen again. According to GDPR best practice, any data breach, whether reportable to the authorities or not, should be documented. In situations where the authorities decide to carry out a thorough investigation of a GDPR breach, you’ll want to be able to provide as many details as possible. This will not only help you remember exactly what happened but it can also be used as proof that your company did everything required once the breach was discovered, which in some cases, can mitigate penalties and lower fines.
VinciWorks has built a best-practice reporting solution that allows staff to easily and efficiently report any data breaches or concerns.
All responses that require immediate action can be flagged, allowing data protection officers to easily monitor whether the breach has fully been resolved. Forms can easily be built and customised to request information relating specifically to the organisation and industry.


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Lately, the South Korean phone maker Samsung has updated its budget phone lineup. After revamping the Galaxy M Series, it is now focused on updating the mid-range series. Already, the company has announced of launching the new Galaxy A-Series smartphones every month starting March. On average, it will introduce nearly four models until the first … Continue reading "Samsung Galaxy A20 Goes On Sale – Features, Specs & More"
Laptops usually come in different sizes and configurations. Some are the standard bulk models, while some are much advanced and sleek. The size of laptops normally ranges from 13.3-inches to 17.3-inches. But the devices smaller than this size are termed as mini laptops. Such laptops are often referred to as large tablets with keyboards and … Continue reading "Best Mini Laptops To Buy In 2019"
Apple has recently announced the Powerbeats Pro through which the company is foraying into the wireless earbuds segment. With the announcement, Apple just tried to tease with some leaks about the accessory and the release date is yet to be disclosed. These are pretty much the same as the second generation AirPods, but these emphasize … Continue reading "Apple AirPods 2 Vs Powerbeats Pro – Features Explained"
PUBG is the most popular game of recent times which is drawing all the attention of gamers. Irrespective of age and interest, many people are interested to play this game on their smartphones. It is introduced on almost all the platforms including Android, Windows, iOS, and others. This is so far considered as one of … Continue reading "How To Optimize PUBG Mobile For Notched Smartphones?"
WhatsApp keeps on adding new features to the app on both Android as well as iOS platforms. Recently, it has revealed a new Checkpoint tipline that helps users to look at the authenticity of data on the app. Moreover, this messaging service has made additions to the forwarded message feature in the beta Android version. … Continue reading "4 New Features Of WhatsApp For Android"


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Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, had proposed installing a built-in anti-theft measure known as a "kill switch" that would render stolen or lost cell phones inoperable, but San Francisco's top prosecutor says the nation's biggest carriers have rejected the idea.
District Attorney George Gascon said Monday that AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, United States Cellular Corp., Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. rebuffed Samsung's proposal to preload its phones with Absolute LoJack anti-theft software as a standard feature.
The wireless industry says a kill switch isn't the answer because it could allow a hacker to disable someone's phone.
Gascon, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and other law enforcement officials have been demanding that manufacturers create kill switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.
Almost 1 in 3 U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices - mostly smartphones - cost consumers more than $30 billion last year, according to a study cited by Schneiderman in June.
Samsung officials told the San Francisco district attorney's office in July that carriers were resisting kill switches, and prosecutors have recently reviewed emails between a senior vice president at Samsung and a software developer about the issue. One email in August said Samsung had pre-installed kill switch software in some smartphones ready for shipment, but carriers ordered its removal as a standard feature.
"These emails suggest that the carriers are rejecting a technological solution so they can continue to shake down their customers for billions of dollars in (theft) insurance premiums," Gascon said. "I'm incensed. ... This is a solution that has the potential to end the victimization of their customers."
Samsung said it is cooperating with Gascon, Schneiderman and the carriers on an anti-theft solution but declined to comment specifically about the emails.
"We are working with the leaders of the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative to incorporate the perspective of law enforcement agencies," said Samsung spokeswoman Jessica Redman. "We will continue to work with them and our wireless carrier partners toward our common goal of stopping smartphone theft."
Although the popular Samsung Galaxy smartphones are shipped across the country without LoJack as a standard feature, users can pay a subscription fee for the service.
CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group for wireless providers, said it has been working with the FCC, law enforcement agencies and elected officials on a national stolen phone database scheduled to launch Nov. 30.
The CTIA says


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A woman and her husband have filed a lawsuit against Walmart after she was hit by a store associate in a vehicle on the Harrison store parking lot more than two years ago.
Patricia and Danny Baker of Omaha filed the suit this week in Boone County Circuit Court and are seeking unspecified damages for Patricia’s injuries.
According to the suit, Patricia Baker parked her vehicle in the parking lot of the tire and lube department of the store on April 20, 2017.
After she exited her vehicle and was walking toward the store entrance, Walmart employee Donnie Thacker was backing another customer’s vehicle out of an automotive bay at a high rate of speed and hit Patricia Baker, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges Thacker was negligent in operating the vehicle he was driving and that Walmart is liable for those actions because he was an employee.
The suit says Patricia Baker suffered injuries to her chest, back, knees and right hip, causing severe pain, suffering, mental anguish associated with her injuries, loss of enjoyment and quality of life, the need for medical care, the need for physical therapy, injections and other treatments, lost value of household services and other economic damages.
The suit also says Danny Baker suffered economic damages along with the loss of consortium and companionship of Patricia Baker.
The Bakers seek a judgement against Walmart “such sums as are fair and reasonable, in an amount within the jurisdictional limits of the Court, together with any and all costs herein incurred and expended, interest, and for such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper,” the suit said.


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When it comes to revenue, Dick’s Sporting Goods began the year with a slam dunk. And footwear played a big role in its success.
On Tuesday, the retailer reported that net sales for its first fiscal quarter jumped 5.3% year-over-year to hit $2.8 billion, while its net income shot up 17% to reach $305 million. Its comparable store sales also increased 3.4% from the same time a year ago.
Demand for discretionary categories like sporting goods has slowed, but Dick’s has managed to hang onto momentum in a way its other competitors have not. Foot Locker, for example, lowered its yearly guidance last week, citing lower tax refunds and a slowdown in demand. While Dick’s acknowledged “macroeconomic uncertainties,” it is optimistic about the rest of the year and is maintaining its outlook for 2023. The key to its success, the company said, is a combination of a strong product assortment, engagement with athletes and innovative store formats. Footwear, too, is proving extremely popular with customers in stores and online.
“Our strategies are working and resonating with our athletes,” President and CEO Lauren Hobart said on Tuesday’s earnings call. “We remain enthusiastic about our business and our long-term growth plan. As the largest U.S. sporting goods retailer, we have robust runway for growth and are well positioned to continue gaining share in a fragmented $140 billion industry.”
Dick’s sells thousands of items across several categories, from apparel to patio furniture to kayaks. However, footwear is turning out to be one of its most successful categories. Today, it’s a “key part” of Dick’s merchandising strategy, Hobart said.
“Footwear was a very solid, very strong contributor to us over the course of the quarter,” she explained. “We think footwear is the engine that drives the train. Footwear is a really important part of our entire assortment, and so we’re not looking at a time where it becomes less of a driver to topline sales.”
This past quarter, Dick’s converted 20 stores to include premium full-service footwear. Dick’s aims to have 75% of its stores offer this by the end of the year.
Recent deals with other retailers have also helped boost Dick’s product assortment and sales growth. In February, Dick’s bought the sporting goods company Moosejaw from Walmart for an undisclosed sum. In November 2021, Nike announced it would integrate its loyalty program within Dick’s membership program to offer a more connected shopping experience, as well as exclusive Nike styles and in-store events. Today, Dick’s relationship with Nike “is at an all-time high,” Hobart said.
Seth Basham, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, told Modern Retail that Dick’s stands out to customers because it offers products that few retailers have. “In terms of the product assortment, they are getting more narrowly distributed merchandise, which is in demand,” he explained. “So that’s helping drive consumers to engage with them.”
Dick’s is also making headway on growing its retail footprint. Much of its store strategy revolves around House of Sport — giant stores that also feature rock climbing walls, batting cages and putting greens. Dick’s has three House of Sport locations across the country but is on track to open nine ahead of the back to school season. Dick’s is also beginning construction on more than 10 additional House of Sport locations that will open throughout 2024.
“House of Sport is redefining sports retail and over the long term will be a significant part of our growth story and the primary driver of our square footage growth,” Hobart said. She pointed out that House of Sport delivers “much higher sales and profit” than other avenues, and that Dick’s is on track to hit 75 to 100 House of Sport locations nationwide by 2027.
Basham said he was pleased with Dick’s earnings, and that they are “certainly stronger than the market feared.” Looking ahead to next quarter, Basham is keeping an eye out for whether the slowdown in consumer spending catches up with Dick’s, as well as how Dick’s might respond in an increasingly-promotional environment.
Overall, he said, “they’re doing a great job… They’re taking market share and they’re holding their margins better than people expected. So, it’s a relatively good story here in a bleak consumer spending environment.”


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Shares in Bankrate (RATE) plunged 45% in early trading Thursday, after it failed to meet its earnings guidance.
The personal finance website reported net income fell to $4.8 million in the fourth quarter, down from $10.3 million in the year ago period. The company said less visibility on Google and reduced ad revenue led to the company falling short of some of its financial expectations
Revenue rose 2.2% to $93.4 million.
“Bankrate generated another quarter of record revenue,’’ Bankrate CEO Kenneth Esterow said in a statement. “However, we fell short of our updated earnings guidance. The momentum we carried into the fourth quarter was impacted by two factors. First, during the quarter, Google tested placement of a version of its Compare service that took up more of the display on credit card-related search results. Second, deposit advertisers significantly reduced their ad budgets far beyond the anticipated seasonal slowdown.’’
This week, Google said it would be ending its Compare services, a move that Estero said “is a positive development.’’ But it remains to be seen what will be the ultimate effect of that move, as well as Google putting more paid ads on search queries.
Bankrate shares were down $5.69 to $6.99 in morning trading.


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It victims were mostly women and children out shopping and running errands on just another Thursday afternoon.
But October 21, 1971, the ordinary was blown to pieces at Clarkston Toll shopping centre when a gas explosion ripped through the precinct, killing 22 people.
READ MORE: A blast from the past at Scotland's forgotten dynamite factory
It was described as Scotland's worst peace-time explosion with life in this Glasgow suburb never the same for those who lost their loved ones that day.
More than 100 people were injured by the blast, which had the same impact of a 300lb bomb going off.
Those working in the shopping centre had been complaining of the smell of gas in the days leading up to the disaster.
READ MORE: The tiny Scottish island wiped out by disease
The all-clear was given to the 26 stores by the gas board on the day before the catastrophe.
They had been unable to identify where the leak was coming from, even after digging up the road.
At 2.52pm, the blast ripped through the precinct, destroying shops and lives in the process.
Around half the fatalities were unaccounted for overnight after becoming trapped in the debris.
Volunteers reported running into shops to save who they could, but many discovered dead bodies instead.
Doctors, nurses and police officers on their days off immediately went to work when they heard of the chaos on Glasgow's south side.
The Victoria and the Southern hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, with injured being taken as far as Paisley for treatment.
An official inquiry found no one was to blame for the ignition of the leaked gas, which had leaked from a fracture in the main which had been caused by "stress and corrosion".
The gas then built up in an unventilated void, and was simply a disaster waiting to happen.


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Events are scheduled at Waterfront Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One unique activity planned for Eagle Harbor is an “anchoring with a local” workshop. Boaters will partner with an island mariner to learn how to anchor in 30 feet of water.
Back of Beyond Outfitters will offer a free “small boat mess-about” all day. There will be a rodeo for small non-motorized boats, demonstrations, and canoe tours of the harbor. Participants can bring their own craft or rent one on-site.
Other Marina Day activities will include free vessel examinations, a flare demonstration, sailboat rides, ROV hull inspections and rigging lessons.
Eagle Harbor also welcomed a special guest this week. MV Lotus (pictured above) is anchored off the Harbour Marina. Lotus will be on hand this weekend and on June 15-16 for the Bainbridge Wooden Boat Festival, according to the Lotus page on Facebook. Lotus was launched in 1909 and has plied Puget Sound and the Inside Passage for more than a century.
(Tad Sooter photos)


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc.
said Tuesday that a "major update" of its iPhone software will be available to customers this summer. At a gathering at the company's Cupertino, Calif.-based headquarters, Apple said the iPhone 3.0 software will include features like cut-copy-and-paste functions as well as an improved search tool that will allow users to search across mail and other applications on the device. It will also support Mixed-Media Messaging, or MMS, that will allow users to send text, audio and picture files through the device, as well as peer-to-peer capabilities. Shares of Apple were up 1.5% at $96.86 Tuesday afternoon.


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- Registration Open for NIADAs 70th Annual Convention and Expo
- PassTime GPS on Board as NIADA Diamond National Corporate Partner
- Two Top Brands Offer Tire Programs through NIADA
- FTC Enforcement Actions Target Disclosure of Open Recalls in CPO Programs
- New Online Hub Adds Ease, More Benefits for NIADA Members
Registration Open for NIADAs 70th Annual Convention and Expo
Increased BHPH Training Highlights Events Explosive Growth
Arlington, Texas (Feb. 2016) -- Registration is open for the 70th annual NIADA Convention and Expo, to be held June 13-16 at the newly renovated Mirage in Las Vegas.
This year, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association celebrates a major milestone 70 years as the voice of the independent dealer and the used vehicle industry with the biggest event in its long history, thanks to some major additions and upgrades.
That includes the beautiful new venue, which recently underwent a $200 million renovation and will include a larger Expo Hall. But the biggest addition for the 2016 convention is not the "where" but the "what."
As a result of NIADA's recent acquisition of the assets of Leedom and Associates, Leedom's BHPH World Convention has been absorbed into the NIADA event, giving the association another major component to add to a Buy Here-Pay Here/Lease Here-Pay Here and subprime education track that had already undergone a significant expansion over the past three years.
The result is a more extensive BHPH component that includes the top speakers and educators in the field, including new NIADA national director of 20 Group operations Chuck Bonanno, NABD founder Ken Shilson and others, as well as more sessions on a wider array of topics than ever before, such as the state of the BHPH industry, how to survive in the current ultra-competitive market, best practices in underwriting and collections, hiring and retaining quality employees and BHPH compliance issues.
Bonanno will also lead a 20 Groups Discovery Day designed to give dealers with every business model BHPH, LHPH, retail, finance, service operations and more the information they need to find their place in the right 20 Group.
Of course, there will be a lot more than just BHPH training at the convention. That's only part of a powerful dealer training agenda that features the industry's best and brightest minds, including NIADA's Joe Lescota and Shaun Petersen, TrueCar CEO Chip Perry, National Federation of Independent Business chief economist Bill Dunkleberg, vAuto founder Dale Pollak, Equifax's Angelica Jeffreys, Dealertrack's Randy Henrick, Dealersocket's Peter Ord, social media expert Kathi Kruse and many more.
NIADA senior vice president of legal and government affairs Shaun Petersen will be on hand to lead the always important compliance training component, and director of dealer development Joe Lescota is back to lead the retail component, beginning with his ever-popular Monday workshop, based on NIADA's acclaimed Certified Master Dealer program.
In addition, the 70th anniversary celebration includes the recognition of the independent used vehicle industry's best including the crowning of the 2016 National Quality Dealer a sold-out Expo Hall featuring the latest and most innovative cutting-edge products and services, and, of course, the best dealer training available anywhere, all geared toward helping the independent dealer achieve success.
The NIADA Convention and Expo is coming off its third consecutive year of increased attendance, with 20 percent of 2015 attendees coming to the NIADA Convention for the first time.
For more information or to register for the 2016 NIADA Convention and Expo, visit www.niadaconvention.com.


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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM) is urging the government to “explain transparently, all the pros and cons, risks and opportunities” to all stakeholders in relation to the much-vaunted, yet still controversial, Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA).
In a statement congratulating the Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and his team on the recent conclusion of the TPP negotiations and the release of the full TPP agreement’s text last Thursday (Nov 5), ACCCIM president Datuk Ter Leong Yap said now is the time for the government to explain all to get stakeholders’ buy-in.
“This will allow businesses to gain more informed insights into this game-changing free-trade agreement,” he said.
He also recommended sufficient time be given to the Cabinet, Parliament and the public to “study, debate and make comments” on the text of the TPPA and the forthcoming cost-benefit analysis reports.
“It is also recommended that full consultations be held with all national level chambers of commerce and affected stakeholders, and other interested parties, to ensure transparency, obtain their constructive feedbacks, and to allay all parties’ doubts and concerns,” he said.
Furthermore, the ACCCIM recommended a high-level committee with both public and private sectors’ participation be set up to study the effects and impact of the terms of the TPPA.
The association is of the opinion the conclusion of TPPA is a bold step toward open trade and regional integration that represents more than 40% of the global trade.
“ACCCIM noted that the concluded TPPA is expected to be signed, will be of a high-standard, ambitious, comprehensive, and balanced agreement,
“It is hoped that the TPPA will promote economic growth, support the creation and retention of jobs, enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness, raise living standards, reduce poverty in the 12 signing countries, and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labour and environmental protections,” it added.
ACCCIM will also undertake a feedback study of its own and engage with its constituent members, the business community, as well as relevant authorities on the details of the TPPA, over the next few weeks.


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Kuaishou Technology, China’s leading content community and social platform, released its financial report for the first quarter of this year. Revenue rose to 21.07 billion yuan ($3.16 billion) for the three months ended March, a year-on-year increase of nearly 24%. Net loss came in at 6.25 billion yuan, down 89% year-on-year, while the adjusted net loss narrowed to 3.72 billion yuan, down 34% year-on-year.
As a percentage of total revenue, online marketing services contributed 53.9%, while live streaming contributed 37.2%. The remaining 8.9% came from other services (including e-commerce). Specifically, the online marketing services increased by 32.6% year-on-year to 11.4 billion yuan. In addition, the number of advertisers on the platform increased by over 60% year-on-year.
In the first quarter of 2022, Kuaishou’s revenue from live streaming reached 7.8 billion yuan, increasing by 8.2% year-on-year. The company said that the launch of new content categories, including Kwai Recruitment, attracted both new users and previous users to the platform. According to the financial report, in the first quarter of 2022, the average MPUs for live streaming increased by 7.8% year-on-year to 56.5 million on Kuaishou App, with the monthly ARPPU being 46.3 yuan, compared with 46.1 yuan last year.
The number of users of Kuaishou continued to break through the record high. In the first quarter, both average DAUs and average MAUs on Kuaishou App increased by 17% and 15% year-on-year, to 345.5 million and 597.9 million, respectively. Its user stickiness and engagement have been improving along with the expanding user base. Benefiting from successful event operations such as the Winter Olympics and Chinese New Year campaigns and the improvement of social trust, the total user traffic increased by over 50% compared with the same period of last year. Pairs of mutual followers on the Kuaishou App reached nearly 18.8 billion, cumulatively, by the end of March 2022, representing a 68.9% year-over-year increase.
The total e-commerce GMV increased by 47.7% year-over-year to 175.1 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2022, among which, over 99% was contributed by its self-developed closed-loop e-commerce marketplace, Kwai Shop. Driven by its e-commerce business, the revenue of other service sectors was 1.9 billion yuan, up 54.6% year-on-year. The Kwai Brand, which grew and flourished in Kuaishou’s e-commerce ecosystem, continues to enrich the supply of e-commerce. In the first quarter, the average monthly GMV of the Kwai Brand has exceeded 25 million yuan.
In terms of sales and marketing expenses, the corresponding expenditure of Kuaishou in the first quarter was 9.5 billion yuan, accounting for 45% of the total revenue, which decreased by 23.5% compared with last year’s 68.5%. The company’s user acquisition efficiency and user retention rate also improved.


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A few weeks ago, Nicalis’ founder Tyrone Rodriguez teased the upcoming release of Cave Story on Nintendo Switch with a simple image of the system UI, showing several games from the studio. Nothing has been said since then about the 2D platformer, but today is the day we get an official announcement.
So, the adventures of our little amnesiac hero are coming on the Switch as Cave Story+. It will release on June 20th, in both digital and physical copies, for the price of $29.99. Originally released in 2011, this enhanced version of Cave Story has HD graphics, new music tracks, seven game modes (ex. Wind Fortress, Boss Rush), fifteen levels with a total of twenty boss, ten new unique weapons and four unique endings. Developer Nicalis didn’t specify if there will be some exclusive content for the Switch.


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H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, which has stores in South Africa, said yesterday that it had decided to wind down its business in Russia, joining a growing list of companies fully exiting the country, and sending its shares down 1 percent.
The company suspended its business in Russia in early March in the wake of Western sanctions against Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Russia was H&M’s sixth biggest market and the company was increasing its store count there while reducing physical stores in many other markets.
“After careful consideration, we see it as impossible given the current situation to continue our business in Russia,” chief executive Helena Helmersson said in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened about the impact this will have on our colleagues,” Helmersson said, but did not elaborate. A company spokesperson said about 6000 employees in the country would be affected.
The entire wind-down was expected to cost about 2 billion Swedish crowns (R3 billion), of which about 1 billion crowns would have a cash flow impact, H&M said. The full amount would be included as one-time costs in the results for the third quarter.
H&M intends to temporarily reopen physical stores to sell its remaining inventory in Russia.
The shutdown would affect the company’s 170 physical stores in the country and its online sales channels, a spokesperson said.
H&M’s biggest rival, Zara owner Inditex, told shareholders last week that it would keep operations suspended for the time being.
“We are in contact with all actors that have been affected by the suspended measure and we are exploring different alternatives. But at this moment there is no other decision than to continue to monitor the situation,” said Inditex CEO Oscar Garcia Maceiras.
Hit by sanctions and supply chain issues, Russia has legalised so-called parallel imports, which allow retailers to import products from abroad without the trademark owner’s permission.


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There were indications as the working week ended on Thursday due to the Easter holiday that the determination by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to saturate the nation’s foreign exchange market and thereby stabilise the value of the Naira, may have started showing early signs of success, as authorized dealers failed to pick a significant 65% of the $100m supplied on wholesale spot for the day.
The dealers were only able to pick $45m out of the $100m offered, in what is believed to be the fact that the market has become awash with forex liquidity being pumped into the system by the CBN.
Expectations are that it is only a matter of time before the dollar begins another round of crash, as the Naira finds its appropriate valuation level, even as the Dollar has also crashed against major currencies following the shocking declaration by U.S President Donald Trump that his country’s currency is over-valued, rather than the popular allegation that China is manipulating the value of its Yuan.
Experts also attribute the low demand for the green back in Nigeria to the general cash crunch in the financial system.
Acting Director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, Isaac Okorafor, however told newsmen that the major injections made by the apex bank during the week were aimed at providing access to all stakeholders with legitimate need for forex.
According to him, “the CBN remains upbeat that the forex market will remain liquid and that Nigerians who genuinely require the forex will get ample access to the currency.”
Besides the over $500m offered to dealers in the wholesale and retail segments in the past week, the CBN made special interventions in the Bureau de Change (BDC) Segment of the forex market for retail and invisible transactions such as BTA, PTA, medical bills and tuition fees, capping it up with the opening of a new window for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operators.
Okorafor had explained that the new window for SMEs provides small scale importers an avenue to source forex to boost their respective business through the importation of eligible finished and semi-finished items at not more than $20,000 per quarter per enterprise.
Lauding the CBN intervention across the various window of the forex market, analysts expressed hope that the trend would be sustained, going by the current level of foreign reserves.


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Chili’s Grill & Bar named O’Keefe Reinhard and Paul as its agency of record. The agency’s work has helped spark improvements in the chain’s sales and traffic.
Chili’s began working with OKRP in 2017 on a project basis, including the “Chili’s is back, baby” work that debuted in the fall.
“Rarely do things work out this well in this business,” Chili’s Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Steve Provost tells Ad Age. “They make us feel like their only client, they’re fast and they’re just really creative.”
Chili’s is currently promoting a “3 for $10” deal with a starter, entree and soft drink as another way to entice diners as the overall casual-dining industry tries to rebound.
OKRP will now be its strategic partner on communication, brand strategy, category strategy and on how to maximize a message across various media, Provost says, adding that Chili’s is ready to “speak with one voice and a much louder voice.”
Provost joined Chili’s in March 2017 after serving as president of Maggiano’s, a smaller chain also owned by Chili’s parent company Brinker International. In September, Chili’s cut 40 percent of the items on its menu and added more meat to its burgers, ribs and fajitas. Ads from OKRP began airing in early October.
Chili’s continues to work with 360i as its media agency, Fact & Fiction as its social agency and Ansira on email and digital marketing, Provost says.
Read more at Ad Age: http://adage.com/article/agency-news/chili-s-picks-okrp-agency-record-project-work/313383/


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Bitkraft Ventures has raised $165 million for its VC fund, which invests in games, esports and interactive media companies.
The initial target for the fund was $125 million, but it has closed with $40 million more. Key investors in the fund are Carolwood, Declaration Partners, JS Capital, and corporate brands including Adidas and Logitech.
Bitkraft Ventures is led by Jens Hilgers, who was previously CEO of the ESL and co-founded the G2 Esports team. It has a team spanning Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Berlin.
It launched a pre-seed fund in 2017, and it already has a portfolio of 50 companies across North America, Europe and Asia.


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Semprius, Inc. has taken further steps down the photovoltaics route with the development of a new transfer printing technique for solar module production. The company’s recent completion of a Series B round of venture funding raised $6.4 million from investors including ARCH Venture Partners, Applied Ventures, Illinois Ventures, Intersouth Partners, In-Q-Tel and GVC Investment Fund.
“We’re delighted to have attracted new investors to help us grow the company, and to get such strong support from our existing investors,” said Joe Carr, President and CEO of Semprius, Inc. “Our current focus on photovoltaic products for solar modules represents an enormous market opportunity and we are well-positioned to take advantage of this growing need.”
Semprius’ technology can be applied to several markets, including ICs, solar and electronic displays. It enables the nearly any high performance semiconductor to be placed onto any target substrate, thus increasing the options available to designers of advanced electronic devices.
This recent financing round’s results will be applied to the further development of the company’s low cost, high performance solar modules for utility-scale power generation, and will enable the initial field deployment of solar modules to selected customers.


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Things in banking seem to be constantly changing. And while the era of free toasters with every deposit are long past, a number of new trends are making things easier for local bank customers.
“We are seeing a big move to electronics,” explained Jolene Falat, Carbondale branch manager for First Mid-Illinois Bank. “That’s the big wave of things we are seeing.”
Falat said that customers like mobile deposit, where consumers can deposit checks into their account simply by submitting a photograph of the check. She added that online banking is extremely popular as are new paying methods such as Apple Pay.
First Southern Bank’s John Dosier said even businesses are getting in on online banking.
“One of the hot trends is remote capture where we actually give businesses a machine to scan checks so that they can actually process them and deposit checks without coming in," he said. "it’s all done electronically through internet banking.”
He said many community banks now offer the same amenities of large chain banks.
“It’s all part of easy accessibility for our customers,” Dosier said.
Bob Bleyer of The Bank of Carbondale said technology has changed banking
“Remote deposit, PC banking, all have changed how we do banking,” he said. “We have to stay up with the technology and offer products and services that use that technology.”
With the new electronic options available to bank consumers, many thought the days of bank branches were numbered, but Falat said that has not been the case.
“The demise of the branch is not as likely as many thought just five years ago,” she said. “People still need a face-to-face and want that.”
“Part of the purpose of the branch is to have added value to every person who walks in the door. We want to take care of everything for them while they are here,” said Mike Neill, community banking president with First Mid-Illinois.


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The car park at a retail park near Chesterfield was forced to go one way, as flocks of people arrived to try out a brand-new drive-thru.
Crystal Peaks Village had to change its park system due to huge queues for the Tim Horton branch which has recently opened.
The Canadian brand is famous for its freshly ground coffee and donuts, reports Yorkshire Live.
Queues caused issues for other shoppers who were trying to access the likes of Home Bargains, with some saying it has been "horrendous" since the branch opened last Thursday.
Signs have now been put in place advising that the car park is operating temporary traffic line to try and combat the issue.
However, the queues were so bad that some shoppers reported turning around and shopping elsewhere.
One person, who did not want to be named, said: "It was just chaos.
"I was trying to get to the Aldi, but in the end I just abandoned the plan and turned around.
"It's just because people are excited and it's something new. I am sure it won't always be like that and it will calm down eventually.
"I think people are just excited to be out trying new things."
There is also the option to dine in at the new Tim Horton branch, with indoor seating up to a maximum capacity of 118.
Local delivery options are also available.


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Shortly after the recent sightings of a PC version of Returnal, yet another video had popped up that further showed off some of the unannounced port’s details. In a video that has since been taken down by Sony, Returnal could be seen being played on PC.
The video also gave us a glimpse at Returnal‘s graphics options that would only be available on PC. As caught by PCGamer, graphics options in Returnal‘s PC version include resolution scaling, dynamic resolution, DLSS, AMD FSR, NIS, support for unlocked framerates, and ray traced shadows and reflections.
The game was also spotted during a GDC presentation by studio Housemarque, where one of the slides showed off a screenshot of Returnal with debug text on the side indicating that it was running on a PC. The readouts also showed features that aren’t available on PS5, such as dynamic resolution.
The most recent first-party PlayStation title confirmed to be getting a PC release is Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and The Last of Us Part 1 are also set to come to PC.


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- Apr 12, 2001
Microsoft has announced that following beta testing for a small group of users, it plans to launch its xCloud game streaming service on Apple devices via Safari "in the next few weeks."
Microsoft has been attempting to launch its game streaming service, which allows users to stream games from the cloud rather than store them locally on the device, on Apple's platforms for some time. Microsoft and Apple got into a heated public argument last year over App Store guidelines that rejected apps such as xCloud from being available on the App Store. Apple eventually changed the policy, allowing such apps onto the platform, but requiring that every game offered via the service be submitted independently for review.
Microsoft has decided not to follow through with the new policy and will instead offer users access to xCloud via Safari on iPhone and iPad. Alongside xCloud on Safari, the streaming service will also launch on Edge and Chrome.
Article Link: Microsoft xCloud Game Streaming Service Launching on Safari in a 'Few Weeks'


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Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).
(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) While many Arlington businesses have been struggling, for local startup Storyblocks the pandemic been pushing more customers unable to get their own footage to their tech-enabled stock video service.
Storyblocks is a Courthouse-based startup that allows members to access a large library of royalty-free stock footage with photos, video and audio from contributors. It has proven to be especially popular with content creators stuck at home during the coronavirus crisis.
“The nice thing for us is, amidst the chaos, more people are depending on our service,” TJ Leonard, CEO of Storyblocks said. “People can’t go out and shoot their own content, but need to create content for their jobs.”
Leonard said the virus has forced people who would normally shoot their own video to find other sources, which is where Storyblocks comes in.
“The way we thought about coronavirus is that on a normal day, only so many people who wake up and say ‘I’m going to take a close look at content, expense and performance,’ but when something like this occurs, it forces that consideration,” Leonard said. “When we get a side by side comparison we come out ahead more often than not. Coronavirus has forced more people to think more actively about where they spend their money on.”
The company started in 2009 in Reston as Footage Firm, shipping stock footage through the mail on DVDs, but evolved and changed location as technology progressed. Over the last year, the company has seen continued growth.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Leonard said. “We’ve been investing in content and investing in our product. We’ve seen steady growth over the first part of the year before the pandemic but in general, we’re up about 50%. We’re seeing business growing with website traffic increased by slightly higher percentages.”
Leonard said that Storyblocks is trying to focus around providing the “best first experience” for new customers in hopes that they’ll stick around after the pandemic is over.
On the content generation side, Leonard said Storyblocks hasn’t had any issues with uploading new content to the website, though he credits that mainly to the pandemic giving the company time to sort through its backlog.
“We have six months of a backlog to work through,” Leonard said. “If the stay at home order goes longer than six months that could be an issue.”
As the company continues to grow, Leonard said his sights are on expanding into the international market. On the homefront, Leonard said Arlington remains a solid place for a tech startup headquarters.
“Being in Arlington has been incredible for attracting top talent,” Leonard said. “We put a ton of value on our team and on our culture. It’s a team that’s analytical and understands direct marketing. Being in Arlington has helped. It’s a diverse community and we are able to pull from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.”
Leonard added that he’s not worried about talent from his team, which is barely over 100 people, being poached by Amazon when the tech giant comes to town.
“Here, you’re not a cog in a machine,” Leonard said. “You have a chance to make a daily impact. We’re very rarely competing for the same type of individual.”
Photo courtesy Storyblocks
This week’s Arts Focus asks for your inspiration and input for a flexible outdoor arts and gathering space planned for 2700 South Nelson Street in Green Valley.
Today’s Listing of the Day features a 3 BD/3 BA home with over 2,000 square feet of living space and a hands-free kitchen faucet.
Expect extra police patrols around Arlington schools today in the wake of yesterday’s deadly elementary school shooting in Texas. “ACPD officers are conducting extra patrols near Arlington schools,” Arlington County…
Crystal City’s Amazon Fresh is looking at a summer opening, a company spokesperson confirms. Back in February, a mystery was solved when it was confirmed that an Amazon Fresh grocery…


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The 2018 SEAT Ateca FR has invigorating different crossover which took the market by storm last year and now obtains a special treatment to make it even more alluring to the buyers. The vehicle is set to be publicly divulged in Barcelona International Motor Show, and ready to be seen by the public not only as fully fledged high-performance SUV but a stunning and sportier trim level. It is also situated slightly below the XCellence range.
According to the Vice President of Research and Development at SEAT, Matthias Rabe, they added a sporty character on the FR version of Ateca's rich technological possibilities. The first SUV model promises a dynamic and enjoyable ride by adding the Progressive Steering System to its agile and sharp handling characteristics.
The 2018 SEAT Ateca FR comes with new bumpers and lustrous black radiator grille, which adds to its sporty lure. In addition, it also comes with exclusive LED fog lamps, FR logos and contrasting red stitching that marked the FR's cabin out from the standard Atecas.
The pedals of the FR are now skim aluminum while the door and roof trims boast a new glossy black finish. A set of 18-inch alloy wheels and twin exhaust tips also completes the Ateca's FR makeover.
The vehicle is exclusively accessible with a 187 hp turbocharge 2.0-liter petrol engine, which is capable of producing 190-horsepower. FR also comes with a six-speed manual transmission and DSG two-clutch automatic gearboxes that support the car's acceleration from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds.
Meanwhile, the 2018 SEAT Ateca FR is set to kick off Barcelona next month. It is anticipated to be one of the featured vehicles in the Automobile Barcelona Show. The latest SUV should illustrate in more crowds and ultimately translate to more sales as it is made accessible in the dealership. Not only does it scream sporty for its outermost and under the hood, but the inside also showcased a well-planned styling that offers a lot of comfort for the passengers.


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With the recent approval and release of an NMEA 2000 Lighting Control Standard by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA,) Shadow-Caster Lighting is announcing their coordinated release of the first lighting controller to follow the standard.
Since 2017, Shadow-Caster’s President, Brian Rogers, has been the chair of the committee for developing the NMEA 2000 lighting standard. After years of combined efforts with other industry partners the NMEA200 Lighting Standard was approved and published on August 27, 2021.
Shadow-Caster LED Lighting is proud to present their new NMEA 2000 Certified Lighting Controllers: the Light Commander Series which will be premiering at the IBEX Show in Tampa, FL on September 25-29th. Simrad and the other Navico brands will be the first industry partners to provide interface support for the NMEA 2000 lighting standard.
A note from our President:
“When we started developing digitally controllable underwater lights over a decade ago, there was an absence of industry standardized lighting control messages for the marine environment. We developed our own set of control messages and labeled it Shadow-NET. In the following years we continued to expand our range of CAN based lighting products and controllers.
About five years ago, I was approached by the NMEA to lead to standardize lighting control. The developed suite of lighting control messages has now been finalized and published by the NMEA, and I am proud to announce that we will be releasing the first fully compatible product to support these messages.
The universal light messages allow users to plug into the NMEA 2000 network backbone and quickly understand what lights are available on a network and provide control for them. The vessel’s onboard electronics systems will now be able to effectively communicate with each other to optimize the operator’s lighting experience.
The amount of interoperability and new levels of integration that can be achieved by standardizing these control messages is immeasurable. It will now be possible for the systems to lock out or enable certain colors or to have visibility of what lights are on the vessel. e.g. he boats Security systems will have a standard message to turn lights on when it detects a threat. This new implementation will change the way that engineers think about lighting in marine systems.”
Brian Rogers, President
Shadow-Caster LED Lighting


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DP World and the Government of Senegal have laid the foundation stone to mark the start of the construction of the new 1.2m teu-Port of Ndayane, 50 km from the existing port of Dakar.
The investment of more than $1bn in two phases to develop Port Ndayane, is DP World’s largest port investment in Africa to date, and the largest single private investment in the history of Senegal.
The ceremony was attended by H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.
“The development of modern, quality port infrastructure is vital for economic development. With the Port of Ndayane, Senegal will have state-of-the-art port infrastructure that will reinforce our country’s position as a major trade hub and gateway in West Africa. It will unlock significant economic opportunities for local businesses, create jobs, and increase Senegal’s attractiveness to foreign investors,” said the President of Senegal Macky Sall.
“We are pleased to extend our collaboration with DP World to this project, which has already delivered great results with the operation of the container terminal at the Port of Dakar.”
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World said: “As the leading enabler of global trade, we will bring all our expertise, technology and capability to this port project, the completion of which will support Senegal’s development over the next century. We thank President Sall, his government, and the Port Authority for the trust and confidence placed in us,”
Phase 1 of the development of the port will include a container terminal with 840m of quay and a new 5km marine channel designed to handle two 336m-vessels simultaneously, and capable of handling the largest container vessels in the world. In phase two, an additional container quay of 410m will be developed.
DP World’s plans also include the development of an economic/industrial zone next to the port and near the Blaise Diagne International Airport, creating an integrated multimodal transportation, logistics and industrial hub.
Source: Seatrade Maritime News


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Tesla bill on auto sales dead at Arizona Legislature
A bill to allow Tesla Motors to sell its cars directly to consumers in Arizona is dead at the Legislature.
Republican state Sen. John McComish said House Bill 2123 is not being considered by the Arizona Senate. The measure would have lifted current prohibitions on auto manufacturers selling directly to consumers instead of going through dealerships.
Tesla — which is considering Arizona, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico for a $5 billion battery factory— wanted to change those rules. Car dealers oppose the change.
McComish, who sides with Tesla, said the measure is not progressing in the Senate and the 2014 session is winding down.
“It’s the Senate president’s prerogative to put something up or not. It appears like it’s not,” McComish said of Senate President Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert.
The legislative session is slated to end next week. Biggs could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
Bobbi Sparrow, president of the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association, also confirmed she’s been told the Tesla bill is dead for this year.
Tesla has lobbied hard for auto sales rule changes in Arizona, Texas and other states. Company representatives have said the auto sales rules are not a direct consideration on where to locate the 6,500-worker, 10 million square foot plant.
But others worry it could work against Arizona’s efforts to attract the Tesla plant to Pinal County, Tucson or the West Valley.
“It can’t help,” McComish said of the site selection and Arizona’s auto rules.
Texas also is considering auto sales rules changes and Gov. Rick Perry has voiced support for the idea.
Mike Sunnucks writes about residential and commercial real estate, government, law, sports business and workplace issues.
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U.S.-sanctioned Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies Co. said its revenue rose by 24.4% in the first three quarters this year despite a U.S. export ban.
The company Wednesday posted strong revenue of 610.8 billion yuan ($86.1 billion) during January to September in an unaudited earnings report, providing a snapshot of its quarterly business performance, which is not required for a private company. Huawei’s sales revenue in the third quarter were about 209.5 billion yuan, according to Caixin’s calculation.
In May, Huawei was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Entity List, effectively banning the Chinese company from doing business with American suppliers without government approval.
The Shenzhen-based company didn’t disclose net profit during the first nine months, but it said the net profit margin was 8.7% in the period.
Huawei, which is the world’s second-largest smartphone vendor after South Korea’s Samsung, said global shipments jumped 26% to 185 million units in the first three quarters even its American partner Google stopped providing licensed Android service and popular apps such as Gmail for Huawei’s newly released handsets.
Huawei also said it has signed more than 60 5G commercial contracts with carriers worldwide to date, defying the U.S. administration’s efforts to lobby other markets in the world to exclude equipment from the telecommunication giant from their 5G construction projects.
Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (firstname.lastname@example.org)