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- Green Growth
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|Vietnam is expected to gain the most from the AHKFTA, Photo: Le Toan|
Edward Yau, secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, told VIR that among ASEAN countries, Vietnam is expected to gain the most from the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA), as the country is Hong Kong’s fourth-largest trading partner within ASEAN.
Yau led a high-level Hong Kong business delegation which came to Vietnam last week to explore opportunities for more trade and investment in Vietnam.
According to Yau, there are many attractive infrastructure developments in Vietnam, including railway, port, highway, and city construction. These projects require professional services, including funding, business consultancy, architecture, and engineering, which have reached a high level of development in Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong can be a professional service provider as well as a financial trading hub for Vietnam,” Yau said.
The businesses and startups that use Hong Kong as a home base to serve the whole region are also interested in the Vietnamese market.
Margaret Fong, executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said that Hong Kong-based companies have been investing in Vietnam for many years, some for over half a century, mainly in the manufacturing and real estate sectors. She expected that this trend will continue into the future in anticipation of the AHKFTA.
A new sector for Hong Kong investment will be the financial technology (fintech) industry, which is attracting new companies to Vietnam. Another type of technology which has seen good development in Hong Kong is biotech, which is also an area of interest for Vietnam.
Hong Kong is home to many companies specialised in branding, marketing, e-commerce, and e-logistics. With extensive expertise, these companies are looking to go international and Vietnam is emerging as a market with great potential for them. On top of that, Hong Kong can provide professional services such as legal, accounting, and business consultancy services to serve the country’s fast-paced development, according to Fong.
The AHKFTA is expected to boost and facilitate trade and investment between Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and ASEAN economies. The agreement will reduce the customs duties imposed by ASEAN and improve Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness in the international market.
ASEAN was already Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner in merchandise trade in 2016 and the fourth-largest in service trade in 2015. As the sixth-largest economy of ASEAN, Vietnam is set to become a close economic partner of Hong Kong.
Indeed, Vietnam and Hong Kong enjoy strong bilateral business ties. In the first seven months of 2017, foreign direct investment (FDI) from Hong Kong to Vietnam reached $600 million, which made Hong Kong the fifth-largest source of FDI for Vietnam. FDI from Hong Kong to Vietnam more than doubled between 2012 and 2016, from $373 million in 2012 to $848 million in 2016.


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The 20-year-old woman said Uber failed in its duty to get her home safely.
If you hail an Uber on Wednesday, you’re crossing a (virtual) picket line.
That reusable cotton tote is polluting the air and water way more than a plastic bag.
Desus and Mero watch as a DC driver goes off on a housewife and her hesitant husband.
As if getting into an unfamiliar car with a complete stranger isn't scary enough.
In this week's installment, we gave a disposable to Arthur, an Uber and Lyft driver in LA. On the Friday he snapped pics, he witnessed some weird stuff before taking his own taxi home to document the experience from the other side.
More than 100 furious hacks surrounded Uber's offices in New York this week to protest the company's unfair policies toward its drivers. The good news is that the free market is on their side.

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368 views, By MYKE Technologies Pte Ltd
MYKE Technologies today announced a new product rollout of Spigots and Clamps for Balustrade and Glass Pool installations ((including heavy-duty models). A spigot is a metal stand or post used to clamp, hold, or suspend a panel.
296 views, By Yes Motoring Pte Ltd
In Singapore, people buying cars are often faced with the decision of buying a new or a used car. Certainly, most people prefer to get a brand new car because everything looks clean and pristine.
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AKCP, the world's oldest and largest supplier of networked wired and wireless sensor solutions has scanned all their hardware and software platforms for the latest Log4j vulnerability.


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Poco has announced its latest phone, the Poco M2 pro which will be launching on July 7, 12 PM. The Flipkart landing page is already live. This will be the third phone from Poco since its inception.
Poco was launched as an exclusive brand to India in August 2018, when it launched one of the most popular smartphones, the Poco F1. Since then it didn’t launch any phone in 2019. Only this year it has become active and released Poco X2 earlier this year in Feb and marked its international presence by launching Poco F2 pro in Europe, although it was a rebrand of Redmi K30 pro.
Poco had earlier promised that this phone will not be a rebrand of any phone. Instead, it will have a fresh design and specs. Rumors suggest it will have a Snapdragon 720G processor. The launch page on Flipkart clearly shows it will have a quad rear-facing camera and a fast charger, notably more than 18 or 27 watts as it is the highlighting feature of the phone.
Poco has been trying hard to portray itself as an independent brand moving away from its parent company, Xiaomi. A recent hike in taxes in India and supply chain issues due to the COVID pandemic has raised the prices of already released smartphones.
With anti- China sentiments at a peak, people are reluctant to buy Chinese branded products unless it can give an unmatchable price to performance ratio. The Poco M2Pro will be Flipkart exclusive and will be available to buy after the launch on July 7 in India.
India's biggest residential real estate player Lodha Developers to raise crowdfunding
India Sotheby’s International Realty unveils full-service platform White Glove
India opening domestic travel to revive the tourism industry
PayPal to stop domestic payment service in India
India looking to capitalize on clean fuel with the National Hydrogen mission
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Chances are, that stuff sittng in the plastic bear in your pantry doesn't technically qualify as honey. The FDA requires honey to have microscopic particles of pollen, which allow the honey to be traced to its source so regulators can be sure it comes from safe origins. But nearly all of the honey that's sold commercially in the U.S. has been filtered to get rid of that pollen. It could basically come from anywhere. And that means it's not honey, according to the FDA's definition.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey. However, the FDA isn't checking honey sold here to see if it contains pollen.
Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove pollen, which is the only foolproof sign identifying the source of the honey. It is a spin-off of a technique refined by the Chinese, who have illegally dumped tons of their honey — some containing illegal antibiotics — on the U.S. market for years.
Food Safety News had a pollen expert analyze 60 samples of honey sourced from 10 states and the District. Their findings: More than two-thirds of honey from grocery stores and big box stores was ultra-filtered, i.e. not-honey of mysterious origin. And ALL of the honey from convenience stores and individual restaurant packets was pollen-free. On the plus side, farmers markets, food co-ops, and Trader Joe's all had real honey!
One honey packer told Food Safety News that the filtration was the result of demand: "It was filtered in processing because North American shoppers want their honey crystal clear." But ultra-filtration is … well, ultra. It's not regular filtration to remove visible impurities — it's an extra step that only removes microscopic pollen. That's like saying you sanded off your fingerprints because people like smooth hands.
U.S. honey producers have been agitating for the FDA to pay more attention to honey shipments coming in from outside the country. But, if you'll excuse us, the honey badgered don't care.


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Full Frontal Chic
Designers are no longer bashful about advertising their wares on sexier channels. From ad campaigns onporn sites to runway live streams on Grindr, Trey Taylor explores how fashion is going all the way.
What’s better than sex? Shopping, some might argue. And the places consumers find themselves enticed by good design are starting to get a bit raunchy. Luxury fashion brands are hopping into bed with the adult entertainment industry, advertising on racy websites, and even featuring porn stars in their ad campaigns.
And it’s working. Since creating banner ads for its underwear collection to appear on the website Pornhub last January, Italian brand Diesel has seen a 31 per cent increase in traffic to its own site. The hook-up has been mutually beneficial for Pornhub, according to its vice-president Corey Price. He has noticed an increase in interest from high fashion brands since Diesel – reportedly the first mainstream label to advertise on a porn website – took the plunge. “Each day over 60 million people visit Pornhub.com. Brands are starting to recognize just how large and eclectic our audience is and want to tap into it,” says Price. “The potential visibility we provide is enticing enough for brands to reach out and inquire about working together.”
“Each day over 60 million people visit Pornhub.com. Brands are starting to recognize just how large and eclectic our audience is and want to tap into it.”
Fashion is also swiping right on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr. London-based label J.W.Anderson teamed up with gay social networking app Grindr to live stream its autumn/winter 2016 men’s wear fashion show in January. Initially, the partnership was met with derision. “We had a few suspicions about how the fashion industry would react,” admits Grindr’s vice-president of marketing Landis Smithers. “But what we were doing was a first so we expected opinions – good and bad.”
The negative opinions were soon drowned out by the sound
of thousands of users installing the app specifically to watch the show. With a global user base of 7 million, 40,000 tuned-in to the live stream. The show was viewed 150,000 times through Grindr’s online channels. The app has a wider lifestyle market in its crosshairs, and is already attract- ing advertisers such as Calvin Klein, Aldo and American Apparel.
British label Vivienne Westwood has taken another approach, recruiting artist and gay porn actor Colby Keller for its spring 2016 campaign. The brand is banking on Keller’s sex appeal – in some ads, he wears little more than a thong – and built-in fan base to entice potential consumers via the images shot by Juergen Teller.
The fashion industry has long toed the line with controversial ways to attract customer interest, but now it’s seemingly done with foreplay. “I think brands are trying to get edgier,” adds Price. “After all, sex does sell.”
Originally published in The Globe and Mail


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UPL Corporation, formerly Bio-Win Corporation, houses UPL’s expansive global agrochemicals business, which contributed 87% of its FY18 sales of over $2.7 billion.
This will be the vehicle that the Mumbaibased company will use to acquire Platform Specialty Products Corp’s agricultural pesticides business called Arysta Life-Science for $4.3 billion, they added.
While ADIA will provide $1 billion in equity funding — it’s single biggest commitment to an Indian company till date — UPL is organising the remaining $3.3 billion from Asian and European banks.
UPL Corporation raised $300 million through dollar-denominated bonds in March.
UPL is the world’s second-largest postpatent agrochemicals company. Platform, the chemical maker whose biggest stakeholder is Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management with a 14% stake, said in June it had entered exclusive negotiations on a potential sale of Arysta.
The West Palm Beach, Florida-based company announced its intention last year to separate the crop chemicals business from its industrial chemicals division, at first planning to hive it off into a separate publicly traded company. Arysta LifeScience employs about 3,000 people and accounted for about half of Platform’s sales of $3.8 billion last year.
Jaidev (Jai) Shroff, global CEO of UPL, and an ADIA spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. Mails sent to Platform Specialty Products did not generate a comment till press time.
Both sides are likely to finalise the terms this week before making a formal announcement by this month end. Jai Shroff-led UPL had walked away from the transaction late last month over a valuation mismatch but re-engaged after other potential suitors left.
Platform had said it was in talks with UK investment vehicle Wilmcote Holdings Plc about a potential deal.
Like Platform, UPL, earlier known as United Phosphorus Ltd, has also been a serial acquirer with over 25 takeovers in two decades. The company that started in 1969 as a manufacturer of red phosphorus, used in safety matches and pesticides, is today spread across 133 countries with 33 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries spanning the entire agrochemicals value chain of seeds to specialised post-harvest products.
Arysta will be UPL’s largest bet. Once completed, it will make UPL the world’s fifth-largest crop-protection company and the biggest generic player with a combined revenue of slightly less than $4.6 billion. The company is currently the ninth-largest.
Analysts favour UPL’s long-term prospects, led by its focus on branding and launching of innovative products, maintaining geographical presence, catering to major crops, increasing share in the global market and consistent investments in backward and forward integration, resulting in better cost management.
“Global consolidation is an opportunity for companies such as UPL to gain better access to distribution,” said Basanth Patil, an analyst with HDFC Securities.
The space has seen unprecedented consolidation with the Dow Chemicals-DuPont, Bayer-Monsanto and Sygenta-Adama mergers. More than 80% of the global market share is held by only four companies.
UPL’s strong manufacturing base will help reduce sourcing costs as Arysta gets most of its raw material from India and China. A strong supply chain can then be integrated with Arysta, which has a presence in more countries, thereby benefiting from market access.
The UPL stock gained 0.45% to Rs 624.55 at the close on the BSE on Monday. Its current market capitalisation is Rs 31,811crore.
ADIA has been increasing its India play after recently committing $1billion in the government’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund’s Master Fund. In infrastructure, ADIA owns minority stakes in Indian renewable energy producer ReNew Power Ventures Pvt and Greenko Energy Holdings.
Last November, it acquired a minority stake in Cube Highways and Infrastructure Pte, a road platform formed by I Squared Capital and World Bank’s International Finance Corp and a month later, it picked up a minority stake in KKR India Financial Services Pvt, an alternative credit business of global private equity leader KKR & Co in India, for an undisclosed amount.
ADIA owns a minority stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management Ltd. Its other bets include Security and Intelligence Services (India) Ltd and securities depository firm Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. In real estate, it invested $200 million in Kotak’s realty fund.
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For information on the progress of the spread and the disease situation: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ We bring you here, and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, the information provided by our members and partners regarding the tropical timber market and the activities of companies in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Paris, May 4th, 2020 – The forestry companies that are members of the ATIBT (Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux) have swung into action to counter, at their level, the development of Covid-19 in Africa. Their objectives: to protect their employees and the indigenous populations, but also to pursue the activity of a responsible sector essential to the economic balance of these countries, where wood is one of the most important contributors to the public treasury.
On 11 May, a new chapter begins with the implementation of the progressive deconfinement plan. Its objective: to preserve a balance between the need to resume economic activity and the need to preserve the health of the French people. To this end, the Ministry of Labour has drawn up a national deconfinement protocol, thus completing the 48 trade guides drawn up in partnership with professional federations and social partners.
With regard to State aid:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of the gradual deconfinement on 10 May is accompanied by the « reconstruction plan » which starts on 13 May.
The Prime Minister stated that « This document sets out a plan to rebuild the UK for a world with COVID-19. It is not a quick return to ‘normality.’ Nor does it lay out an easy answer. And, inevitably, parts of this plan will adapt as we learn more about the virus. But it is a plan that should give the people of the United Kingdom hope. Hope that we can rebuild; hope that we can save lives; hope that we can safeguard livelihoods.
It will require much from us all: that we remain alert; that we care for those at most risk; that we pull together as a United Kingdom. We will continue to work with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure these outcomes for everybody, wherever they live in the UK. »
David Hopkins, CEO of TTF, also points out that the plan sets out a timetable and basic principles as well as a step-by-step approach for moving forward.
The TTF head of Technical and Trade, Nick Boulton, worked on this plan to extract specific advice for the timber industry.
As part of the fight against Covid-19, after the closure of the borders on 16 March 2020, containment, « isolation, preventive and compulsory social » measures have been put in place by Argentina since Friday 20 March 2020, and at least until Sunday 24 May 2020 inclusive, no travel outside the home is allowed except in the case of specifically provided exceptions.
Since 11 May, however, these measures have been relaxed throughout Argentina, with the exception of the city and province of Buenos Aires and cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, which remain under strict containement.
This has had a major impact on the timber industry. According to a survey carried out by the Argentinean Federation of the Wood Industry (FAIMA) between 21 and 23 April 2020, logging is among the most affected sectors where sales have plummeted by more than 70% in the last month.
According to the results relayed by GWMI on May 8, the survey highlights on the one hand the difficulties of sawmills and furniture manufacturers in accessing the financial support announced by the government to alleviate the crisis, and on the other hand the inconveniences that has resulted from the break in the payment chain since the beginning of the isolation.
According to the information they have disclosed, 72% of companies (most of them with 1 to 19 employees) believe that they will not be able to pay the April’s salary or that – at most – they will be able to pay 50%.
Román Queiroz, secretary general of FAIMA, says that « the impact of the fall on sales is alarming. Companies went decapitalised to meet commitments and are now in a situation of very high financial fragility ». In addition, according to his words : « We are probably going through the worst moment in the wood and furniture industry of the last 50 years ».
Published on May 10, 2020, the report of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) entitled: « Covid-19 : Lockdown exit strategies for Africa », proposes seven deconfinement strategies for a sustainable economic recovery.
« The ECA estimates that a one-month full lockdown across Africa would cost the continent about 2.5 per cent of its annual GDP, equivalent to about $65.7 billion per month. This is separate from and in addition to the wider external impact of COVID-19 on Africa of lower commodity prices and investment flows. »
« With the lockdowns came serious challenges for Africa’s economies, including a drop in demand for products and services; lack of operational cash flow; reduction of opportunities to meet new customers; businesses were closed; issues with changing business strategies and offering alternative products and services; a decline in worker production and productivity from working at home; logistics and shipping of products; and difficulties in obtaining supplies of raw materials essential for production. »
« According to the UN agency, it is essential that African countries take advantage of this delay in the spread of the pandemic to learn from lessons learned from other regions and from their experiences of deconfinement. »
Furthermore, at an online press conference on 11 May 2020, Stephen Karingi, Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division at ECA said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could help African economies recover from the impact of COVID-19. As he said : « Boosting intra-African trade can serve as an alternative stimulus package for job creation, foreign exchange, industrial development and economic growth».
However, in view of the health emergency, the priority of which is to save lives, the 1 July 2020 start date for trade under the AfCFTA has been moved to at least 1 January 2021.
Mr. Karingi said such delay offers a window of opportunity for creative thinking on how the AfCFTA can be reconfigured to reflect the new realities and risks of the 21st century, stating “this is needed to better position the African economy in the face of future adverse shocks emanating from novel viruses and climate change, among others.” He emphasised the need to maintain the AfCFTA momentum and ambition that existed before COVID-19. This, he said, will enable Africa recover and build long-term resilience.
REPUBLIC OF CONGO
On 8 May 2020, a global and complete plan to gradually lift the lockdown was submitted to the government by the National Coordination for the Management of the Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid-19), assisted by the Task Force.
Shipping of goods and maritime freight operates without hindrance at the port of Pointe-Noire, although problems with the stock of wood products are beginning to be felt.
Pending the lifting of containment and the recovery plan, Congo is preparing to distribute free protective masks to the population.Out of an order for 1.5 million protective masks, 777,000 have already been delivered by the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Handicrafts and the Informal Sector.
Several solidarity initiatives have been launched, notably by companies in the Timber industry for the benefit of employees and the local population, including :
CIB-OLAM has committed 300 million CFA francs (US$495,000) to relief efforts against COVID-19, including donations of PPE, medical equipment and test kits to health clinics, as well as public awareness campaigns :
The inflation rate continues to rise in the Republic of Congo, standing at 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to 1.2% in 2018 for the same period. Year-on-year, the analysis of the general price level shows an inflation rate of 3.8%, which is above the community threshold of 3%.
Companies are operating with many difficulties, mainly logistics are a problem. Accelerating problems could lead to more people being laid off.
After a total containement of 15 days, return to partial confinement with a reminder of the protection/prevention barriers (social distancing, hand washing and compulsory wearing of masks).
Concerning boats and exports, lack of empty containers and part of the containers embarked in LIBREVILLE/OWENDO transit through Pointe Noire which can lead to significant delays.
In response to the Gabonese government’s call for solidarity, timber industry companies are ensuring the adoption of barrier measures among their respective employees. Each is respectively in charge of the forest sites, the life bases, as well as supporting the local administrations and NGOs that have submitted specific problems related to the COVID crisis.
While Vietnam’s export market shares of wood and wood products, mainly to the United States, Japan, Europe and China, and account for more than 85% of the industry’s total export value, the spread of the pandemic in all countries has led to the suspension of importers’ orders.
According to Vietnam’s General Customs Department, in the first half of March, exports of timber and wood products dropped to US$447 million from almost US$1.6 billion cumulatively in the previous two months.
Export sales and the industry’s growth rate are expected to decline more sharply in the future as the disease progresses seriously and develops in a complicated manner in major export markets.
According to the results of a survey reported in the GWMI publication of 14/05/2020, out of 124 large wood-processing companies more than 51% of the companies have downsized their production scale. 35% of companies will have to temporarily cease operations soon. Only 7% of companies are still operating normally, with uncertainties related to the pandemic.
Since mid-March, the pandemic has led to serious disruptions in the global supply chain, with many contracts delayed or cancelled. Businesses continue to receive notifications from their partners about longer delivery times, cancellation of delivery, even for batches of products that have been manufactured or are being manufactured with immediate consequences on declining revenues forcing companies to reduce their workforce.
According to the observations « most of countries from which tropical log imports declined greatly included Equatorial Guinea (- 58%), Solomon (-54%), the Republic of Congo (-45%) and Cameroon (-42%). » Furthermore, figures reported by the Chinese customs show a drop in the average prices (in US$/cu.m CIF) of imported logs and sawnwood in February 2020 compared to the previous month. See details.


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Criteo works with industry analysts, research partners, and thought leaders to bring you comprehensive research on the latest topics related to the digital marketing industry.
In a new report from Technology Business Review, analysts Stuart Williams and Zach Rabel identify and explain a high-growth market segment they call “Shopper Engagement”, estimated to be valued at USD 38 billion by 2021.
By 2020, artificial intelligence will be used by at least 60% of organizations for digital commerce. This Gartner report provides actionable insights and recommendations on how marketers can apply AI and machine learning technologies to drive performance.
In this IDC whitepaper, learn why familiarity with machine learning applications is high amongst marketing executives, but usage is low. While many marketers are aware of the value of the technology, they share a number of perceived risks.
In this special report, Technology Business Research, Inc. (TBR) analyst Seth Ulinski distills his views on Criteo’s strategic direction on how the business is working to provide what retailers and brands need most: data.


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|Bid||5.43 x 800|
|Ask||5.85 x 2900|
|Day's Range||5.45 - 5.70|
|52 Week Range||5.27 - 10.75|
|Beta (3Y Monthly)||1.26|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||16.34|
|Earnings Date||Oct 23, 2018 - Oct 29, 2018|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||9.30|
In 2009 Morris Young was appointed CEO of AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI). First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Then we’ll look at a snap Read More...
NEW YORK, Nov. 06, 2018 -- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Fundamental Markets released its latest key findings for all current investors,.
Seeing as we’re in the middle of earnings season, it’s not surprising that many stocks are on the move. Among the companies making waves today include Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT), Newfield Exploration Company (NYSE:NFX), Jones Energy Inc (NYSE:JONE), Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA), and AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI). Let’s analyze further in depth. For those of you interested in potentially partly diversifying your portfolio […]
AXT (AXTI) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of 0.00% and 1.75%, respectively, for the quarter ended September 2018. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
On a per-share basis, the Fremont, California-based company said it had net income of 10 cents. The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment ...
FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 31, 2018 -- AXT, Inc. (NasdaqGS: AXTI), a leading material science company manufacturing single crystal compound semiconductor substrates, today reported.
AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI), is a US$258m small-cap, which operates in the tech hardware industry based in United States. In the past decade, mega-tech companies, have built highly successful and ubiquitous Read More...
NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2018 -- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Fundamental Markets released its latest key findings for all current investors,.
FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 03, 2018 -- AXT, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AXTI), a leading manufacturer of compound semiconductor substrates, will announce its financial results for the third.
AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI), which is in the semiconductor business, and is based in United States, saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of monthsRead More...
This article is intended for those of you who are at the beginning of your investing journey and want to start learning about core concepts of fundamental analysis on practicalRead More...
The Fremont, California-based company said it had profit of 10 cents per share. The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was ...
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 25, 2018 / AXT, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXTI ) will be discussing their earnings results in their Q2 Earnings Call to be held on July 25, 2018 at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. To listen ...
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 12, 2018 / U.S. equities saw losses on Wednesday, breaking a winning streak of four consecutive days, as trade tensions grew following the White House's announcement of ...
AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) is a stock with outstanding fundamental characteristics. When we build an investment case, we need to look at the stock with a holistic perspective. In the caseRead More...
WallStEquities.com revisits the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials space, which comprises companies that are engaged in the design, manufacture, and sale of equipment that assists with the development of semiconductors. Under review this morning are the following equities: AXT Inc. (NASDAQ: AXTI), Brooks Automation Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKS), Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE), and Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ).
When AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) released its most recent earnings update (31 March 2018), I compared it against two factor: its historical earnings track record, and the performance of its industryRead More...
On May 15th, 2018, Zacks reported that after generating record annual sales in 2017, the global Semiconductor industry was off to a great 2018. The report further noted that as per the Semiconductor Industry Association, global sales of semiconductors grew 20% year-over-year to $111.1 billion in Q1 2018. Today, WallStEquities.com navigates the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits space to see how select stocks have fared over the past trading sessions: AXT Inc. (NASDAQ: AXTI), Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ESIO), Marvell Technology Group Ltd (NASDAQ: MRVL), and Microsemi Corp. (NASDAQ: MSCC).


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Google announced its Chromecast media streaming device last week and immediately caused quite a stir amongst technology enthusiasts. Not only was the Chromecast seemingly easy to use, but its low $35 price point made it attainable by virtually anyone. It didn't hurt that Google was throwing in a three month trial of Netflix with the device as well, but that deal was suspended almost as soon as it was announced due to overwhelmingly high demand.
The Google Chromecast is a simple device to understand. It is basically a small HDMI dongle that physically plugs into an HDTV (or other display) and wirelessly connects to a local Wi-Fi network...
Ever had problems with broswer hijacking? Be prepared for the next attack by turning Windows update on, and reading the guide to Browser Hijacking and How to Stop It. - PCSTATS Tips


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Cell Phone Signal Booster's Latest New Easy-Install Kit Sends Clear Signal for Future of Mobile Reception
CellPhoneSignalBooster.us has announced they will carry the fastest to install, and easiest to use cell phone signal booster to date, that works with all service carrier phones simultaneously.
Houston, Texas, March 17, 2016 (Newswire.com) - The weBoost eqo (/ˈekō/) signal booster kit "echoes" cell phone signal indoors, plus amplifies it up to 3200%! With easy installation in under 60 seconds, this product makes boosting of spotty reception easier than ever. Furthermore, this booster kit supports all phones and carriers within the USA and Canada.
The latest new weBoost Eqo booster kit does not require an exterior antenna, resulting in a simplistic “plug and play” installation that can be completed by everyone. The booster amplifies any weak pre-existing signal in structures such as houses and offices in buildings to boost those signals up to 32 times for indoor areas up to 1,200 square feet.
Mobile technology has to be simple and effective to boost productivity.
Jazmin Mendoza, Spokeswoman
When discussing the eqo cell phone booster kit and its chances in this fierce and fast moving market, Cell Phone Signal Booster’s spokesperson Jazmin Mendoza said, "This changes the game for cell phone boosters, making it a product that is easy to understand and install for everyone. There's no reason now for people in USA & Canada to have to suffer with poor cellular reception in their home or office, regardless of their service provider."
Jazmin said, "We're in a market now where mobile technology has to be simple and effective to boost productivity. I think we're bringing to market a very simple yet very powerful mobile reception amplifier that boosts signal up to 32 times more than what a cell phone alone can do on its own. It is really frustrating when wireless signal is poor, but there's no need for that now with this easy kit. It will be a lifeline for those who need a reliable signal to get through their day, such as apartment dwellers who work from home."
The weBoost EQO cell signal booster can be purchased at https://cellphonesignalbooster.us/weboost-eqo-signal-booster-kit/ in April 2016. Purchase through the website offers a no-risk refund guarantee and free shipping across the USA and Canada with lifetime product support. To learn more, please visit the product listing page at their online store.
It is a venture owned and operated by Accessory Fulfillment Center, LLC, located in Houston, Texas. The company is one of the top weBoost retailers, and their warehousing and retail operations exist in a large retail store warehouse. For those who are too far from their physical location, the website offers a safe and secure purchasing option.


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Google Now uses a variety of information about a user—everything from emails to their current location—to display potentially useful information, like the current status of an upcoming plane flight.
Last year, we reported that the service was on its way to Apple's mobile devices but we didn't know when. From this video, it seems like we may be getting closer to a launch date.
Everyone who uses it seems to love Google's Now service, which is currently available on Android phones. While it's been compared to Apple's Siri voice-command system, it's really something different.
It's been very well received because the service gets to know you and predicts things you'll ask it for like, directions home that avoid traffic, information for an upcoming flight, or the latest sports scores.
Google Now is deeply integrated into Google's Android operating system. It's not clear how deeply Apple would let a service like Google Now embed itself in iPhone or iPad devices. Still, Google Now could approximate its Android capabilities by using push notifications and Apple's Passbook feature.
This is another example of Google moving to dominate Apple on Apple's own mobile-software platform—as it's done by releasing iPhone and iPad versions of Google Maps which outperform Apple's built-in Maps software.
One key reason for Google to release an iOS version of Google Now: Google Glass, the company's experimental Internet-connected headset, which made a big, buzzy appearance at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, this week.
Google Now is integrated into Google Glass, and adds to the device's functionality. This would be the perfect way for Google Glass to pair with iPhones and iPads.
For comparison, Engadget also posted the original Google Now ad, which looks almost exactly like the one above—except for the Apple devices:
Get the latest Google stock price here.


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GREENSBORO, N.C. — March 22, 2021 — In celebration of World Water Day, Kontoor Brands Inc. — a global lifestyle apparel company with a portfolio led by the Wrangler® and Lee® brands —today announced the expansion of its Indigood™ program, an initiative that targets water savings during the fabric construction phase of the apparel supply chain. Debuted in 2019 with the introduction of foam-dyed denim, the Indigood program has expanded to include any water savings technology in apparel fabric production that uses at least 90 percent less water than conventional fabric production.
“Water is one of our most vital and precious natural resources, and as such, we are focused on advancing the sustainable and equitable management of water resources,” said Jeff Frye, vice president of Product Development and Direct Procurement, Kontoor Brands. “By expanding the Indigood program to include additional water saving technologies, we’re giving our suppliers the opportunity to select the water savings technologies that work best for their production, while also meeting the growing consumer demand for products that not only look good, but also minimize the impact on the planet.”
Kontoor Brands produces millions of products globally each year, and has committed to using its global scale to advance the denim industry. Through the expansion of the Indigood program, Kontoor is encouraging denim mills across the globe to adopt radically different water saving technologies in the vein of indigo foam dye. Additional approved technologies include increased water recycling, advancements in the dyeing process and fabric finishing innovations. Kontoor works with independent third parties to validate Indigood claims, ensuring they meet the 90 percent threshold.
In 2020, Wrangler announced it had saved more than 7 billion liters of water in the finishing phase of denim manufacturing, exceeding its 2020 goal of saving 5.5 billion liters, and launched a new goal, to reduce its water usage by 50 percent by 2030. The Wrangler brand’s updated water goal targets the fiber production, fabric construction, and product finishing phases of the denim supply chain, which together encompass more than 95 percent of the total water used throughout the production of a pair of jeans.
The Lee brand also focuses on conserving water throughout the denim manufacturing supply chain including fiber production with goals for sustainable cotton and sustainable synthetics by 2025, in fabric construction, and in finishing, where Lee has saved more than 1 billion liters of water. In 2020, Lee announced its first global sustainability goals, which include increasing Indigood-dyed products every year through 2025.
“At Kontoor Brands, we believe companies have a responsibility to use resources wisely, drive sustainable innovations, and preserve and protect the planet,” said Dhruv Agarwal, senior director of Global Materials Innovation and Product Development, Kontoor Brands. “Expanding our Indigood™ partnerships to new mills helps in our greater mission to conserve water in every step of our supply chain.”
Consumers can purchase Indigood foam-dyed products at Wrangler.com and Lee.com.
Posted March 22, 2021
Source: Kontoor Brands Inc.


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D-Link announces a new 802.11ac model, the AC750 Wi-Fi Router (DIR-818W), that's available in four colors including red, teal, black, and white.
The mobile chipmaker expects to be moving to double-antenna 2x2 MIMO technology for mobile phones. Also: a new GPS chip for wearable devices.
The new network standard, which can reach 5Gbps but has limited range, could ease wireless congestion problems in crowded areas, according to an 802.11ad chipmaker.
At CES 2014, Broadcom announces two new 5G WiFi system-on-a-chips (SoCs) designed to deliver range and speed while using less power from the host device's CPU.
Apple's imminent OS X 10.8.5 update should tackle truncated Wi-Fi speeds in Apple's latest MacBook Air systems.
The latest update for AirPort base stations addresses some minor but annoying bugs in Apple's line of Wi-Fi routers.
Findings show that despite high link speeds, the 2013 MacBook Air is currently limited to about a third of its expected transfer rates.
The Wi-Fi Alliance announces its Wi-Fi Certified ac certification program, which aims to guarantee the interoperability of 802.11ac-enabled devices regardless of their hardware vendors or type of clients.
CNET Editor Dong Ngo show off his skills on dealing with long names and battle scars with the D-Link DIR-868L router.
Quantenna announces the first 4x4 (quad-stream) 802.11ac chipset. The new chipset, which offers a cap speed of 1.7Gbps, is slated to be used in products later this year.


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New techniques magnify images without requiring bulky zoom lenses
Imagine giving a presentation to a roomful of important customers when suddenly the projector fails. You whip out your smartphone, beam your PowerPoint presentation onto the conference room screen, and are back in business within seconds. This career-saving application and others like it are the promise of a new generation of ultra-small projectors. Now researchers from Japan and Poland have taken an important step toward making such devices more versatile and easier to integrate into portable electronic devices.
The team has created a small holographic projection system with a lensless zoom function. When fully developed the system should be cheaper and smaller than other projection systems. The researchers report their findings in a paper published today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Optics Express.
Zoom functions magnify an image to fit on an arbitrarily sized screen, but they typically require complicated lenses and mechanical components. “A zoom lens in general projectors occupies a large area in the systems,” said Tomoyoshi Shimobaba, a professor in the graduate school of engineering at Chiba University in Japan. “If I remove the zoom lens, the system will be small and cost-saving.”
Though the new holographic lensless zoom is not the first lensless zoom system to be developed, Shimobaba notes that other systems require extra components. His team’s system requires only a laser and an LCD panel.
In order to achieve a lensless zoom, Shimobaba, his colleagues from Chiba University, and Michal Makowski from the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland turned to holography. Holography is a way to produce images by using the interference pattern of two laser beams to encode and later display the image. By their nature holograms operate without lenses. It is possible to represent a holographic image with numbers and formulas and then calculate how that image can be magnified.
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- Security Holograms Market Brief Forecast and Analysis by Top Key Players to 2031
Future Market Insights (FMI) predicts the global market for security holograms to expand at 5.3% CAGR between 2021 and 2031. Overall sales of security ...
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MATSUKO's solution reconstructs people from 2D to 3D via hologram, bringing physical presence to remote communication and introduces a holographic metaverse.
- Holographic TV Market Is Likely to Experience a Strong Growth During 2022-2028 with Top Countries Data | New Report Spread Across 94 Pages
May 18, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- "Holographic TV Market" Insights 2022 By Types (Laser Plasma, Micromagnetic Piston Display, Holographic Television ...
- Acoustic holograms enable efficient, selective opening of the blood brain barrier
The holograms designed by the team of researchers from UPV and CSIC allow the opening of the blood brain barrier selectively, efficiently and in a highly focused manner, facilitating the ...
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A security researcher has discovered four VPN apps that serve ads while running in the background and also on the home screen of Android smartphones in the latest case of adware found on the Google Play Store.
While researching suspicious Android VPN apps, Andy Michael found that Hotspot VPN, Free VPN Master, Secure VPN and Security Master by Cheetah Mobile were all showing full screen pop-up ads on his smartphone even though none of these apps were currently open.
It is also worth noting that all of these apps originate from either Hong Kong or China where VPN usage tends to be higher than in other countries due to China's Great Firewall and the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. While three of the four apps provide VPN services to users, Security Master is an antivirus app.
- Fake VPN website delivers malware
- Anything to hide? Why your VPN provider should be audited
- China VPN use may finally be getting easier
All of the apps found to be showing disruptive ads by Andy Michael are still available on the Play Store at the time of writing.
In addition to APIs from Google and Facebook used to show ads, Michael's investigation also found that Hotspot VPN also contained obfuscated code which is used to show full-screen ads regardless of whether or not the app is currently open which results in significant battery and CPU usage. This app's name also resembles the legitimate VPN, Hotspot Shield and its developer likely chose this name as a way to trick unsuspecting users into downloading their app instead.
Free VPN Master was found to share the same code for serving Google ads and its APK file has the same code structure and files as Hotspot VPN. According to Michael, both apps are identical apart from slight modifications in their code.
Secure VPN though was the worst offender as it served ads when users had other apps open and even overlaid them on top of user's home screens. The app also contained references to code that recorded activities such as when an ad was displayed, clicked on or dismissed by the user. Security Master on the other hand, used more sophisticated behavior to show ads when users tried to go back to the home screen or when certain buttons were clicked.
Android users are constantly warned to avoid installing apps from unknown sources but when they can't even trust Google's own Play Store to find legitimate apps, there is a serious problem.
- Worried about downloading a fake VPN app? Check out our complete list of the best VPN services of 2019


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It’s not only cars they want to slow down
Are the dangers of ‘out of control’ Toyota cars being exaggerated to attack ‘out of control’ economic growth?
‘The car in front is a Toyota’, says the advertising slogan. And if recent events are to be believed, that car is accelerating uncontrollably into the distance before turning into a fireball in a high-speed crash. Where did it all go wrong? That was the topic of BBC2’s The Money Programme this week.
The trouble for Toyota really started in August last year. An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, Mark Saylor, took his Lexus (Toyota’s up-market brand) into his dealer for maintenance and was given a temporary replacement vehicle. Later that day, Saylor was driving family members along Highway 125 in San Diego when the car suffered what is known as SUA – Sudden Unintended Acceleration – with Saylor apparently unable to find a way to stop it. Saylor’s last moments were spent making a heart-wrenching call to 911 before the car crashed at 100mph, killing all the occupants.
Toyota initially blamed the accident on incorrectly fitted floormats which trapped the accelerator pedal, but other problems with Toyota cars soon came to light. For example, there appeared to be a problem where the brakes lost most of their power when the car’s accelerator was fully depressed. Numerous other stories of brake problems and uncontrollable acceleration came to light in subsequent weeks. In January and February this year, Toyota announced wide-ranging product recalls for a number of different models, including it’s ever-so-green hybrid, the Prius. In late February, the head of the company, Akio Toyoda, appeared before a US congressional committee to explain what went wrong and to offer his condolences to Saylor’s relatives.
While Toyota was never regarded as a particularly sexy brand, its cars always had the selling point that they could be relied on to run smoothly. Now, within the space of a few months, Toyota’s hard-won reputation for safety and reliability, built up over decades, has been called into question. The Money Programme argued that all this was a product of the company moving away from its long-established and widely admired principles in favour of a dash for growth.
Toyota was founded as an automatic loom maker in 1926 by Sakichi Toyoda. In 1933, it began to make cars and the Toyota Motor Corporation was founded as a spinoff by Toyoda’s son, Kiichiro, in 1937. By 1957, the company began exporting cars to the US and a highly productive and innovative business model was built around the principles of ‘The Toyota Way’, which included: genchi genbutsu (‘go and see’) – that is, find out for yourself what is going on; taking a long-term view; team effort; understanding each other; and, most importantly, kaizen – an attitude of continuous improvement.
The results were legendary. By the late 1970s, British Leyland produced about five cars per worker; Ford produced 12 cars per worker; Toyota produced 51. As The Money Programme noted, Toyota’s methods, from workers on the frontline taking personal responsibility for improving efficiency through to just-in-time production processes, have been studied by organisations as diverse as Tesco and the UK National Health Service.
By 1999, Toyota had produced a grand total of 100million cars and its next ambition was to become the biggest carmaker in the world, overtaking General Motors. By 2007, it had succeeded in its aim, making multi-billion dollar profits while its rival descended into a pit of debt. Yet this week’s documentary argued that this rapid growth had been at the expense of the very methods that had established Toyota’s profile in the first place.
Production, which had been expanded step-by-step in the past, suddenly leapt by 50 per cent in just a few years. The company’s very close relationships with parts manufacturers in Japan were poorly replicated in other parts of the world. Costs were squeezed and testing procedures were not as thorough as they were in the past. There have been claims that internal concerns about product safety were ignored, employees were ruthlessly overworked, and the firm’s plants in the American south were using cheaper, non-unionised labour to the ultimate detriment of all workers in the auto industry.
While all car manufacturers make recalls, which is unsurprising given the complexity and potential danger of modern vehicles, Toyota seems to have had more than most in recent years – even before the latest traumatic events. Embarrassing memos have emerged from its US arm about how one recall had been particularly narrow, reducing the number of vehicles involved. This may have been regarded as a money-saving ‘win’ by company insiders at the time, but the documents didn’t do much for the firm’s reputation in the light of the Saylor incident and previous serious accidents associated with Toyota cars.
The Money Programme argued that this was essentially an age-old tale of corporate greed, that the company had lost sight of its founding philosophy with devastating consequences for drivers and, ultimately, for its reputation. This was the interpretation placed on events by Akio Toyoda himself when he apologised for his company’s failings. By expanding so rapidly, it seems, corners had been cut. Like Icarus flying towards the sun, Toyota’s ambition and rapid growth were doomed to failure, but the outcome might not be so bad if the company learned some humility. This modern parable fits neatly into a contemporary sniffiness towards economic growth.
Yet this view seems to exaggerate what has actually happened. Drivers have every right to expect the cars they drive to be as safe as possible, and it is quite possible that the firm has not been as diligent as in the past in relation to quality control. But Toyota cars are still overwhelmingly safe, with only a tiny proportion of its vehicles having reported problems. While the blow to Toyota’s reputation will hurt, the company still sold 204,000 cars worldwide last month, compared with 134,000 for the same month in 2009, continuing a run of eight consecutive months of sales growth.
Moreover, it is still not clear what is causing the safety problems. The Money Programme put forward the argument that weaker relationships between the firm and parts suppliers meant quality had been compromised, yet then confusingly argued that the trouble might be with the complex software that now controls cars. The old days when pressing the accelerator pedal was a mechanical process that immediately delivered more petrol to the engine are, apparently, long gone. Now, putting your foot on the gas merely delivers a suggestion to the on-board computer that the driver would like to go faster; the computer then figures out the optimal way to achieve this. Despite denials from Toyota, the programme suggested that this software may be less than perfect, causing a tiny number of cars to accelerate wildly out of control.
For all the criticism levelled at it today, Toyota remains a highly productive and innovative company. But that productivity is built as much upon a compliant workforce as innovation and automation. Toyota’s methods of organisation are super-efficient, but they rely on employees taking responsibility for driving up productivity. This has been the envy of corporations around the world. With even the far-from-perfect trade unions of the past in terminal decline, employers in the US and the UK now have a much freer hand to impose new working practices on staff, extending working hours and forcing employees to do more of their work on their own time.
It is this aspect of the Toyota story that should cause most concern, not the rare but terrible accidents associated with its cars, nor trite, age-old stories about too much corporate ambition.
Rob Lyons is deputy editor of spiked.
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NEW YORK — The Jones Group Inc. will continue to make a bigger push in footwear, jewelry and handbags in 2013, the same categories that resonated well with consumers in the fourth quarter and in 2012.
The company on Wednesday posted fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street’s expectations even though it still reported a loss for the quarter, hurt in part by the structured sportswear and retail businesses.
For the three months ended Dec. 31, the net loss widened to $80.3 million, or $1.06 a diluted share, from $21.1 million, or 27 cents, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, excluding charges related to impairments of certain intangible assets and the impact of severance in connection with restructuring activities, the company earned 14 cents a share, beating Wall Street’s consensus estimate by 5 cents. Total revenues rose 8.8 percent to $971.9 million from $893.6 million, which included a 9.1 percent gain in net sales to $958.3 million. The balance of revenues was from licensing income and other revenues.
For the year, the company reported a net loss of $56.1 million, or 72 cents a diluted share, against net income of $50.7 million, or 61 cents, in 2011. Revenues inched up 0.3 percent to $3.80 billion from $3.79 billion.
Shares of Jones rose nearly 0.3 percent to close at $12.09 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Wes Card, chief executive officer, said in a telephone interview that the company, which closed 103 stores last year and about 500 doors since it began its retail door review process four years ago, will likely close 50 more units in 2013. According to Card, the decision will be made when leases come up for renewal. Most of the doors that will be impacted are the company’s outlet stores.
While the structured sportswear business and retail channels continue to remain challenged, Card expects last year’s “slow and steady improvement in the economy” to continue into 2013. In addition, he expects the continuation of strong selling trends for footwear and accessories.
The company is planning on expanding jewelry and handbag offerings for its Nine West line, Anne Klein brand, and in its growing Rachel Roy and Brian Atwood businesses.
The company’s two core denim brands, Gloria Vanderbilt and L.E.I., did particularly well in the fourth quarter. According to Card, Wal-Mart’s intensified support for L.E.I., with new product with April deliveries, helped the line throughout 2012. “Sales were up and margins were way up,” he said. As for Gloria Vanderbilt, the ceo said the company updated all the basics for the line by June, along with updated washes and finishes, and was one of the first lines to come out with color and print.
Richard Dickson, president and ceo, branded businesses, said the denim team is taking the learnings from the two brands and leveraging it to the Jones New York sportswear line, where Signature denim is featuring secret slimming technology.
Dickson also spoke briefly about the Jones New York line for fall, which will officially show in March, although there have been limited previews of the line to most of its major accounts. “The reaction has been very favorable,” he said, describing the overhaul for fall as a return to the Jones New York career wear roots. He also said the changes are “extending to a whole new system of dressing.”


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Bigger Storage, Better Performance features in Tecno Pova Neo
Smartphone brand TECNO has unveiled its all-new POVA NEO from its performance-oriented POVA series. The phone targets digital age Gen Z consumers who use numerous applications on the smartphone generating large volumes of data, and who are on the lookout for a smartphone that offers strong performance and large memory.
POVA NEO offers customers a 6GB RAM which is expandable up to 11GB RAM owing to the superlative memory fusion technology, 128GB storage, and a giant 6000 mAh battery supporting 18W fast charging packed between a sparkling 6.8-inch display and a stunning curved crater design body.
POVA NEO comes with a 13MP AI dual Rear Camera with Quad Flashlight and an 8MP Selfie Camera with Dual Flashlight generating remarkable photos and video quality in varied light conditions, catering to all the photography needs of the shutter happy next generation.
Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India, said, “2021 was an exciting year for us, TECNO launched around 18 smartphones across our three different product line viz. CAMON, SPARK, and POVA. We also registered an online growth of 73% (Jan-Nov YTD) owing to our popular smartphones like Spark Go 2021, Spark 7T, and POVA 2. We have always endeavored to stay ahead of the curve by consistently introducing best-in-class functional innovations at competitive price points, with better accessibility for Indian consumers.”
Tecno Pova Neo comes with thrilling features
“Stepping into 2022, TECNO will continue with the ‘Segment-First’ approach, and we plan to disrupt the mid-to-high segment of smartphones with diversified offerings from the POVA portfolio. With the best mix of speed, performance, and design, TECNO POVA NEO is packed with superlative features that today’s youth aspire. With the Indian market and its unique requirements at the center of all our strategies, we look forward to bringing in more innovation and redefining the power of innovation with POVA 5G underway.” Arijeet, added.
Backed by dual security features, the POVA NEO comes with rear fingerprint scanner and face lock. It will be available in Powehi Black, Geek Blue, and Obsidian Black colours. The smartphone is priced at INR. 12,999/- and comes with a complimentary pair of Tecno earbuds worth INR. 1,499/- and will be available in the retail stores starting 22nd January 2022.


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Google is hinting at new Pixel mid-range phones to be launched at the company’s briefing on May 7.
It is expected that the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL phones will be introduced, The Verge reported. The devices will be the less pricey version of the flagship Pixel 3 and 3 XL phones launched last year.
“Something big is coming to the Pixel universe,” reads a new teaser on the Google Store.
According to reports, the 3a line will have the same camera performance, which has become Google’s strength over time.
The new phones are rumored to be plastic-backed with lower screen resolution and processing power.


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Last week, CBC reported that some Canadian travel agencies had received notice from Manulife and TuGo that those travel insurance providers would no longer be covering COVID-19-related claims.
Other media picked up the story, which then swept across the country. The headline added to confusion among travel consumers, and has added to the workload of travel advisors fielding concerned queries from consumers about whether their current travel insurance will cover them, whether they should purchase more insurance, or no travel insurance at all.
The reason for the changes is that COVID-19 is no longer being considered an unexpected event, which would be covered by insurance. Instead, it’s considered a known risk affecting both medical and trip cancellation aspects of travel insurance.
Manulife officials reportedly confirmed to CBC that, “customers who purchase travel insurance will no longer be reimbursed for coronavirus-related trip cancellations,” but with one very significant exception: Customers “who purchase the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) option that provides coverage for any type of trip cancellation.”
Transat offers private label insurance underwritten by Manulife. Transat Distribution Canada’s general manager, Louise Fecteau, told Travel Market Report: “We are confident that our customers will continue to benefit from our insurance product’s coverage. So, for that reason, we will continue to encourage our travel professionals to sell insurance to their clients because they are still the best guarantees travelers can get. The Transat Concierge Club insurance, by example, provides customers with a large suite of benefits, including Cancel For Any Reason, Trip Interruption For Any Reason, and more.”
Travel advisors have already been encouraged to stay abreast of official Government of Canada travel advisories for the purposes of travel bookings or cancellations. The same advisories can also be the trigger for changing policy coverage.
“Currently, we’re administering benefits based on policy wording. In most cases, the issuance of Government of Canada travel advisories against non-essential or all travel for affected destinations will determine available coverage,” says Dan Keon, vice president of market management, for Allianz Global Assistance. “As the situation quickly evolves, we’re remaining focused on assisting our customers, supporting our partners, and closely monitoring the impacts to ensure the financial stability of our programs during this challenging time.”
Acknowledging that since the story hit the news, it’s been seeing “a lot of questions from policyholders who have plans to travel and are concerned about how this may affect the status of their travel insurance,” Orion Travel Insurance, owned by CAA, advised late Friday that it will continue to uphold existing trip cancellation coverage for those who have purchased or are planning to purchase travel insurance through CAA.
"Orion Travel Insurance will not be changing our policy to introduce coronavirus-related exclusions to trip cancellation insurance. Travelers with trip cancellation insurance will be reimbursed even if the federal government issues a coronavirus-related advisory to "avoid non-essential travel" to their destination after booking their trip," says Tony Tsai, vice president, communications and services, at CAA South Central Ontario, “This means, if you have or intend to purchase trip cancellation insurance prior to a Global Affairs Canada travel advisory 'to avoid all travel or non-essential travel,' your coverage remains as it is today.”
The variations in medical and trip cancellation coverage and policy conditions complicate Canadian travel advisors’ businesses even more. They are another moving target that advisors must keep track of — in a travel environment that is constantly changing as COVID-19 continues to impact the travel industry.
From the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies’ point of view: “Best practices remain the same and travel agents should still offer insurance. It is also a regulatory requirement in some provinces. But, of course, agents will have to explain any new insurance company policies that are specific to COVID-19.”
And Transat’s Fecteau also points out that travel insurance is not the only way travel advisors and their customers can manage the COVID-19 scenario: “Travel professionals should fully take advantage of the conditions put in place by the industry to try to mitigate the impacts of the actual situation on travelers, such as the different flexible fares offered by airlines, for example, or the recent flexibility policies offered by certain tour operators and airlines.”


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Rite Aid closes but two other vacancies on Mooney Boulevard may see new businesses under new ownership this year
VISALIA – Lost in the hustle of the holidays was Rite Aid’s announcement it will close 63 stores in 2022, and one of them will be on Mooney Boulevard in Visalia.
Rite Aid will close its Mooney Boulevard drug store Jan. 19, 2022 according to the store manager. The 21,440-square foot storefront at 2727 S. Mooney is already listed for lease on the real estate website LoopNet.com.
Rite Aid announced on Dec. 21, 2021 that it would close 63 stores in a cost-cutting move designed to help the pharmacy chain be more competitive reporting that it is “conducting a rigorous assessment of its store base and has implemented a store closure program.” The company expects more closures to be announced over the next several months.
The news came during Rite Aid’s release of its third quarter financials, which reported a net loss of $36.1 million compared with a net income of $4.3 million in the third quarter of 2020. The pharmacy chain is expecting net losses between $189 and $230 million in 2022. Total store count at the end of the third quarter was 2,488. The closures, which began in November, are expected to generate $25 million in earnings for investors.
“Today, we also announced the first phase of a store closure program to reduce costs, drive improved profitability and ensure that we have a healthy foundation to grow from, with the right stores in the right locations, for the communities we serve and for our business,” Rite Aid president and CEO Heyward Donigan said in a released statement.
The closure will leave two Rite Aid stores in town in east and west Visalia. The store manager said “we just found out” about the closure despite California law that requires a 60 day notice to employees. Rite Aid did say “Associates impacted by these store closures are being offered the opportunity to transfer to another store.”
Former Goodwill, Union Bank on Mooney
Just up the road, plans have been filed to remodel the Goodwill store at 2240 S. Mooney Blvd. into a senior center. George Ouzounian is the owner of the property. Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a national program sponsored by the federal government through Medicare to enable individuals who are at risk of moving into a nursing home to continue to live safely in their homes and communities. The center would be a day-use facility to help these people. Construction of the facility would be complete in March 2024. The project would employ 80 full- and part-time employees. Once enrolled as a participant, the PACE provider coordinates all Medicare, Medical and other payments to the participant’s care and service providers. Even though the program’s services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the facility operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a daily care center. PACE services are delivered in participant’s homes, in the community and at the PACE facility in order to help the senior live independently in their home and community.
At the corner of Mooney and Walnut Avenue, the vacant Union Bank building is officially for sale through the real-estate firm CBRE. The bank closed in Visalia last year. Sources say the bank is unlikely to be reused as-is since it has no set-back from Mooney. The 5,759-square foot building was posted for sale just this week. The asking price was not listed. The property sits next to the Visalia Mall who will likely be a bidder.
Riggin Avenue widening on deck
Now that more development is coming along Riggin Avenue in the Visalia Industrial Park, the city has been put on notice of the need to widen and improve the roadways in that part of Visalia. Assistant city manager Nick Mascia says they have been planning to widen Riggin to four lanes this year from Kelsey, where Amazon is, to Shirk Road. Plans are also in the works to widen Riggin in segments all the way to Mooney. Mascia says what is new is the need to widen smaller streets north of Riggin including Avenue 320 (Kibler Avenue), American Avenue and others with several million square feet of projects on the drawing board.
“We are seeking federal grants to help us out,” Mascia said.
The single mile of improvements involves the reconstruction of a two-lane stretch between Kelsey Street and Shirk Street to accommodate a four-lane arterial street with 110 feet of total right-of-way. Improvements would include new 12-foot vehicular travel lanes, Class II bike lanes, street lighting, landscaped medians, a bus turnout, fire hydrants, sewer line, traffic signal, and curb returns at all involved intersections. Riggin has become a busy truck corridor after the new Betty Drive interchange was completed connecting the industrial park to Highway 99.
In other news
Legendary neighborhood bar—also known as the town’s best dive bar—will be changing hands this month. The Pump House bar at 1075 E. Main St. in Visalia will get new owners as Jacob Gayer and Nathaniel Cary will now manage the popular watering hole, according to a public notice.
Demo of the property is underway at 1145 S. Lovers Lane to make room for a new Jack N The Box drive-thru at the northwest corner Lovers Lane and Tulare Ave.
Cal Water has filed notice to the city that an AT&T communication tower on the Giddings Avenue water tank will be relocated. According to the plans, Cal Water will take down the landmark water tower next to Redwood High School as part of the project. Cal Water has not said when this could happen.


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In a week, the contract between Blizzard and NetEase will expire and almost all of the company’s games will no longer be available to players from China. The event is extremely unpleasant for local users, and they are already preparing for a long break or moving to play in other regions. Blizzard itself, apparently, is not sitting idle and, according to the Chinese portal GameLook, citing a well-known player under the nickname “Uncle Dao”, who allegedly shared reliable information many times before, has almost chosen a new partner.
According to Uncle, the company had previously held talks with at least 4 companies and recently weeded out 2 of them in order to choose one with whom it would then conclude a new contract. A new partner has not yet been chosen, but negotiations have reached a decisive stage. Other rumors suggested that the four included Tencent, Perfect, ByteDance, and Ali, although representatives of these companies did not confirm or deny this information.
According to SCMP , NetEase is also not wasting any time and has already dismissed or transferred to other tasks a significant part of the employees who worked on Blizzard projects in China from its Shanghai office.
According to available data, the team consisted of no more than 100 people, and now there are about 10 left. The rest will deal with the folding of games, as well as related technical issues, and user support, after which they will also leave their posts in a few months. This means that Blizzard and NetEase are unlikely to resume cooperation in the foreseeable future, contrary to the hopes of some players.
NetEase Inc. and Blizzard Entertainment Inc. plan to end their 14-year partnership after January, cutting off some of the Chinese company's revenue and suspending some of the country's most popular games. NetEase shares fell after this announcement.
Hangzhou-based publishing giant and subsidiary Activision Blizzard Inc. failed to agree on an extension of their multi-year partnership that spanned established franchises such as StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft. Blizzard will suspend most online games in mainland China starting January 23, the US-based company said. Sales of games will also stop in the coming days.
In addition to financial terms, key points in NetEase's proposal were intellectual property ownership and control over the data of millions of players across China, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The affected games accounted for a negligible percentage of NetEase's total revenue and profits, the Hangzhou-based company said in a separate statement.
"We have put in a lot of effort and tried to negotiate with Activision Blizzard with the utmost sincerity so that we can continue our cooperation and serve the many dedicated gamers in China," NetEase founder and CEO William Ding said in a release. "However, significant disagreements arose on key terms, and we were unable to reach an agreement."
Following the announcement, NetEase fell 15% in Hong Kong, its biggest intraday drop in more than a year, amid a broader decline among Chinese tech companies.
Initially signed in 2008 and most recently renewed in 2019, the distribution agreement has proved fruitful for both companies, providing NetEase with worldwide hits and giving Activision access to the world's largest PC and mobile gaming arena. China contributed at least 3% of Activision's net income in 2021 and is an important driver for future growth. Last year, it accounted for over $400 million in esports gaming revenue and over 400 million fans. Blizzard has several competitive gaming organizations, such as the Overwatch League, which include Chinese teams.
The discord between Activision Blizzard and NetEase can hurt not only players who will lose access to their favorite projects, including WoW but also the company's esports initiatives, because China, as it turned out, is the main audience of Overwatch League viewers. Analyst Sideshow published a video in which he spoke about the possible consequences.
The majority of Overwatch League viewers are from China. On the example of the grand finals: if in 2019 they accounted for 34% of the total audience, then in 2020 - already 90%, which slightly decreased to 87% in 2021.
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, a significant part of viewers from the West disappeared, primarily about 500 thousand from America. This happened due to the fact that the matches were no longer held live, the company refused to broadcast on TV, and transferred the network to YouTube, and a significant part of the events began to take place at a time more convenient for Asia. In 2021, the number of Western viewers increased slightly, but still remained at a very low figure when compared to figures from China. There is no data for 2022, but the situation is unlikely to change.
Thus, China now accounts for the vast majority of Overwatch League viewers, and if the game is no longer available to them, then the streams will attract much less attention (if at all), which will be a big blow to the tournament.
On top of that, 4 teams from China are currently participating in the Overwatch League: Hangzhou Spark, Guangzhou Charge, Chengdu Hunters and Shanghai Dragons, the latter being owned by the same NetEase with whom they have a difficult relationship. This, in turn, can lead to problems not only with the audience, but also with the conduct of the tournament itself.
More details in the video.
Some numbers from the video:
A senior official at NetEase, the Chinese publisher of World of Warcraft and Overwatch, has blamed the actions of an unnamed "moron" for the rupture of relations between his company and Activision Blizzard, which is run by the controversial Bobby Kotick.
WOW, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo 3, Heroes of the Storm, and the StarCraft series will become unplayable in China starting January 23, 2023, when the current NetEase license expires. Diablo Immortal will not be affected by this.
NetEase President of Global Investment and Partnerships Simon Zhu, who claims to have spent "10,000 hours" playing the aforementioned games, responded to the announcement with an unusual statement posted on LinkedIn, in which he blamed behind-the-scenes "damage" caused by a "jerk". ", which he did not name.
As a gamer who has spent ten thousand hours in the world of Azeroth, Starcraft and Overwatch, I feel heartbroken that next year I will no longer have access to my account and memories. One day, when we can talk about what happened behind the scenes, developers and gamers will have a whole new understanding of how much harm one jerk can do. Terribly sorry for the players who lived in these worlds.
A little later, the Chinese news resource called the name of the alleged "moron" - Bobby Kotick. He allegedly put forward unbearable demands for a license renewal, which did not suit the management of NetEase. But this is not official information, the publication refers to its sources in the industry.
Sources mentioned that NetEase was trying to reach a last-minute consensus with Activision Blizzard, and that the NetEase team was still in contact with the other company hours before the latter released the surprise announcement.
On the evening of November 17, during a financial report, in response to investors' questions about Blizzard's announcement to end the licensing partnership, NetEase CEO William Ding said that the company is very hopeful for continued cooperation and has put a lot of effort into this. However, the latest difficulties in the negotiations have exceeded NetEase's expectations. Ding added that Blizzard's demands were unacceptable for some of the key points of cooperation regarding the sustainability and core interests of the Chinese market and gamers.
This is one and a half times more than the global version of the game once brought to developers.
But in terms of downloads, the Chinese Diablo Immortal is far behind. Mobile gamers in China downloaded the title 3.49 million times in the first month, according to AppMagic. Whereas the global Diablo Immortal at the start collected almost 10 million downloads on smartphones.
Recall that the world release of Diablo Immortal took place on June 2. The game was released in China on July 25th.
Players revealed last week that they had received a survey from Blizzard in which the company assessed their interest in a potential "soft restart" of the failed Warcraft III: Reforged re-release.
In a poll, Blizzard outlined the concept of the updated version, which will include the classic mechanics of the original, as well as innovations.
Classic art style remastered
UI / UX rework - menu, lobby, chat and so on
Reducing the size of the game
Environment art style overhaul
Previously, Blizzard has repeatedly voiced its plans through polls for players. For example, new extensions for World of Warcraft Classic were leaked.
Warcraft III: Reforged at launch in 2019 received the lowest user rating on Metacritic - 0.5 points out of 10. Now the figure has risen slightly - 0.6 points based on 31,056 reviews.
The hacker group Blizzless, who became famous last year thanks to the hacks of Diablo II and Diablo II: Resurrected, clearly did not rest on their laurels. In their Discord server, the team announced that they have launched the Diablo IV test server, which will run until January 6 this year.
- We removed all the restrictions that were introduced for the press, you can see the whole Sanctuary and how ready it is in different regions.
- Removed various kinds of "distortions on the screen". You can record the screen and take screenshots (at your own risk :) )
- All Placeholders (plugs of various kinds: geometric shapes, mesh texture, etc.) are not a problem or a server refinement, but the real technical condition of the locations at the moment, since the client is responsible for displaying them.
- In some locations, there are several "dolls" in order to get some experience. Mass spawn, monster AI disabled.
- Most of the waypoints have been implemented, so you can quickly move between locations.- There is a test implementation of the first story quest (testing the logic of the story).
- The basic logic of dropping items (set so far only on "chests") with random affixes.
- One location on the test collector of dynamic locations.
- Pumping any active skill in the skill tree (passive ones are not ready yet) for any class.
- The system of automatic selection of animations: works on almost any skill, the death of a monster, the use of interactive objects, dialogues.
- Dismantling items and obtaining resources from them from the blacksmith.
- Pumping items at the blacksmith, until all the formulas are implemented, one process itself works out stably.
- Full logic of game attributes: items affect your stats.
- Particularly curious and meticulous may be able to get to the auxiliary locations, they are not so easy to find.
The launcher can be downloaded from the Blizzless Discord channel. But to play you will need a clean test build client of Diablo IV.
Irony at its finest - Proletariat (developers of Spellbreak), which is part of Activision Blizzard and helps develop World of Warcraft, has begun the process of forming a union. If the team manages to do this, it will become Activision Blizzard's third studio with a union, previously achieved by Blizzard Albany and Raven Software.
Read more: Blizzard’s Survivor Now Leads Far Cry Director
However, this association is different from others. If in the first two cases the measures were directed at the employees of the testing department, then the Proletariat intends to create a general union. This means that all employees except for management will be included in the composition, including engineers, animators, testers, producers and others. True, the union will not be very large - only 57 people.
Proletariat was bought in June 2022 under unknown terms. Developer Dustin Yost said in a statement that when the staff learned that the studio would be bought, they began to discuss measures they could take to protect the culture formed in the team.
Read more: BlizzCon Return, Survival Developer Doubling, and More in Blizzard’s Annual Report
Key employee requirements include health insurance, the ability to work remotely, and a vacation/sick leave policy. Also, the union intends to clearly prescribe the conditions for overtime work.
Dan Hay, who worked for Ubisoft for 10 years on the Far Cry series, has become the general manager of Blizzard's unannounced survivor. Journalists told the details of the developer's biography after the news of his official appointment.
As noted by the PCGamesN portal, Hay had a hand as an executive producer and creative director on all parts of Far Cry, from the third to the sixth.
Judging by the portfolio on LinkedIn, before Ubisoft, the developer worked for almost four years at Day 1 Studios on shooters FEAR 3 and Fracture, where he worked his way up from art director to producer. Before that, he also worked for Raven Software for almost four years on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and X-Men Legends as an art director and lead cinematic designer and director. Dan Hay began his career shooting commercials, and his first game project was James Bond 007: Nightfire, for which he did animation and lighting in cut scenes.
Most likely, Haye became the boss for the game director of the survivor Craig Amai (Craig Amai). The fact that he is the head of the production also became known on LinkedIn. By the way, Hay's social network profile has not yet appeared a line about moving to Blizzard, and nothing has changed with Amai either.
Almost nothing is known about the mysterious Blizzard project. In August, a drunken journalist let slip on a podcast that he had seen a survivor in the early stages of production, and was impressed by what he saw.
Blizzard President Mike Ybarra released the company's annual report, thanking users for a great 2022 and providing many details about the company's future and progress over the past 365 days.
We chose the most interesting:
Users have played more than 12 billion hours of Blizzard games in a year
Over 50 million new players have joined the community
BlizzCon returns next year, details coming soon
The team of an unnamed survivalist has doubled in a year. The company plans to increase it even further in the future.
More women and non-binary personalities began to work in the company - an increase of 3% and 25% of the total workforce
Employees from underrepresented ethnic groups also increased by 36%
Separately, Ibarra noted that the company continues to improve the culture within the company against the background of the scandals that thundered last year.
The main release of the company in 2023 should be Diablo IV. Its release is scheduled for June 6th. Action-RPG will be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.
Of the 2,100 letters received by UK antitrust officials, three-quarters were in favor of completing a deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard . The State Department shared the results of a public survey on the largest deal in the history of the gaming industry.
The regulator announced an open gathering of opinions from everyone back in October. Almost a quarter of the letters were against the deal, a small number of respondents took a neutral position. An additional 500 related emails were excluded from the count because they contained offensive content (without any other significant content) or were empty, illegible, from non-UK or non-English consumers.
Proponents of the deal wrote that the takeover would help Microsoft better compete with Sony and Nintendo , the larger players in the industry. The petitioners believe that ActiBlizz games will not become exclusives, and adding Call of Duty to Game Pass will make it easier for consumers to access the series.
Opponents of the treaty fear that Microsoft could become the dominant force, as was the case with Windows on PC. In addition, the corporation can then buy other major publishers like Take Two , EA and Ubisoft . Consumers also suggest that the quality of ActiBlizz games on the PlayStation may be intentionally worsened.
Meanwhile, European anti-monopoly officials, who later than their British counterparts began investigating the deal, were just beginning to hear public feedback on the takeover. Reuters reviewed a 91-page questionnaire that was sent out to game industry representatives.
Respondents are asked about Microsoft 's intended post- deal strategy. Will the corporation abuse its position and degrade the quality of games on competitors' devices or deprive them of game updates, raise prices, and so on. Separately, antimonopolists are interested in the importance of the Call of Duty series and its alternatives. The agency also asked about the impact of the agreement on the cloud services market, as well as the ability of the corporation to limit the availability of games on operating systems other than Windows.
Microsoft previously offered Sony to add Call of Duty to PS Plus as a concession in a deal with Activision Blizzard . The Japanese company did not comment on the proposal.
A recent stream showed a new crafting feature coming to Diablo 4. The new feature, known as the Power Codex, gives players a degree of control over which build they want to use in the game.
Every dungeon around the world has a so-called Aspect, a type of legendary power that can be obtained at the bottom of the dungeon. These Aspects can be given to items to give them the desired power, and different Aspects can be obtained in different dungeons.
It's also worth noting that these Aspects are unlocked for all characters in a particular realm. So if you unlock a legendary power that's useful for the class you're planning to try, you won't have to unlock it a second time.
However, the Codex of Power does not make item abilities obsolete. Aspects from the Codex of Power are always leveled at the lowest level, so while you can start a build with a particular aspect, you will still need to find better versions of these legendary abilities through items as you progress through the game. This allows you to keep the core gameplay of looting certain items while still making it easy to start building.
Another limitation of the Codex of Power is that it doesn't feature every legendary ability in the game. While you can unlock many of them with the Codex of Power, some legendary abilities will not be available through this feature and you will have to earn them separately.
Diablo 4 releases June 6, 2023 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
An entry was published on the official website of World of Warcraft , from which it became known that game designer Chris Metzen, who had previously left the company, would return to Blizzard to work on the company's games.
According to the post, Chris Metzen has taken on a creative advisor position on the World of Warcraft development team and will later take on other projects in the "evolving franchise." Some Blizzard executives and members of the World of Warcraft team have already reacted to the return of Chris.
Warcraft CEO John Hight:
I am thrilled to announce that Chris Metzen has joined the Warcraft franchise leadership team as a creative advisor. Chris will initially focus on World of Warcraft before expanding his work to other titles in this growing franchise.
Chris was one of the original members of the team that worked on the Warcraft universe back in 1994, and we're thrilled to have him back in the world he helped create.
We remind you that Chris Metzen left Blizzard back in 2016 in order, as he himself said, to "finally rest." Also, Blizzard fans on social media reacted warmly to the return of Chris.
Overwatch 2 Executive Producer Jared News responded to player complaints about The Winter's Tale.
“Season 2 will have both old and new events, and we understand that The Winter's Tale may have been disappointing for players who have already played enough of its modes,” he wrote. We are very sorry that they bored you. We're working on ways to better reward players for their time and agree that we haven't done enough."
According to News, the developers understand that the challenges of The Winter's Tale can be completed in one evening, after which there will be nothing to do at the event. They would like to rectify the situation and add something more long-lasting, interesting and diverse at future events.
News also acknowledged that the Winter's Tale challenges are hard to spot right away (they are hidden in the Challenges section of the Event tab) and said he will forward complaints about this to the development team.
Warcraft III: Reforged is a game that many would like to forget about. The premiere of the updated "troika" in 2020 turned into a doomsday for Blizzard, because the product that was supposed to be the glorious return of the legendary RTS turned out to be an ordinary soap bubble.
After a wave of criticism and devastating reviews, the impression was that the developers want to end the unsuccessful project as soon as possible. Of course, almost three years after the game's debut, patches appear relatively rarely, but, nevertheless, it is worth commending the developers for not abandoning their creation.
A good opportunity to pay tribute will come with the release of the upcoming update for Warcraft III: Reforged. According to the game's official website, patch version 1.35.0 will allow fans (yes, the game has fans), among other things, to create or modify campaigns to suit their needs.
In addition, the most critical aspects of the game will finally be changed, i.e. balance and technical issues (the full list of changes can be found here). These are not impressive improvements, and we shouldn't expect Reforged to suddenly become a flawless game in that regard, but it's certainly a big step in the right direction.
It is currently unknown when the developers will release the patch, but according to the note, players will be able to try it out on the public test server during the Christmas period.
It is worth noting that the aforementioned changes have already caused a lot of enthusiasm among fans of the game. This is evidenced by mostly positive comments.
The Winter Wonderland event has begun in the game — it will run until January 4th. Winter brawls await you in Arcade (no new ones), and festive decorations in the main menu.
All challenges of The Winter Wonderland that give rewards:
Warmth of the Heart: Unfreeze 15 allies in Frozen Elimination. Reward: graffiti Kiriko "Christmas decoration";
Cold: Catch 6 snowballs in Snowball Rush. Reward: Vulture Queen "Christmas Tree" graffiti;
Outrageous: Win a Yeti Hunt match as a Yeti. Reward: graffiti of Ramattra "Christmas decoration";
Block of Ice: Block 8 snowballs with Cryostasis or Ice Wall in Snow Skirmish or Operation Blizzard. Reward: graffiti Sojorn "Christmas decoration";
Cold Calculation: Win a Ice Elimination match. Reward: 1500 Battle Pass XP
Blizzard: Win a Blizzard match.
Monster Hunt: Win a Yeti Hunt match with Mei.
Cocoa Time: Win an Operation Blizzard match
Congratulations: Complete 6 challenges of the Winter's Tale event. Rewards: Brigitte's Epic Ice Queen Skin and Snowman's Head Keychain.
Blizzard will also be giving away the Diva’s Victory Pose, “Holiday in the Yard,” and the Legendary Skin, “Sled,” via Twitch Drops. The promotion will run from December 25 to January 4.
To receive all rewards, you will need to watch any streams in the Overwatch 2 category for a total of 6 hours. In this case, it is necessary to link your Blizzard account to your Twitch account. This can be done in your Blizzard account settings.
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
2:29 pm, Thursday, November 1, 2012 -- It seems as though there is an undocumented list of fashion rules that apply only to curvy women: no horizontal stripes, forgo tapered-legged pants and absolutely forget accessorizing with a belt. Not true, according to Brittany Gibbons, editor of Curvy Girl Guide. Gibbons is helping rewrite the...
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