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The Netherlands reported on the decision to restrict the export of certain equipment that is necessary for the production of semiconductors, to China.
This decision is part of an international US campaign to restrict sales of computer chip technology to China. As part of these efforts, the American government is taking measures in the space of its economic and legal system, as well as encouraging other countries to take similar actions.
The Dutch government, commenting on the introduction of restrictive measures, did not mention the influence of the United States in this matter. The Dutch authorities have stated that the new regulations regarding the export of equipment to China are due to national security interests.
The Chinese government has already commented on the restrictions, saying that this decision does not meet the interests of any of the parties. The Chinese authorities also noted that the rule canceling the possibility of exporting equipment will have an impact on the chip manufacturing process and will become a negative factor for the supply chain.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said that this country opposes the abuse of export controls by the United States. She also stated the extremely negative perception of the American practice of forcing other countries to participate in the technological blockade of China.
Currently, there is a confrontation between the American and Chinese sides in the sphere of control over the supply of semiconductors. In the context of this situation, the United States pays special attention to limiting China’s ability to have access to chips that are necessary for artificial intelligence and supercomputers.
The money turnover of the chip industry currently stands at $500 billion. Experts predict that this figure will double by 2030. The confrontation within this sphere is understandable and to a certain extent natural. In the era of high technology, the superpower will be the country that fully controls the supply chain of chips.
In October last year, the United States decided on large-scale export restrictions on the supply of American chip-manufacturing tools to China. The U.S. government justified this decision by the fact that such products can be used for the development of the armed forces.
The level of effectiveness of these restrictions significantly increases if the relevant practice is not an initiative of a single country, but an international campaign. The decision of the Netherlands is a step towards the formation of a kind of coalition of the appropriate purpose.
The Dutch government has stated that the restrictions on its part are not all-consuming. From September 1, the date of entry into force of the new measures, the authorities will leave opportunities for the export of separate advanced equipment necessary for the production of semiconductors. This decision is particularly sensitive for ASML, the largest Dutch company. This firm is one of the world leaders in the production of chip equipment.
ASML has declared its intention to comply with all EU and US export regulations. The Company also believes that the new restrictions will not have a significant impact on its financial position.
Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands said that certain chips could become an essential element in the modernization of the military industry. According to her, this circumstance is an example of the fact that the lack of control measures in the export of goods and technologies can pose a threat to national security. According to her, the Netherlands has an additional responsibility in this regard, because the country occupies a significant position in the technology sector.
As we have reported earlier, New US Ban To Restrict Access of China’s AI Firms to Chips.


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Realme is currently dominating the Indian smartphone market with back to back phone launches. At almost every launch event, Realme talks about Xiaomi because it's the leading smartphone brand in the country right now. Back at the Realme 3 Pro launch event in India, Realme India CEO, Madhav Sheth, said that the company will not sell ads like Xiaomi. However, that isn't the case anymore. Realme officially confirmed that it will place ads inside the system apps on smartphones running ColorOS 6 and above. Similar to Xiaomi, Realme also operates on very little profit margin when it comes to hardware and the move to place ads inside ColorOS will not surprise many.
Realme Smartphones Now Display Ads Inside System Apps
A couple of months ago, we spotted ads on the Realme 1 running ColorOS 6.0. Back then, Realme said that it was 'Beta' software and there's no need to worry about. And now, the company has officially announced the Realme phones running ColorOS 6.0 or above will display 'commercial content recommendations.' Realme phones will display the content recommendations or ads in two places- the Phone Manager app and the Security Check page after an app gets downloaded from the Google Play Store.
That said, there are just two places which will show ads on Realme phones, but the list may get bigger over the period of time. Xiaomi also displays ads inside MIUI and there was a time when users even spotted ads in the Settings app. Xiaomi also shows ads in various in-built apps like Music, Video and on the App Valut page. Notably, Xiaomi is not placing ads inside the MIUI on Redmi K20 phones- the Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro. But Realme did not confirm anything as such and the company's officials are silent on this aspect. If Realme shows ads even on the Realme X2 Pro, then it will be a deal breaker for a lot of people who purchased the device.
How to Disable Ads on Realme Smartphones?
Having said that, Realme is allowing the users to switch the 'commercial content recommendations' with just a few simple steps. For those who don't want to see these recommendations in the two places mentioned above, there's a simple workaround to disable it. Head over to Settings>Additional Settings>Get Recommendations and disable it. By defaut, the feature will be enabled, so you have to follow the above step to disable the recommendations. This is an easy process which every Realme smartphone user on ColorOS 6.0 can follow.
In MIUI, the process of disabling ads is slightly difficult and we have detailed it over here. Xiaomi was rumoured to introduce a 'switch' inside the Settings app to allow users disable the ads, but that feature never saw the light of the day.
Realme Following the Footsteps of Xiaomi in Every Aspect
For years now, Xiaomi dominated the Indian smartphone market and it was unchallenged in the industry. But in 2019, every smartphone brand upped the ante; Samsung introduced Galaxy M and A series of phones at competitive prices and Realme went head on with Xiaomi in every price range. In 2019, Realme challenged Xiaomi in almost every price range and it will continue in 2020 as well. In the first half of January 2020, we may see Xiaomi launching the Mi Note 10 and Redmi K30 phones in the Indian market which are expected to come at aggressive prices after the Realme X2 India launch.

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Mercury-Laden Skin Lightening Creams Flooding Amazon and eBay
The quest for flawless and fairer skin has skyrocketed beauty and skin care, one of the biggest industries in the world. Leading in this pursuit are skin lighteners with potent and sometimes dangerous ingredients. Of much concern though is beauty and skin care products infused with mercury, a dangerous skin bleaching chemical.
In our continued advocacy for safer skin lightening methods, we take a look at the online marketplaces sale of mercury, and in particular, we focus on the discovery of Mercury laden products on Amazon and eBay. Additionally, we will let you in on a global initiative to curb the supply and demand of mercury.
Are online stores like Amazon and eBay safe?
Since the advice to buy authentic and safe products is “always buy from recognized sellers”, it is only normal to assume that you are safer buying from online store giants like Amazon and eBay, except you are not! Dangerous Mercury laden products were indeed listed for sale on both websites as recently as 12th November 2018.
In an effort by the Sierra Club, Mercury Project Club and the European Environmental Bureau to verify worldwide claims of high Mercury levels in skin lightening creams, several skin lightening products were purchased from Amazon and eBay on 12th November 2018. Some of them had been identified to contain high levels of Mercury by New York City, The European Union, UAE, the State of Minnesota and Singapore among other governments.
The products were tested and the results couldn’t be clearer; 19 products had Mercury content of up to 10,000 times the normal threshold of 1 ppm. Considering the dangerous effects associated with skin lightening ingredients such as Mercury, the uproar was imminent; more than 50 civil groups reacted to the disclosure. They wrote to the 2 online stores calling on them to ensure the safety of the products they sell by ensuring that they are within government regulations, are not in the list of toxic products and are approved before sale.
The Narrative is the Same Worldwide
Despite widespread awareness on the dangers of mercury, manufacturers and suppliers continue to trade in mercury products. In most cases, proper labelling lacks in these products, which leaves customers exposed and none the wiser.
In an effort to bring this into light, recent research was released by the Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG). The research centred on the mercury content of 238 skin lightening creams collected from 22 countries, in 2017 and 2018.
10% (34) of the creams were found to contain dangerous levels of mercury ranging from 93 to 16,353 ppm (parts per million), which is way above the permitted levels of 1 ppm. What’s more worrying is that in some countries like Bangladesh, about 50% the sampled creams had over 1 ppm of mercury content.
If that does not get your blood boiling, consider this; 15 of the 22 countries have laws against sale and distribution of mercury creams. To add on to that, among the 7 countries whose samples had very high levels of mercury, 3 had no legislation against beauty products with more than 1 ppm of mercury.
This is just one report in a series of others that highlight the failure or lack of actionable measures to stop mercury creams from finding their way into shelves.
The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) Initiative
ZMWG is a coalition of public interest environmental and non-governmental organisations. The coalition was formed in 2005 and comprises of over 95 member groups spread in over 50 countries. ZMWG is a brainchild of European Environmental Bureau and the Mercury Policy Project.
The group’s mission is to “advocate and support the adoption and implementation of a legally binding instrument which contains mandatory obligations to eliminate where feasible, and otherwise minimize, the global supply and trade of mercury, the global demand for mercury, anthropogenic releases of mercury to the environment, and human and wildlife exposure to mercury”, as outlined in ZMWG’s official website.
Actions Taken by ZMWG
The group has taken several steps towards fulfilling its mission. These are well-crafted actions which have been ongoing in several phases, starting in November 2004 to date. Here are some highlights;
- Being on the forefront of the United Nations’ mercury banning initiative, which has seen the ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. This has “resulted in establishing an effective Convention operational framework for achieving significant mercury reductions.”
- Holding awareness and brainstorming events with stakeholders across the globe.
- Calling on suppliers, including online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to stop the sale of mercury-laden skin care products.
- Lobbying governments to comply with mercury reduction initiatives.
- Bringing attention to the continued dumping, by EU members, of mercury-cell chlor-alkali plants on developing countries.
Although mercury is useful in various applications, including as a material in scientific equipment, it’s highly toxic to humans, animals and the environment in general. Its skin lightening abilities, however, make it a common ingredient in skin care products such as topical creams and makeup.
Unfortunately, these products are found everywhere; from the smallest local store to the biggest online shops such as Amazon and eBay. In a bid to stop this liquid metal from finding its way to OTC products, and possibly phasing out its industrial use, ZMWG is one organization that’s truly doing its part.


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In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and Google are close to finalizing a deal in which Google would pay a $22.5 Million fine for circumventing the privacy settings for some of its users. The issue focuses around Google’s exploitation of a loophole in the privacy settings of Apple’s Safari Internet browser. Read More.
In addition to Thriving Attorney, Darin M. Klemchuk is founder of Klemchuk LLP, a litigation, intellectual property, and transactional law firm located in Dallas, Texas. He also co-founded Project K, a charity devoted to changing the world one random act of kindness at a time. Click to read more about Darin Klemchuk's practice as an intellectual property lawyer.


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Audacious bid got partners in on the ground floor with a new brand.
Even a consummate salesman could be forgiven for being daunted by the prospect of shifting 700 vacuum cleaners.
But it was a euphoric moment for Brett Avery and Mark Robinson when a 12m container filled with Dyson vacuum cleaners docked 15 years ago.
For the childhood friends, still only in their mid-20s, it was the end of months of planning and the start of selling.
Robinson and Avery had won a pitch to exclusively distribute Dyson vacuum cleaners in New Zealand, beating some of the big guys in appliance distribution.
Avery says they don't know why they were awarded the rights, but suspects their single-minded focus on just the one brand fitted with Dyson's strategy at the time.
"At the end of the day we didn't know the word 'no', so we were going to make it happen, we had to make it happen, we had everything on the line," Avery says.
In 1997 the Dyson vacuum cleaner was itself new on the market.
Created by British inventor James Dyson, after 15 years work and more than 5000 prototypes, it launched in 1993 with its innovative bagless operation and funky design.
Within two years of launch it was the number one selling vacuum cleaner in Britain.
"That was a very good success story that we were able to tell in selling it in New Zealand," says Robinson. "We had some good figures and some good data out of the UK showing the success of the product."
The timing was also right, says Robinson.
When it launched in New Zealand, vacuum cleaner prices were on a downward spiral and the Dyson offered consumers and retailers something new and revolutionary at a higher price point, says Robinson.
The pair still have the call sheet listing the retailers they visited in the first month of sales. It covers the length and breadth of the country, with stops everywhere from the big name appliance retailers to owner-operated stores.
Robinson can recall the elation of his first sale.
"I sat down and had lunch with a retailer up north, a little independent, and two and a half hours later I rang Brett and said 'right, we're under way. I've got an order and it's three units'."
Within two weeks the first shipment had sold out and nine months later Dyson was the number one selling brand by value in the country.
In some respects the pair had a foot in the door, with inside knowledge of appliance retailing.
Not only had Robinson worked in the sector but they appointed their fathers, Sir Noel Robinson and Ron Avery, as external directors to provide an independent sounding board.
As the nephew of Fisher & Paykel co-founder the late Woolf Fisher, and former owner of appliance maker Robinson Industries, Sir Noel had some good contacts and insights for the duo.
Avery says it has been vital for the business to have people who are independent from the day-to-day running of the company to test ideas on.
While the two say the retail landscape hasn't changed a lot since they began in 1997, with many of the same people and relationships still in place, the Dyson products certainly have.
Their first sales were the DC01 and DC02 models; the current model on the shop floor is the DC41.
Dyson employ 750 engineers, resulting not just in the constant evolution of its vacuum cleaners, but also the introduction of new products - hand dryers, fans, heaters and hand-held vacuum cleaners.
"For us, as a distributor, even though we only do the one brand the new product categories that have come on board have added to the business greatly," says Robinson.
New Zealanders spend $52 million on vacuum cleaners and related products each year and Dyson is still the number one brand by value, holding 24 per cent of the market.
Avery says the company expanded its sales team in 2010, bringing its total headcount to 19, and the investment has paid off in the weak retail environment.
He says consumers are more cautious about their spending but that has meant they are more likely to do their research and buy a quality product.
"People are over paying good money for bad products," says Robinson.
The pair credit their strong partnership for their success.
And their very supportive wives, adds Robinson.
After 15 years it has lasted longer than many marriages, something they put down to trust, loyalty, consultation and very few arguments.
"I don't think we would have had more than one or two to be fair, and even at the end of those we'll go 'OK, we've had that discussion, let's go and have a beer' and that's it and it's over," says Robinson. "Everything has always been very open and transparent between the two of us."


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Ankara, Turkey – President Erdogan’s call for a boycott of French products was announced by international news agencies with the code ‘urgent’, while the world’s media made headlines. In the wake of the boycott call, France’s most authoritative name on trade came back. In France, meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron has been harshly criticized, saying he has completely lost control over President Erdogan.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yesterday in Ankara, “from here I appeal to my nation. Don’t ever compliment French brands, don’t buy them,” he said. President Erdogan’s call for a boycott of French goods came after France’s most authoritative name on trade came back.
French Trade Minister Franck Riester said it was premature to say what the impact of the boycotts would be.
“For now, we’re just following up on how developments will happen in the coming days,” Trade Minister Riester said.
Riester also told RTL radio that ‘there will be no retaliation against Turkey’ in response to Turkey’s boycott calls.
Riester also said they would continue relations and talks with Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Among those calling for a boycott of French products are troops in Jordan, Yemen, Kuwait, Qatar, as well as Turkey.
French hair care and beauty products in some supermarkets in Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen and Qatar have been removed from shelves after French President Emmanuel Macron defended his right to display cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
In Kuwait, the Association of Consumer cooperation Associations has called for a boycott of French products. In Egypt, some politicians have also launched a boycott campaign against French products.
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), which is affiliated with several Islamic institutions in Australia, and the Australian National Imams Council (anic), which represents about 180 Imams across the country, including the Australian Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamad, strongly condemned and rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks.
‘It is clear that Macron has lost control and he must resign, ” said AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid, who stressed that Macron has given the green light to xenophobia and Islamophobia by turning people in his country against each other because of his failed leadership. the phrase ’ used.
According to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Eymen es-Safedi, who met with French Ambassador Veronique Volan in Amman, informed him of his country’s position that “it does not accept the publication of cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad”.
Foreign Minister Safedi stressed that in the name of freedom of expression, insults to the Prophet Muhammad and other prophets will not be accepted in any way.
“We strongly condemn the mind-boggling campaign in France against the person of the Prophet Muhammad, the symbol of coexistence and tolerance, and the religion of Islam adopted by hundreds of millions around the world,” the Supreme Islamic Council of the Algerian presidency said in a written statement.”they were used.
In the Moroccan parliament, the ruling and opposition deputies rejected the anti-Islam stance of the French authorities, stating that insulting the Prophet Muhammad could not be accepted.
Similar protests have been seen in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip. The label created in Saudi Arabia for a boycott of a French grocery chain became the second most popular label on social media on Sunday.
The French authorities ‘ recent anti-Islamic stance has prompted reactions from institutions such as the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Organization for Islamic Education, Science and culture (ISESCO) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as from various Arab countries.
Macron posted on his social media account “we will never bow down” over the protests, while the French Foreign Ministry said there was “no basis” for calls for a boycott by a “radical minority.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking in Ankara yesterday, said: “From Here I appeal to my nation. Don’t ever compliment French brands, don’t buy them,” he said.
“Turkish President Erdogan has called for a boycott of French goods,” French news agency AFP said in a last-minute statement.
“Turkish President Erdogan has urged Turks not to buy French products,” British news agency Reuters reported.”he passed with the sentence.
“President Erdogan has called for a boycott of French goods amid controversy over Macron’s stance against radical Islam,” the British Daily Mail reported.
“Erdogan calls for boycott of French goods,” the British broadcaster BBC announced the latest news.
Bloomberg announced Erdogan’s call as “Turkish President Erdogan calls for a boycott of French products, saying it is hostile towards Muslims.”
“President Erdogan has called on the Turks to boycott French goods,” Russian news agency Sputnik said in a statement, codenamed “urgent.”
‘Erdogan calls for a boycott of French products,’ Le Figaro newspaper said, commenting that the diplomatic crisis between Turkey and France is getting worse.
“Erdogan has called for a boycott of French goods in the middle of a debate with Macron,” Israeli television channel i24NEWS said in a “last-minute” announcement.
“President Erdogan has called on the Turkish people to never buy French products, “the news portal Horn said in a last-minute statement.
“Erdogan has dealt a second humiliating blow to French President Emmanuel Macron, who says his calls to boycott French products are the work of a “radical minority,” ” news website The New Arab reported.” said.
India-based NDTV announced the news with the phrase “Erdogan calls for a boycott of French goods.”
“Erdogan has called on the Turks to boycott French goods,” Lebanon’s English-language newspaper The Daily Star Lebanon announced.
“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called for a boycott of French products,” Pakistan’s Times of lsIamabad said.
‘He lost control over Erdogan’
In France, Former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon said French President Emmanuel Macron had completely lost control over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said he would not support Macron.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the former presidential candidate in France and leader of the ‘unyielding France, ‘ has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron. Melenchon said the best thing Macron could do would be to ‘stay quiet’, saying he had completely lost control over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Speaking to French media, Melenchon said: “Instead of begging for support now, the president better think about what his strategy will be. What is Macron thinking of doing other than tweeting?” said.
Melenchon said Macron had completely lost control, adding: “last night President Macron sent out a series of tweets that no one understood why. Macron has completely lost control of the situation,” he said.
Erdogan comment: Islam could split the world in two
President Erdogan’s call for a boycott of French goods sat on the agenda of the international community yesterday. “Erdogan’s call for a boycott could split the Islamic world in two,” US media commented.
He commented on Erdogan’s call yesterday to “boycott French products.”
“Erdogan’s call for a boycott of French products could divide the Islamic world in two,” the news said, adding that “French President Macron faced a backlash from leaders of countries such as Pakistan and Algeria, who were uncomfortable with his statements on Islam. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led the response by calling for a boycott on Monday and took the opportunity to put himself forward as the leader of the Muslim world,” the statement said.
“Turkey, unlike France, felt the first economic impact, although other countries also reacted, ” the analysis said. The Turkish lira and the stock market fell as Erdogan announced that a new tension between Ankara and the West could ignite the fuse. Erdogan’s call became the agenda on Arab social media at the end of the week. In many supermarkets, French cheese, yoghurt and cosmetics have been removed from shelves. There has also been a call not to go to French supermarket chain Carrefour SA,” the statement said.
It is not yet clear what extent the boycott will reach, while those who support the call of Turkey and Erdogan, as well as those who support the administration of Saudi Arabia and Riyadh, commented that the Islamic world is divided into two parts. Iran and Qatar have received a similar reaction from Turkey, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have supported France.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar on the grounds that it has links to Iran. At that time, Turkey supported Qatar and helped the Doha administration overcome the shock of the embargo.
President Erdogan has previously called for a boycott of US products.
Turkey’s boycott of French products will have an impact, he said. “it will have an impact on the NATO ally. Turkey is France’s 16th largest trading partner last year. Another country among France’s 20 largest commercial transactions is Morocco. The sum of France’s trade with these two countries is lower than that of Ireland. Ireland’s economy is half that of Turkey,” he said.
Arnoud van Doorn, a politician who chose Islam in the Netherlands and became a Muslim, reacted very harshly to the hostility of Islam that broke out in ayyuka in France. “Keep boycotting French products and don’t give in to French diplomatic pressure,” Van Doorn said. Recall the ambassadors if necessary. Show that Muslims are now serious this time. He said enough.
Arnoud van Doorn, who left the far-right Freedom Party in the Netherlands and chose Islam, reacted to the French government’s targeting of Muslims in the country.
Doorn, the leader of the Unity Party, has made statements in France about the Macron administration’s recent targeting of Muslims and places of worship.
Doorn said the attack on Muslims in France was alarming, but that it was not new, adding: “the’fight against extremism’ is an excuse. What has been done is not about ‘extremism’ but about Islam. For Macron, this may be election material, but it is a European agenda aimed specifically at creating a ‘modern’, ‘liberal’ or ‘Western’ understanding of Islam. This created understanding of Islam aims to literally assimilate Muslims and destroy Islamic identity., “he said.
Doorn stated that France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Hungary are at the forefront of Europe in denigrating Muslims.:
“As I said, France’s attitude is no exception. But France has dropped the mask of ‘freedom’ and ‘equality’ by expelling imams, closing mosques and putting Islamic schools under the direct supervision of the state. For this reason, France appears to be a testing ground for Europe’s anti-Muslim political plans. Prime Minister Rutte’s apparent support of Macron’s anti-Muslim statements proves this. The Netherlands ranks in the top 3 among anti-Islam countries.”
“Continue to boycott French products and do not give in to French diplomatic pressure,” Doorn said, noting that there are very serious steps to be taken by Islamic countries. Recall the ambassadors if necessary. Show that Muslims are now serious this time. Enough is enough.” said.
“We also need to be aware that there are many people in our community who directly or indirectly serve the government’s agenda for money or status,” Doorn said. In order to fight the undermining of the rights of Muslims and to protect Islamic identity, we must unite and establish collectives operating in these areas such as law, media, politics, education,” he said.
In France, similar practices have been seen in different cities in the country, with the Macron administration recently targeting Muslims and places of worship.
In the country’s cities of Montpellier and Toulouse, in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine district near Paris, offensive cartoons of the French humor magazine Charlie Hebdo against the Prophet Muhammad were projected on the walls of official buildings “in memory” of the teacher who was beheaded last week.
In his statement, Macron said they would not stop publishing cartoons aimed at the Prophet Muhammad.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal attack against French counterpart Emmanuel Macron marks a “new level” for Turkey, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday.
President Erdogan lashed out against Macron in a speech on Saturday, saying he had a problem with Muslims and had mental health problems.
France denounced his comments as “unacceptable” and called on the Turkish president to “change the course of his policy because it is dangerous in every way.”
It also recalled its ambassador to Turkey for consultations.
On Sunday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who called on Turkey “to stop this dangerous spiral of confrontation.”
President Erdogan calls on Turks not to buy French goods
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on Monday for Turks never to buy French goods, as he continued his sharp criticism of French leader Emmanuel Macron over his attitude towards Muslims.
President Erdogan said on Saturday Macron had a problem with Muslims and needed mental checks – a rebuke that caused France to recall its ambassador from Turkey. He made similar comments the next day and again on Monday in a speech in Turkey.


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Ahead of its mega campaign, the new brand ambassadors along with the existing stars will help Myntra in targeting consumers across the nation and engage with the fans of these celebrities.
Myntra has signed up Hrithik Roshan, Vijay Deverakonda, and Dulquer Salmaan as its newest brand ambassadors, alongside the existing celebrity ambassadors, Kiara Advani, and Samantha Akkineni.
With the combined star power of these celebrities from different regions, who are loved and admired for their acting prowess and fashion quotient, Myntra aims to unleash one of its biggest line-ups of star-studded brand commercials and help enhance aspiration for the brand among the fashion-forward customers.
Speaking on the announcement of the new brand ambassadors and the launch of the brand campaign, Harish Narayanan, CMO, Myntra, said, “We are elated to welcome all the superstars to the Myntra family. These top fashion icons, who are also acclaimed fashion connoisseurs, will be a part of Myntra’s biggest star-studded campaign ever. The campaign will strongly reinforce Myntra’s position as ‘India’s Fashion Expert’ with differentiated fashion offerings and an unparalleled shopping experience pivoted on technology. This campaign will cut across demographics and build a deeper relationship with our customers across the country.”
Last year, the brand partnered with Kiara Advani as Myntra’s nationwide face and Samantha Akkineni as the face of the Southern market.


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Oh yeah, and I would like another BloodRayne. I won't lie... I played the first one and loved it... and "liked" the second. I know they were not very good games, but they have so MUCH potential, and they fill such a large gaming void. Hell, the movie could have been good if Uwe "SoulKiller" Boll didn't get his hands on it.
Once-crippled game maker reverses fortunes during 2008 fiscal year, posting $2.1 million income on revenues of $63.9 million.
Here's a shock for anyone who has kept abreast of Majesco's epic rise and fall over the past few years: The company has attained profitability during its 2008 fiscal year. The news comes by way of the company's fourth-quarter fiscal results, released this week, which revealed that the August-October quarter sales reached $18 million, a 51 percent spike from a year before. Fiscal year-end revenues stood at $63.9 million, an increase of 25 percent from the year-ago period.
"Our strong financial performance in 2008 reflects the successful execution of our plan and confirms we're on the right path," said CEO Jesse Sutton, who was named to the company's highest position in December 2007. "For the year, we exceeded our updated guidance on revenue and achieved profitability."
In marked contrast to Majesco's fiscal 2007 performance, the company pulled in a net income of $2.1 million for the year ended October 31, up from a net loss of $4.8 million a year ago. Operating income also saw a significant turnaround during the year, landing $1.5 million in the black as compared to a loss of $3.8 million in fiscal 2007.
As part of its turnaround roadmap established in 2007, Majesco shifted its focus from top-tier, big-budget game development to mass-market-friendly casual titles primarily for Nintendo's best-selling Wii and DS. The move has paid dividends for the New Jersey-based game maker, with its Cooking Mama franchise, Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum, Wild Earth, and Wonder World all named by Majesco as top sellers during the year.
In addition to recapping its fiscal 2008 performance, Majesco provided initial guidance for the coming year. The company expects to maintain profitability in 2009, with net revenues projected to surpass $70 million. In all, Majesco plans to release 31 titles during the year, 15 for the Wii and 16 for the DS.
"We expect to further build on our success in 2009," said Sutton in a statement. "We believe we are well positioned to benefit from consumer trends given our focus on the fastest-growing segment of the gaming industry. We have a proven and disciplined business model and a management team that is committed to growing the company in a profitable manner."
I'd buy a Psychonauts 2 and a really packed Cooking Mama on the ps3/360/wii. Hell, nintendo would probably make a new peripheral for it, ahnd majesco would make a fortuneselling GOOD games!
I just went looking through the GS database. Majesco used to make a lot of bad games. Guess they figured that issue out.
Ultrabeatdown: Is it sad that I have all the Cooking Mama games? ====================== No, is it sad that I enjoyed Dora the Explorer: Journey to the Purple Planet?
If your a gamer this is good and bad news. It's good news because more gaming companies=more variety in games. At the same time this is bad because all their great titles that just didn't sell well won't be made because these cheap easy casual games are more profitable. Hopefully they can find a way to do both and still be profitable.
well though i have no interest in mejesco games, but it is still a good news. Now will you plzzzzz give the reins of Advent Rising to another publisher, i am dying to see what happens next in that game.
To XtremeTrixX, I emailed them a while back to ask that question, and they actually answered. According to the response, the rights to the game were sold. Sadly, they never told me to whom it was.
Sweet! I'd like another BloodRayne! Too bad we can't get another Advent Rising. Majesco did have a lot of great games, but some really terrible ones as well.
Majesco, now that making games for Nintendo has put you in the black, please make a Bloodrayne game for the Wii. Yeah thats right fellow Gamespot members I want another Bloodrayne video game. Flame me all you want. I don't care.
congrats ...im glad to see some the gaming community has someone who knows how to survive a huge pending economy crisis
Yeah this a good thing... It's just too bad it's on THOSE kind of games -_-. Well I am happy for them, as a gamer, it's never fun to see a video game compagny go under. At least, as long they are "alive" they might change a bit their focus in the futur, once things are back in the green.
I'm glad Cooking Mama is doing well mainly because PETA hates it, but I hope they can start doing some more awesome games like Psychonauts.
Hey, this bad news! "We expect to further build on our success in 2009." That sounds like a threat to me.
Great to see them making money, though its too bad they couldn't remain profitable doing what they used to do. This is the company that brought us Phantom Dust and I will always thank them for that. That game is in my top 10 best ever in terms of pure fun, it even knocked Halo 2 out of my Xbox. No doubt companies have to make money, just too bad a great company like Majesco can only make money on Cooking Mama with the current game market.
Can't say I have any love for current Majesco games, but it sure is nice to see someone making money!
Avalanche Studios co-founder says developer's ambition is for action, not moments that make players cry; steampunk-style game on hold. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 6:33 am PT
4A Games creative director Andrew Prokhorov thanks Jason Rubin for telling the studio's story, but says, "We deserve the ratings we get." Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 12:44 pm PT


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The first electrical AVANT articulated loader taken into use at Menkehorst
Posted on 10 February 2017
During our spring fair, the keys of the first AVANT E5 in Europe were handed over. As our company values sustainable, eco-friendly production of our crops greatly, purchasing this new electrical AVANT made for a logical, informed investment. As such, we are proud to be the first company in Europe to start working with an electrically powered AVANT.
Tom Raepers with Avant Machinery: ‘Consumers and manufacturers alike are much more environmentally minded these days, and regulations regarding machine emissions are becoming increasingly strict. With its battery-powered articulated loader, Avant is responding to the growing demand for electrical machinery that causes less noise pollution and has zero emission of harmful substances.
Back to the news overview


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It’s the controversial app that is being blamed for killing London’s black cab industry. Uber is facing tough opposition, and not just from angry taxi drivers – even Transport for London (TfL) has made proposals to curtail its success.
But figures obtained by Motoring Research reveal that the booming private hire car sector could be doing a substantial amount to reduce harmful emissions in the city – with the hybrid Toyota Prius being the most popular car with drivers of private hire vehicles.
A Freedom of Information investigation by Motoring Research quizzed Transport for London on the most popular licensed private hire vehicles across Greater London, and discovered that 12,429 Toyota Prius minicabs are currently registered.
It sees the Prius top the list of private hire cars, ahead of conventional fuel vehicles such as the Ford Galaxy. A total of 10,052 Ford Galaxy people carriers are registered as private hire vehicles with TfL.
Toyota GB’s general manager, press relations and social media, Scott Brownlee, said: “The low running costs – both in fuel and maintenance – of hybrids are a big attraction for private hire firms.
“The mechanical reliability of the hybrid system results from the fewer moving parts compared to a conventional cars (e.g. no clutch or starter motor) while the regenerative braking reduces wear on brake pads and discs.
“Combined, it can mean extraordinary high mileages are common with Prius. We know of one private owner who has clocked up over 435,000 fuss-free, reliable miles.”
Private hire cars can only collect pre-booked fares, and include (but are not exclusive to) those used by Uber drivers. The new proposals outlined by Transport for London include a ban on apps showing cars available for hire, and a minimum five-minute wait time between ordering a cab and it arriving.
Campaigners have said it could trigger a ‘backward step’ in the industry, as Uber drivers instead look towards driving black cabs.
If each of these Toyota Prius models were replaced with the latest Euro 6 TX4 black cabs, which emit 222g/km CO2, carbon dioxide emissions from these drivers would more than double. There would also be a significant increase in NOx emissions – with the most-efficient black cabs producing 52mg/km.
Some of those Prius currently being used as private hire vehicles are likely to be plug-in models – which officially return 59g/km CO2, but can also travel on electric-only power for 12.5 miles after being charged. At these times, they’ll produce no tailpipe emissions at all.
To find out the top 10 most popular private hire cars in London, click through our gallery on MSN Cars.


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Just yesterday, Donna Karan released the DKNY Fall 2013 campaign, and luckily DKNY’S Spring 2013 face, Cara Delevingne is yet again the star of DKNY’S Fall 2013 campaign.
Photographed by Mikael Jansson, Cara Delevingne and Male Model, Ollie Edwards are photographed simply on the streets in New York City. Just looking like they’re having a great time. Wearing Chic clothing from DKNY’S Fall 2013 collection, the perfect apparel for a Chic day of hanging out in New York City.
Here are all the shots from the DKNY Fall 2013 Ad Campaign:


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Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen has built a cult following for romantic puffy dresses, complete with cut-outs, lace-ups and hand-made textiles akin to couture. The brand’s legion of Scandi-cool customers often style the signature dresses with trainers as functional as the clothes are feminine.
Since founding her eponymous brand in 2015, the Royal Academy of Arts alumna — who previously worked for John Galliano, Erdem and fellow Danish brand Stine Goya — has built an international roster of 125 wholesale partners. Dover Street Market stocks the brand in all of its stores, from Ginza and New York to London, having bought the first collection, which was little more than a rail of ten dresses. Matches Fashion is its biggest digital partner.
Shows will go on in Paris as Ralph Toledano, president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, encouraged a more solemn experience amid the war in Ukraine.
Julie Gilhart, chief development officer of brand incubator Tomorrow, compares Bahnsen’s trajectory to London designer Simone Rocha or Consuelo Castiglioni when she was building Marni. “Her collection, albeit smaller, can blend very well with larger luxury brands like Dior or Prada,” Gilhart adds. “Her challenge will be how to scale, but the customer and products are there.”
As Bahnsen prepares for her first physical show at Paris Fashion Week — a marked departure from her native Copenhagen — she is grappling with the challenges of rapid growth on the international stage and what impact this might have on her brand’s sustainability principles. She hopes that a slew of circular business models will help limit the brand’s environmental footprint, even as it expands into new categories.
Paris versus Copenhagen
The brand’s entrance to Paris Fashion Week was softened by the pandemic, with the first four seasons all digital events. While this was initially disappointing, Bahnsen says it was a blessing in disguise, removing some of the pressure that comes with showing in Paris after progressing from a smaller fashion week. However, she was keen to return to physical shows. “I’ve missed runway shows, the electricity and emotion of a dress brushing past you,” she says.
The shift to Paris is part of a broader strategic bid to build closer relationships with wholesale partners and customers who verge on being collectors. The brand brought its wholesale operations in-house during the pandemic and counts Paris as a key touchpoint for maintaining these relationships. Alongside the show, Bahnsen will host a showroom throughout Paris Fashion Week for buyers and press, as well as an exhibition space for customers to see the inner workings of the studio and design process.


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Posted 10/31/2013 at 1:18 PM
Posted 4 years ago
Typecast is a tool for the web and for mobile design. Monotype acquired Typecast and are making a free version of it available for professional designers and those with a knack for learning, through Google Fonts.
Hobbyists and students with those doing web design for the first time are part and parcel of what Typecast’s Paul McKeever, in a call via VentureBeat talked about as being ideal users of the tool. In a targeted way, McKeever is talking about the overall type of audience that engages the use of Google fonts.


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Thirty years after it discarded the Datsun brand, Japanese carmaker Nissan has confirmed that it is bringing it back, with the name plate going on low cost vehicles for emerging markets.
Chief executive Carlos Ghosn, on a visit to Jakarta, said Datsuns will go on sale in Indonesia, as well as India and Russia, from the start of 2014.
“It’s a green car, an affordable car, a small displacement, with high local content,” Ghosn said of the Datsun.
Other than that no details have emerged, but the vehicle will not be the same as Renault-Nissan’s low-cost Logan models, nor the companies joint venture cars made in China.
Nissan plans to invest the equivalent of 300 million euros in Indonesia to double its capacity there and will triple its dealerships in Southeast Asia’s largest economy to 90,000.
After meeting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono , Ghosn said: “The priority (for Nissan Motors in Indonesia) is for the Indonesian market,” Ghosn said. “If there is any room for more capacity it will be located for the domestic (market) rather than for exports, although cost is competitive.”
Nissan has been pushing rapidly into emerging markets, including a partnership with Ashok Leyland in India and a recently announced factory in Brazil, where it aims to triple its market share by 2016.
Nissan and its French partner, Renault, are also close to announcing a deal to raise the alliance’s stake in Russia’s AvtoVAZ, the maker of Lada cars, to increase growth there.


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Junk food is not a term only for poor households
For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population.
But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows thenutritional valueof what they eat is little different to everyone else.
In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families.
These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar.
'This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other,' said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University.
The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population.
Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said: 'Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population.'
The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily. Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills.
The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them.
The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions. Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day.
More than three quarters (76 per cent) of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week.
Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers.
This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population.


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Reposted from Star Beacon
Carl Feather | February 8, 2013 | Star Beacon
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants to re-introduce legislation that would create a level playing field for American manufacturing by eliminating currency manipulation by large trading partners like China.
Brown, in a conference call with reporters on Thursday, cited a new report from the Economic Policy Institute that cites trade deficit reduction as a key step for improving job growth in the United States. In addition to addressing currency manipulation, the report calls for “a series of coordinated manufacturing policies” on the federal level.
Spokespersons from both EPI and the Alliance for American Manufacturing participated in the conference call with Brown, who also called for prohibiting currency manipulation in future trade agreements.
Nations like China that purposely devalue their currency by selling it and buying foreign reserves, such as the U.S. dollar, thereby cheapen the price of the nation’s exports. In some cases, the cost of the finished product manufactured in China is less than that of the raw materials in the U.S. market.
The resulting trade deficit has contributed to the loss of 5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2000. The trade deficit in 2011 was $295 billion and the deficit for 2012 is expected to be even larger.
The experts who spoke on the conference call blamed currency manipulation as the single largest cause of the trade deficit. They estimated that, in Ohio alone, 75,000 manufacturing jobs could be created if the inequality were addressed.
According to the AAM report, 2.2 million to 4.7 million new U.S. jobs would be created by eliminating currency manipulation by trading partners and establishing a national manufacturing strategy.
“This report shows that Congress is obsessed with the wrong deficit,” said AAM President Scott Paul in a news release. “To grow jobs and boost the economy, we must eliminate the trade deficit. Ending currency manipulation will get us part of the way there, but we also need a smart manufacturing policy, one that focuses on innovation, public investment, skills and trade enforcement.”
Brown said that the Senate’s prior effort to eliminate currency manipulation passed with 63 votes, but the House would not take up the measure. The senator said that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce resists the measure, as do large manufacturers, which benefit most from moving manufacturing offshore. Those companies can take advantage of the low cost of labor, more relaxed environmental regulations and the current devaluation to produce a less costly product.
The manufacturing industry spokesmen noted that a recent trend to move manufacturing back to the U.S. has not had a significant impact because components are still being made offshore. Only the assembly is being done domestically.
The EPI report states that the federal budget deficit would shrink if the trade deficit were reduced. The estimate is $78.8 billion to $165.8 billion as growth in output would expand tax receipts and reduce safety net payments.


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Starwood Hotels & Resorts will unveil a new hotel in 2008; however, the company decided to create a virtual version first.
A promising advance seems to have been made by Japanese researchers.
Distributors can no longer use one method to deliver media. It’s a cross-platform world, and the bandwagon is getting crowded.
Consumers want multimedia capabilities on their phones. And companies want them to have it.
Some of the offerings to come next spring with the Leopard operating system.
The cofounder of the largest online encyclopedia says it’s time to focus on the quality of the site’s entries, instead of the number of entries.


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The new iPhone 5, to be released most likely in October, will have a slightly larger display, 3.95 inches, with a resolution of 1136X640 pixels. At least this is what shows the details of the new operating system iOS 6.
The new iPhone will be equipped with a new processor, Samsung 5L8950X ARM, known as “A5-***”. This one will be, however, much stronger than S5L8940X iPhone 4S and S5L8945X on the new iPad tablet. This is not clear whether it will be a dual or a quad-core.
The fact is, however, that the new phone will have 1GB of RAM, 512 MB more than the latest iPhone.
There is also the camera / video module, which is much larger and has a new dock connector. In addition, Apple will move the headset jack of 3.5 mm above, like the iPod touch. In addition it will come with a 12.8 MP camera capable of recording in 1080p HD, possibly with 3D capabilities, and new IOS 5.2.
The new phone that Apple will release in autumn was designed by Steve Jobs before he died. The genius of technology wanted a smartphone with a bigger screen, thinner, more powerful and easier to use.
According to sources, Steve Jobs worked side by side with its engineers to develop the new smartphone. Its release was delayed due to production problems.
The new iPhone will be 20% thinner and higher than the last generation of iPhone 4S. The phone will measure 125mm (58.5mm-7.4mm) with 10mm taller and 2mm thinner.
The new iPhone is expected to load wireless. The smartphone will be available in two versions, white and black, 16 or 32 GB.


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Facebook has launched a new feature called Marketplace that is designed to help you buy and sell stuff in your area.
The new Facebook Marketplace feature will show you items for sale based on your location and you can also sell stuff from the Facebook app.
Facebook is where people connect, and in recent years more people have been using Facebook to connect in another way: buying and selling with each other. This activity started in Facebook Groups and has grown substantially. More than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month — from families in a local neighborhood to collectors around the world.
To help people make more of these connections, today we’re introducing Marketplace, a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community. Marketplace makes it easy to find new things you’ll love, and find a new home for the things you’re ready part with. We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people.
You can find out more details about the Facebook Marketplace app over at the companies website at the link below.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.


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You've heard the bad news, now get ready for the good. This week, supermarket giant Tesco takes centre stage and should provide some sunshine in an otherwise gloomy retail sector.
Recent data from market research firm TNS showed Tesco's sales, excluding petrol, surged a massive 13.7 per cent over the eight-week period to 2 January. City analysts are being slightly more subdued, but still believe underlying sales will come in at around 7 per cent.
As Lehman Brothers sums up in a recent research note: "With the total UK retail market, inclusive of food, slowing, Tesco offers relative growth from a position of strength in a defensive product category. We continue to view Tesco as a core holding."
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has also pencilled in underlying sales of around 7 per cent, but conceded last week that the retailer could well beat that.
Tesco is not the only retailer updating as the flurry of festive reports continues. Boots, Comet-owner Kesa, HMV, WH Smith and clothing chains Monsoon, Laura Ashley and Austin Reed, among others, will discuss recent trading. Somerfield, a much smaller rival of Tesco, posts interim results.
WH Smith will be watched particularly closely. Market gossip suggested last December that a profit warning could be due ahead of Christmas. However, since the Financial Services Authority warned retailers that they must tell the market immediately about any profit-denting trading, many now believe things are not unremittingly dire at the struggling chain. But the news is still unlikely to be buoyant as WH Smith, like HMV - which also posts interim numbers - will probably have suffered from slowing DVD and music sales.
HMV, owner of Waterstones, is expected to post interim profits of £13.1m on sales of £759m. Analysts will also want more details of its recently announced downloading venture.
Another key update will be from Boots. The health-and-beauty chain went heavy on gifts this Christmas, raising concerns in some quarters that it was straying unwisely away from its core offering. Margins will also be in the spotlight after a range of three-for-two promotions recently, and the City will want firm reassurance on full-year profit forecasts.
Kesa could surprise on the upside, though. Rival Dixons warned late last year of tough times ahead but surprised the City last week with a jump in festive sales, mainly because of strong demand for MP3 players and flat-panel televisions. But consumers are curbing their spending habits, and big-ticket items traditionally suffer first, so Kesa, which also owns Darty in France, will come under close scrutiny.
And rounding off a week of all things retail (and the retail festive update season) will be official high street sales figures for December. At this late stage, they are expected to confirm what most already know, that consumers put off hitting the shops until the last minute. Economists forecasting a rise believe it will be minor, up to around 0.5 per cent, while more bearish commentators are predicting a decline - HSBC, for example, has pencilled in a 0.5 per cent dip.
It may not seem that way, but retail is not the only game in town. Although results are thin on the ground, some updates are due from other sectors, the biggest of which is booze. Tenanted-pub chain Enterprise Inns, brewer SABMiller and pub-and-brewing group Wolverhampton & Dudley are all addressing the City.
SABMiller, the US-South African giant that is listed in London, has already hit the headlines by announcing it would be interested in Canadian group Molson if its proposed merger with US rival Adolph Coors falls through. The focus this week will be on SABMiller's regional trading. Although Miller is getting back on track in the States, that market, like Europe's, remains tough. Africa, however, should spawn better news for the group.
Enterprise Inns and Wolverhampton & Dudley have already said that their current financial years have got off to a good start. But Christmas is a crucial time for the pubs sector, as it is for the retailers - only summer is more important - so analysts will want to hear strong festive news from both companies.
Meanwhile, British Energy will be relisted on the FTSE 250 tomorrow after its bondholders and bank lenders swapped their debt for shares. The nuclear generator is expected to be valued at around £1.8bn. The loss-making company delisted in October to stop rebel shareholders derailing its restructuring.
Stateside, and market players have things other than Christmas on their minds. Exchanges will be shut for Martin Luther King Day tomorrow but when they reopen, the focus will be on fourth-quarter results. IBM, Motorola, Yahoo!, eBay, banking giant Citigroup, Cazenove's joint-venture partner JP Morgan Chase, 3M, Ford and General Electric are all scheduled to report. The Federal Reserve Beige Book, out on Wednesday, will also give a crucial snapshot of the economy.
UK: Results: (final) Domino Printing; (interim) Halladale, HMV, Vega.
UK: Results: (F) GW Pharmaceuticals, London Scottish Bank, Sanctuary Group, Theratase; (I) Bespak, DTZ Holdings, Somerfield.
UK: Results: (I) Angle, Inter Link Foods.
UK: Results: (third quarter) QXL Ricardo.
UK: Results: none scheduled.Reuse content


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With the bull market now over 9 years old, it might seem tough to find stocks that can still generate multibagger returns. But today, a trio of our Motley Fool contributors will highlight three stocks -- JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI), and Oaktree Capital Group (NYSE:OAK) -- that all still have the potential to double your money over the long term.
Hidden in Alibaba's shadow
Leo Sun (JD.com): JD.com is the second-largest e-commerce player in China after Alibaba. The company has posted more than 30% year-over-year sales growth over the past three quarters, but its profitability remains unstable due to ongoing investments in its automation, logistics, and tech platforms.
Concerns about this, exacerbated by headwinds from escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China, has caused the stock to tumble more than 20% this year. However, JD's stock now trades at less than 0.7 times this year's estimated sales -- which seems far too cheap relative to its sales growth. Analysts currently expect its sales to rise 30% this year and for its non-GAAP earnings to grow 8%.
Moreover, the bears often overlook JD's healthy growth figures. Last quarter, its number of online merchants grew 31% annually to 170,000, its active customer accounts climbed 21.5% annually to 313.8 million over the past 12 months, and its total gross merchandise volume jumped 30% to 437.4 billion RMB ($63.6 billion).
They also often downplay the fact that JD's two biggest corporate investors are Tencent and Walmart. JD's ecosystem is tightly tethered to Tencent's WeChat, the top mobile messaging app in China, as well as Walmart's brick-and-mortar stores across China.
I believe that JD's investments in expanding its logistics network -- which it's monetizing by providing services to third-party retailers -- and automation efforts like warehouse robots, drones, and autonomous delivery vehicles will eventually pay off. When that happens, JD's stock could shake off the bears and soar.
The market won't punish this company forever
Chuck Saletta (Kinder Morgan): As recently as 2015, pipeline giant Kinder Morgan traded above $44 per share. In more recent times, its stock price has been cut by more than half, closing recently below $18. The reason: its balance sheet. Because it had gotten over-leveraged, that once-great dividend growth company was eventually forced to cut its dividend by 75% to protect its balance sheet and stave off a debt rating cut to junk status.
While the company's stock justifiably collapsed on the news, Kinder Morgan didn't sit still and accept its fate. Instead, it spent the next few years using its still substantial cash flow, along with some asset sales, to both clean up its balance sheet and figure out how to fund much of its expansion from its operations. The net result is that today's Kinder Morgan is significantly financially stronger than the company was in 2015 before it cut its dividend, yet its shares still largely reflect the pain of that cut.
Thanks to that renewed vigor, Kinder Morgan has begun restoring its dividend -- hiking it 60% in 2018 and projecting 25% increases in both 2019 and 2020. While it won't have fully restored that dividend to its pre-cut levels by 2020, it expects to be well on its way to doing so. Armed with its healthier balance sheet and newfound ability to better self-fund its expansion, its dividend will be better covered than it previously was.
At its recent market price of $17.91 per share, Kinder Morgan's anticipated 2020 dividend of $1.25 per share represents a nearly 7% future yield on current prices. That alone provides decent reason to believe its shares have upside potential. Add to that the prospects of continued dividend increases past that level as its expansion plans start generating revenue for the business, and the path to potentially doubling your money begins to emerge.
A stock that will pop in a bear market
Jordan Wathen (Oaktree Capital Group): The world is awash in cash, employment is the strongest it's been in a long time, and GDP growth recently ticked up to an estimated 4.1% in the second quarter. If you make your money snapping up distressed assets, as Oaktree Capital Group does, all the good news is bad news, indeed.
Oaktree Capital Group is an alternative asset manager that makes its money managing other people's money. It's best known for its distressed debt funds, which have generated incredible returns of 16% annually, on average, after fees. That record puts it in a league of its own.
An incredible investment record through economic cycles over multiple decades gives Oaktree the credibility to raise capital at a moment's notice. When other asset managers see money pour out of their funds in times of crisis, Oaktree has no problem raising billion-dollar funds on which it earns outsize management and incentive fees for good performance.
Shares trade for about $41 per share, but the company is sitting on about $5.72 per share of accrued incentives it will be able to distribute as it realizes profits on investments held in its funds. In addition, it has about $13.64 per share of investments it holds on its own balance sheet. Backing out these items, investors are valuing its world-class operating business at only 14 times earnings, despite the fact its earnings power is arguably depressed by the strength of the global economy and its inability to put capital to work.
Asset prices won't go up forever, but Oaktree Capital shares are priced as if it will. I think it makes sense to take the other side of that bet.


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PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Tesla Motors will issue $1.6 billion in bonds to fund its battery factory, aimed at manufacturing low-cost batteries.
The bond offering will be equally divided between convertible senior notes due 2019 and another round of bonds due 2021. The car manufacturer also plans to offer underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional $120 million due 2019, and an additional $120 million, due 2021. This would bring the total offering to $1.84 billion.
The announcement precedes its plans to set up a battery factory in the U.S. to manufacture cheaper lithium-ion batteries that could potentially lower the costs of its cars and open its products to a mass-market. Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have been referring to the project as a 'gigafactory.'
Tesla has been on the rise in the last few months, with both its cars and stock value doing very well. The stock closed today at $253.00, up 2 percent.


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At the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder Meeting on Saturday, April 30, Buffett took another aim at Bitcoin. A decade ago, a single Bitcoin (BTC) cost $25, but famed investor and billionaire Warren Buffett isn’t prepared to pay that price today, even for the whole circulating amount of Bitcoins.
Warren Buffett Still On His Negative Stance Against Bitcoin
Warren Buffett has always been a fierce critic of Bitcoin, referring to it as “Rat Poison Squared” back in 2018. Nevertheless, in the previous four years, the price of Bitcoin has increased by roughly tenfold. Bitcoin, according to Buffett, has no intrinsic value.
At Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting on Saturday, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger discussed about bitcoin. Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Munger is the company’s vice chairman of the board of directors and is commonly referred to as his right-hand man.
Whether Bitcoin’s price rises or falls, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO believes it produces nothing value or concrete. According to him, bitcoin is a passive asset that investors acquire and retain in the hopes of seeing its value rise over time.
He believes that whether Bitcoin rises or falls in the next year, five or ten years, one thing is certain: it does not produce anything.
“It’s got a magic to it and people have attached magics to lots of things.” He also added that “In my life, I try and avoid things that are stupid and evil and make me look bad in comparison to somebody else – and bitcoin does all three.”
Buffett provided a few instances. He’d spend $25 billion for a 1% stake in all of America’s farms. He would also spend $25 billion for a 1% stake in all of the country’s residential buildings. He said, “I would write you a check this afternoon.”
“If you told me you own all of the bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25 I wouldn’t take it because what would I do with it? I’d have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn’t going to do anything.”
As is customary, Warren Buffett’s critique of Bitcoin drew the ire of crypto investors and fans, who retaliated with a barrage of tweets. Buffett’s appearance on a subject he plainly doesn’t comprehend made Mexican billionaire businessman and founder of multinational behemoth Grupo Salinas unhappy.
Warren Buffett’s value orientation has always been admirable to Mike Alfred, the creator of crypto data firm Digital Assets Data. He said he bought Berkshire Hathaway in 2007, but then after hearing the billionaire’s recent Bitcoin diatribe, he’ll be selling his shares since the firm won’t thrive with such a CEO who isn’t receptive to social change.


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An Aberdeen bar has launched a new food and drinks menu.
Revolution on Belmont Street will offer a range of new dishes and cocktails, including some customer favourites.
New items on the menu include burgers such as the Smashed Mexican and Some Like It Hot, a duck pizza, sticky seitan bites and fiery meatballs.
There’s also a new street food platter featuring cheeseburger sliders, Cajun fries, pepperoni pizza slices, fried chicken, chorizo ketchup, barbecue sauce and sour cream.
On the drinks menu, cocktail lovers will be able to enjoy the Rockstar Martini – a twist on the traditional drink, a Proper Frenchie, Kiwi Do You Love Me? and more.
New gins including Chase Marmalade will also make an appearance.
As well as launching a new menu, Revolution has partnered with Hey Girls UK and will now stock free tampons in female washrooms to help end period poverty.
For more information, click here.


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Remember that mysterious CAPCOM countdown that had us all speculating? Well, it’s finally come to an end, and it’s finally done what most of us were imagining: The company has finally officially announced Street Fighter 6, with a brief teaser trailer that you can watch below:
This announcement comes six years after the release of Street Fighter 5 on PS4 and PC, and now we finally have a decent look at the new direction the series is taking. Developed with the new RE Engine, the game looks like it will be the most graphically complex yet.
While CAPCOM hasn’t revealed many details about Street Fighter 6, a brief new teaser trailer has revealed some preliminary information about the game, including – at the very least – that we’ll have Ryu and Street Fighter 5 newcomer Luke in the lineup.
Sadly, we don’t know anything else, and according to the company, we’ll have to wait until June-July for more information. What we do know is that the switch to the RE Engine has been very flattering for Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter; let’s hope it has the same effect on Street Fighter.
Sadly, those who were hoping to see a remake of Dino Crisis and Resident Evil 4 will probably not be so happy with this announcement, though they shouldn’t give up hope. 2022 is just getting started, so maybe we’ll see them in the next few months. At least we have the official announcement of Street Fighter 6 and that’s better than nothing. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that everything goes well and we’ll have more news soon.
What about you guys, what do you think of this Street Fighter 6 news, are you eager to know more about the game? Source: VG247


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Welcome to the metaverse.
A record $56.9 billion was spent on gaming in 2020 in the United States, marking a 27% increase from 2019, according to the NPD Group. By 2024, the consumer gaming industry is expected to reach a value of $198 billion—not including sales from hardware and devices, research from consulting firm Activate revealed.
According to Michael Wolf, cofounder and chief executive of Activate, gaming is set to emerge as the next dominant technology platform—much the way search engines, mobile phones and social networks redefined industries in previous decades, the Wall Street Journal reported in October 2020.
This evolution has already begun. Roblox—the gaming company that went public on March 10, 2021 and closed its first day on the stock market with a $38 billion valuation—is one company setting the foundation. “The real long-term goal for Roblox,” CNBC reported, “is to build a metaverse where millions (or billions!) can gather to take part in games, meetings, collaborative work and even Roblox’s own virtual economy fueled by its currency called Robux.”
It’s clear: gaming is no longer just for gameplay. Recent activations are pushing the boundaries of traditional gaming, transforming it into a cultural nexus where people can convene for community, entertainment and business.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is gamifying its 2021 online festival. In lieu of an in-person event, SXSW will host attendees in an extended reality (XR) recreation of downtown Austin. Festival goers can visit virtual versions of popular landmarks and attend sessions in iconic venues, such as the Paramount Theatre, the Contemporary Austin, Mohawk, Empire Control Room & Garage, and Cedar Street Courtyard.
One of the SXSW events is a virtual interactive play and “exploration into the future of live performance.” Dream, put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Manchester International Festival, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Philharmonia Orchestra, will be performed by actors in motion capture suits and animated in real-time, appearing to the audience as digital avatars in a virtual world.
The virtual set was designed using Unreal Engine, the 3D production platform that Epic Games used to create Fortnite. “If you look at ‘Minecraft,’ if you look at those gaming worlds, there is a social-ness and a convening there amongst people enjoying an experience,” Sarah Ellis, director of digital development at Royal Shakespeare Company, told the Los Angeles Times. “I think that relates to theater. We are using the technology of gaming, and we are in the spirit of live performance, and we are trying to establish a connection point.” Justin Bolognino, CEO and founder of experience product company Meta, predicts a “massive explosion of XR/VP (Extended Reality, Virtual Production),” he tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence. “In the space of a small soundstage we can now create massive real-time broadcast effects that will defy what we thought was possible for live broadcast.”
Game payments firm Xsolla thinks the future of conferences and corporate events lies in gaming. In October 2020, it launched Unconventional, a platform for holding virtual events with 3D avatars inside virtual worlds. The company explains the pivot into events as a logical next step for the industry and says the project is aimed at relieving Zoom fatigue.
Topia—one of the apps behind virtual Burning Man—is also reinventing online socializing. When Burning Man pivoted with a fully digital experience in September 2020, Topia allowed festival goers to create virtual versions of their campsites, navigate a vast map of other user-generated campsites and chat with other avatars. The platform takes a page from gaming to offer a more organic formula for socializing. As Quartz reported, it “allows users to recreate many of the social conventions that usually get lost on video calls: instead of having one person talk while everyone else listens, people can splinter off into smaller groups, pull a friend aside to catch up one-on-one, or mill about until they find someone to talk to.”
Teooh offers a similar formula. The avatar-based virtual event platform has been used for everything from business meetings to birthday parties. Reebok founder Joe Foster launched his memoir on Teooh with a virtual meet and greet; Jay-Z’s Roc Nation held a record release party on the platform; Think Global School, the world’s first traveling high school, gathers all its students and teachers together on Teooh for its weekly assembly meeting; it hosted an 800-person film festival by Animayo in May 2020; and it has served as a gathering space for support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Teooh has exploded in popularity since launching in April 2020; as of December, it had amassed an overall population of 50,000 users across 10,000 active rooms, with a total of 12,500 hours spent in the virtual space, Teooh CEO Don Stein tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence.
Bolognino anticipates gamified gatherings will continue to proliferate alongside the return of physical events, giving rise to a new blended reality experience. “Coachella will come back, as will the other major festivals, but they will take place alongside virtualized options,” he tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence. “Eventually it will be indistinguishable which reality is in play, as many will be seamlessly integrated together.”
Main image of Conventional by Xsolla, courtesy of Xsolla


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Roti Modern Mediterranean Serves Up a New Digital Customer Experience
Founded in 2007, Roti Modern Mediterranean, the Chicago-based fast casual Mediterranean chain which operates 40 locations nationally, including Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, Dallas and Minneapolis, is embracing next-generation technology innovation.
The company, which last year secured a $23 million equity investment to help drive growth and expansion, is deploying an end-to-end technology suite enabled by solution provider eatsa. The technology integrates everything from kiosks and POS systems to mobile ordering, cubby lockers and delivery.
Incidentally, the Roti equity investment was led by Valor Equity Partners, a Chicago based growth investment firm which also invested in a number of restaurant technology companies, including eatsa.
Eatsa features a product that combines futuristic ordering kiosks with a cubby-based delivery system. By deploying eatsa’s technology solution, Roti is aiming to increase throughput and enhance of the overall customer experience. The goal is to deliver a more convenient guest experience with shorter wait times and more seamless customization.
Sonic Drive-In To Pilot AI Voice Assistant and Personalized Dynamic Menu
The drive-thru accounts for more than 70 percent of quick service restaurant (QSR) transactions, yet, despite the surge in restaurant technology innovation, the drive-thru experience has scarcely changed for decades — that is, until now.
As reported here, McDonald’s will begin using AI-enabled platform capabilities to present customized menu items on its digital signage at drive-through locations. The menu items that it serves up will be based on an individual customer’s initial food order and also according to such factors as the weather, the time of day, and how busy the restaurant is at the moment. The menu can also be used to serve up “popular” items that also happen to have particularly high profit margins.
Another example of next-generation technology is Valyant AI, a Colorado-based technology solution provider behind a new technology that being called the world’s first conversational AI platform for the quick serve restaurant industry.
As reported here, quick service drive thru restaurant in Denver, Colorado, Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, was the first eatery to deploy the AI-enabled voice-activated order taker. The system is specially engineered to handle the types of conversations that take place in the context of a drive thru restaurant and to automatically send menu orders to the kitchen according to those conversations.
Now Sonic Drive-In, the fast-food restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, is getting into the game. The Oklahoma-based company announced this week that it, too, is testing the waters of next-generation drive-through technology. Currently, there are more than 3,600 Sonic locations in 45 U.S. states.
Starbucks Brews Up New Technology Innovations With Help From Microsoft
Technology innovation is nothing new at Starbucks. The ubiquitous coffee house has a long history of tackling big ideas and forward-thinking solutions across both the digital and non-digital landscape. It has been said that the chain, which now operates over 30,000 locations worldwide, keeping more than 100 million customers sufficiently well-caffeinated on a weekly basis, is as much a tech company as a coffee company.
Over the past decade, Starbucks has taken the lead on pioneering a host of technology-enabled initiatives. To name just a few: As early as 2008, the company was experimenting with a crowdsourcing community website to collect customer ideas and feedback. In 2010, it was named the most popular social media brand.
In 2011, following a successful two-year pilot, Starbucks launched a nationwide mobile payment app and the nation’s largest mobile payment program. Later that year, it launched the Starbucks Card eGift feature, which was the first program of its kind.
Starbucks was also among the first national chains to offer free, unlimited Wi-Fi in all its locations. In 2014, it announced a plan to install 100,000 wireless chargers in more than 7,500 of its stores. In 2015, it launched Mobile Order & Pay nationally in the U.S., building customer loyalty through order-ahead functionality. And the list goes on.
Now the list is about to grow with a new series of first-of-its-kind restaurant innovations. Some of the technology-enabled business initiatives currently underway are as cutting edge as anything that came before, with implementations that range from cloud computing to machine learning to blockchain services — in part, to create more personalized guest experiences.
New AI Solution Enables Restaurants to Instantly Deliver Personalized Menus Based On Guests’ Dietary Restrictions
Today, over 100 million Americans are following special diets with multiple restrictions. To help restaurants address this reality, New York City-based solution provider THE.FIT has launched a menu personalization engine that allows them to create customized menus for each guest, according to their individual dietary preferences, in a matter of just a few seconds.
The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform is designed to enable restaurants to increase ticket sizes and strengthen margins while delighting guests.
Previously, diners with specific diet or lifestyle preferences relied on servers’ recommendations or menu dietary symbols and fine print. THE.FIT automates and simplifies this process. Participating restaurants will provide guests with a QR code that will take them to a page on their mobile phone where they can select their dietary preferences and view a personalized menu.
Upon each subsequent visit, THE.FIT’s technology leverages AI to collect data—including ordering habits, demographics and social engagement—to improve the customer experience through enhanced personalization.
Restaurant Technology News is the hospitality industry’s premier source of information and insights related to technology innovation at the world’s leading quick service, fast casual and full service restaurants. Our reporting, research and opinion pieces reveal how forward-thinking restaurant operators are upgrading their technology capabilities to improve operational performance and the quality of the guest experience, as well as to reduce waste and improve environmental sustainability, and how top solution providers are advancing the frontier on next-generation restaurant technologies.


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When a company’s service becomes kinda of monopoly, the magic could happen. After Google’s quit (although it says they never really quit China), Baidu has been playing its role in Chinese search market in a much more aggressive way. Disregarding the increasing complaints on Baidu’s monopoly, 2010 turns out a happy year for Baidu.
In the latest financial report, we see Baidu almost doubled its revenue and had 171% increase in its net earning in the Q4 of 2010. The company says that its revenue in the three months to December 31, 2010 was Rmb2.451billions (US$371m), up 94.4 per cent compared to a year earlier, and net income jumped to Rmb1.161billions. And the revenue mainly came from the online advertisement.
Also early today, Robin Li, CEO of Baidu said its Qiyi, online video service has reached 100million monthly users. Qiyi was launched only 9 months ago (launched at 22nd April), but since CEO of Qiyi used to say that 30%-50% Traffic To Existing Chinese Video Sites Is From Baidu, we should not be surprised. So what’s the future plan for Qiyi, Robin said he wanted it to go for IPO.
In 2011, if Baidu keeps growing like this, happiness for Baidu, but would not be a good sign for China web.


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Faculty of Agriculture UGM in collaboration with state electricity enterprise PT. PLN (Persero) have developed agricultural productive conservation in Banjarnegara, Central Java to minimise sedimentation of the Mrica dam as well as to improve the economy of the local people. The villages to work on are Babadan and Plumbungan.
“For the Babadan area, we develop the coffee commodity while the Plumbungan snake fruit,” said Dr. Ir. Taryono, M.Sc, from the Faculty on Wednesday (21/5).
Field visit has been done along with the harvesting of the two commodities on Saturday. Vice Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Rudi Hari Murti, M.P., attended the event.
Taryono said the area is hazardous as it has stiff slopes without erosion barriers in addition to the risk posed by the potato plantation.
“Potatoes can pose dangers, so erosion barriers like coffee and snak fruit are required to be grown there,” he said.
Turno, a farmer, said the local people have converted from planting vegetables to coffee due to its economic value. They can still grow other plants such as albasia and kaliandra.
Snake fruit is another way in reducing sedimentation in Plumbungan. Initially, UGM and PLN provided seeds and training for the local farmers. Currently, a plot measuring 30 hectares have been grown with the snake fruit.
Head of Plumbungan village, Jukri Sadiharjo, said since the start in 2010, the local people had enjoyed the benefit of the snake fruit and they were able to harvest it twice a week.
The Vice Dean hoped that coffee and snake fruit plantation in Banjarnegara could be improved.


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JOHANNESBURG—In Uganda, hospitals have become so overwhelmed with new coronavirus cases that the sick are dying while waiting for a bed. In Namibia, all nonemergency surgery has been canceled to preserve space for Covid-19 patients and military hospitals have been opened for civilian use. In South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, intensive-care wards are filling up and hospitals are stockpiling oxygen cylinders as infections surge again.
Across Africa, which has received fewer Covid-19 vaccines than any other continent, countries are confronting a new wave in coronavirus infections without the inoculations that have turned the tide of the pandemic in Europe and North America.
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Baku, May 21, AZERTAC
Director General of Belarussian Grodno tobacco factory Yuri Chernishev has said the factory is interested in increasing tobacco import from Azerbaijan. A Belarusian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusyi had a meeting with Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev. Chernishev said that presently his factory imports tobacco from Azerbaijan, but wants to increase the volume.
Minister Mustafayev hailed relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus as successful, adding that there were ample opportunities for expanding the bilateral cooperation.
Belarussian Deputy Premier Rusyi noted that his country pays special importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan.
The parties discussed joint production of agricultural equipment in Azerbaijan, as well as export of cotton and cotton products, tobacco as well as a number of other agricultural products from Azerbaijan to Belarus.
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Yard sale to benefit Miracle LeaguePublished 11:00pm Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Troy Parks and Recreation will sponsor an indoor yard sale Saturday to benefit the Miracle League Playground Project.
The indoor yard sale will be from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Troy Recreation Center.
“The funds raised will support the efforts to build a new playground for children of all ages and all abilities,” said Lisa Holmes, Recreation Center programs coordinator. “The total cost of the Miracle League Playground Project will be $200,000. Thanks to a $50,000 matching funds grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and fundraisers and donations, $118,000 has been raised.”
Holmes said the indoor yard sale will not be a huge fundraiser but every penny counts and the clock is ticking on the project.
“We are working toward a June time frame and time is moving fast,” she said.
Booth spaces for Saturday’s indoor garage sale may be purchased for $20 each. The booths include one eight-foot table and two chairs.
“Those who aren’t interested in setting up a booth but want to contribute to the indoor garage sale are invited to simply clean out their closets and bag up their donations,” Holmes said. “We will pick up donations when necessary.”
Those who wish to donate items to the Miracle League Playground Project through the indoor garage sale are asked to have the items at the recreation center by noon on Thursday in order for the items to be sorted and priced.
“We encourage everyone to shop the Miracle League benefit yard sale on Saturday,” Holmes said. “Everything will be set up inside the gym so the weather will not be a problem. There will be a variety of items – anything and everything — for sale at very affordable prices. All of the money made will go to the Miracle League Playground Project. So come out and support the efforts to build playground that will provide a safe and fun playground for our children.”
For more information, call Lisa Holmes at 334-670-6069.


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Videogame adaptations are a big thing right now; in the world of prestige TV, we've had the critically acclaimed The Last of Us series on HBO, and there's a Fallout series coming to Prime Video next year. Movie-wise, videogame adaptations are cooking, too, with a well-received Super Mario Bros. movie from Nintendo. The company plans to release a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie - which could be huge if done right.
What about the big one, Grand Theft Auto? Arguably the biggest videogame franchise out there - to the point where Grand Theft Auto 6's trailer drop in December could end up being one of the biggest gaming events of the year. And we're talking about a trailer!
According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, Rockstar's parent company, adapting GTA into a film or television series would be "super challenging." And with that, there's no financial incentive to do so because GTA makes so much money as a videogame that it might not be worth "compromising the underlying intellectual property" for a fraction of what the franchise pulls in.
Per Take-Two's Q2 FY24 earnings, Grand Theft Auto V has sold (or shipped) 190 million copies globally. With Grand Theft Auto VI on the horizon, it's poised to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time - irrespective of the medium.
- Read more: Nintendo's new live action Zelda movie will be co-financed by Sony
- Read more: Grand Theft Auto V ships 190 million copies, surprises Take-Two once again
- Read more: Rockstar confirms GTA 6 trailer for December
- Read more: Take-Two discussing more film adaptations after BioShock and Borderlands movies
Back to the idea of Grand Theft Auto: The Movie or Grand Theft Auto: The TV Series, Strauss Zelnick said the following during the earnings call.
"The hit ratios in the motion picture business are vastly lower than they are in the interactive entertainment business. Our hit ratios for console properties are in the 80% or 90%. The hit ratio for a well-run movie studio is around 30%, which is to say there's a 70% chance that the movie that we license could fail.
And so in success, the number, in terms of the benefit to our bottom line... it's not zero, but it's not really material to what we do around here. And in failure, we run the risk of compromising the underlying intellectual property."
"Not really material to what we do around here" translated to a GTA movie or series making money but not enough to take the risk. For example, he explained that Mattel expects to make $125 million from the Barbie IP and movie - a massive hit but still nowhere near Take-Two's GTA earnings. Still, Take-Two isn't against the idea of licensing properties for films and television, as there's a Borderland movie coming out at some point, and BioShock is also being adapted. "We're going to be very, very selective and very careful," Zelnick adds.


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July’s PS Plus Games Include Black Ops 4 And 2K Battlegrounds
PlayStation has announced its PS Plus line-up for July and it includes two PS4 games as well as a PS5 exclusive.
June is coming to an end and that means one thing and one thing only for PS Plus subscribers. The reveal of what games the service will be offering up for free this July. After a couple of weeks of rumors that A Plague Tale: Innocence would be a part of the July line-up, PlayStation has confirmed that is indeed the case and will be available exclusively to PS5 owners.
As is quickly becoming commonplace for PS5, A Plague Tale: Innocence's availability on PS Plus will actually mark the arrival of the next-gen version on the console. Fall Guys started a trend of debuting games via PS Plus which has resulted in a lot of success for most of the devs that have decided to do it. It also won't be the only PS Plus game available for free next month.
RELATED: I Hope WWE 2K22 Is The Reboot This Franchise Seriously Needs
While PS5 owners can enjoy the new-gen version of A Plague Tale, both they and PS4 owners will be able to download Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and WWE 2K Battlegrounds absolutely free. Any Black Ops game being offered up free of charge is a big deal, and even though Battlegrounds didn't exactly receive rave reviews, the game is still less than a year old.
Battlegrounds, in particular, is likely coming to PS Plus in an attempt to fix the incredibly damaged WWE 2K brand. WWE 2K20 was released in 2019 and was judged by many to be one of, if not the worst wrestling game of all time, something reflected in our review of the game. WWE 2K took a year off from its main series and will return via WWE 2K22 later this year.
All three games will be available for free to PS Plus subscribers starting from July 6 and be replaced by the following month's free games on August 2. It should also be noted that while June's free games will return to full price on July 5, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown will not. The newest Virtua Fighter title will remain free for another month alongside July's PS Plus games.
Source: PlayStation Blog
NEXT: Breath Of The Wild Is The Best Designed Open World Ever Made, And The Rain Is Partly Why
Konami and Bloober Team have announced the studios will be working together on new and existing IPs.
- Game News
- PlayStation Plus
- call Of duty: Black Ops 4
- WWE 2K Battlegrounds
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
Josh has been gaming for as long as he can remember. That love began with a mild childhood addiction to the Sega Genesis, or Mega Drive since he lives in the UK. Back then, Sonic 2 quickly became his favorite game and as you might have guessed from his picture, the franchise has remained close to his heart ever since. Nowadays, he splits his time between his PS4 and his Switch and spends far too much time playing Fortnite. If you’re a fan of gaming, wrestling, and soccer, give him a follow on Twitter @BristolBeadz.
Source: Read Full Article


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October 31, 2019: Tesla is to start installing its residential battery system Powerwall in Japan next spring, Reuters news agency quoted the battery and electric car maker as saying on October 15.
It will mark the product’s debut in Asia. Each one will cost $9,135 plus installation and retail tax costs. The systems include a Backup Gateway system, which manages grid connection.
According to the news agency, the company has been taking orders in Japan for its Powerwall since 2016 but did not say when installations would begin.
Shinji Asakura, manager of energy products in Japan, said feed-in tariffs that had guaranteed minimum power prices to encourage solar development would start to expire later this year, and there was a growing need for back-up power in the event of a natural disaster.
Tesla has installed Powerwall systems at about 50,000 sites in seven countries since its launch in 2015, a company official said.