10 things in tech you need to know today (YHOO, GOOG, AAPL, HPQ, WMT, ORCL) | ||
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Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know today. 1. Yahoo's head of sales has left the company. Kevin Gentzel only joined Yahoo seven months ago. 2. Google PR boss Rachel Whetstone is joining Uber. She will become Uber's SVP of communications and policy, replacing David Plouffe. 3. Apple is expanding its factory complex in Cork, Ireland. A job listing for its Ireland office suggests that the expansion could be linked to its electric car project. 4. Google has launched its first app for the Apple Watch. That's despite the fact that Google and Apple are competing on smartwatch operating systems. 5. The Radio Shack brand was sold for $26.2 million. It was purchased by hedge fund Standard General LP. 6. Nintendo is bring back its classic gaming tournament. The Nintendo World Championships will be held for the first time in 25 years at the E3 conference. 7. Top HP execs are looking to leave when the company splits in two. The split is expected to take place in November. 8. Wal-Mart is launching a subscription shopping service that will compete with Amazon Prime. It's going to cost $50 a year, half of the cost of Amazon Prime, but won't feature any online services like video streaming. 9. Ad tech company Rocket Fuel rejected a $350 million takeover offer from competitor Gravity4. Rocket Fuel's CEO said the offer was not "credible." 10. Oracle founder Larry Ellison is hosting a fundraising event for Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. The event will cost $2,700 for each guest to attend. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about  | ||
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Nintendo is bringing its classic gaming competition back from the dead (TYO) | ||
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Nintendo is trying to drum up hype before next month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, the world’s biggest showcase for all the big consumer games coming out in the next year. So, in the lead-up to that event, the Japanese gaming company is bringing back the “Nintendo World Championships,” which hasn’t been a thing in 25 years. Nintendo announced the news in a goofy video, where Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime plays a bunch of old Nintendo games to train for the two-week-long gaming tournament starting in late May.
If you have no idea what the Nintendo World Championships are, don’t worry. I had never heard of them until watching Nintendo’s video.
Only Nintendo diehards remember the 1990 Nintendo World Championships, the first and only time Nintendo held a cross-country competition to find the best Nintendo gamers in the US. (Ignore the fact it's called "World" Championships, not "US" Championships.) Nintendo toured various US cities and had local players test their skills by playing certain portions of major Nintendo games like “Super Mario Bros.” and “Tetris,” which were all crammed into a specially-made gaming cartridge for these events. The winners of the local contests were flown out to Hollywood to compete against players their own age to win incredible prizes, including a 40-inch TV and a Geo Metro convertible! Wowza!
That final championship event will be live streamed online. Nintendo says it will offer more details about the Nintendo World Championships in the coming weeks, including which games will be played and the possible prizes. The short-term goal of the event is to build hype for E3, which begins two days after the Nintendo World Championships end. On June 16, Nintendo will hold its “digital event," which will presumably include a ton of announcements about the Wii U and 3DS handheld. Nintendo did something a bit similar last year: It held a “Super Smash Bros.” invitational tournament before E3 began, and decided to forgo a formal press event in favor of one of these “digital events.” Still, if popular, Nintendo might consider making its World Championships an annual event. Competitive gaming, also known as eSports, is becoming incredibly popular in the US, and this would be a great way for Nintendo to celebrate this particular demographic while showcasing some of its classic games. Personally, I can't wait to learn more about this tournament, and watch the June 14 tournament.
SEE ALSO: 'Destiny' keeps getting better as Bungie listens to fans: Here are the big new updates Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 11 Video Games From The 1980s That Are Better Than Games Today  | ||
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Nintendo is pretty mum on details for this year’s World Championship — all we know is that qualifying rounds will begin May 30 at Best Buys in major US cities, and the winners from those events, as well as a few invited competitors (probably the winners from the 1990 World Championship, and maybe some surprise guests), will compete at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on June 14 to be crowned “Nintendo World Champion.”
Burundi coup leaders claim in control of most of capital | ||
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Bujumbura (Burundi) (AFP) - Coup leaders in Burundi claimed Thursday to be in control of most of the capital Bujumbura, a day after a top army general said he had deposed President Pierre Nkurunziza. "We control virtually the entire city. The soldiers who are being deployed are on our side," coup spokesman Venon Ndabaneze told AFP during a lull in fighting mid-morning. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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UKIP is imploding | ||
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The UK Independence Party (UKIP) appears to be crumbling, less than a week after it secured an astonishing 13% of the national vote in the British General Election. Patrick O'Flynn, the party's economic spokesman and an MEP, described UKIP leader Nigel Farage as a "snarling, thin-skinned, aggressive" man on Thursday and warned that the party risked becoming a "personality cult." The savage attack comes after Farage returned as leader following the rejection of his resignation by the UKIP National Executive Committee. He had previously said that it would be "frankly not credible" for him to lead the party if he failed to become a member of parliament, yet since his loss to the Conservatives in the South Thanet constituency he seems to have shifted his stance. (A Breitbart report also alleges that Farage "forced UKIP's National Executive Committee to refuse his resignation.") O'Flynn is far from the only senior party member to express their concerns. The Daily Mail quotes a senior party figure as saying: "Nigel's two closest aides, (party secretary) Matt Richardson and (chief of staff) Raheem Kassam are out of control." Just a week after the party's most successful election ever, signs of inexperience and dysfunction that many had expected to become apparent during the campaign have finally started to leak out into the public domain. UKIP's sole MP, Douglas Carswell, has reportedly come under pressure from senior UKIP staffers to take the full £650,000 of public money that the party is entitled to hire 15 members of staff. The so-called "short money" is given to opposition parties to allow them to carry out their parliamentary duties. They are entitled to claim £16,689 for every seat that they win as well as £33.33 for every 200 votes gained. UKIP took one seat and 3,881,099 votes on May 7. Carswell has rejected the idea out of hand saying that "not even a US senator would have 15 staff" and asserting that he planned to take "less than half" of that figure. He told ITV News: "I politely and firmly said that's not going to happen. I politely and firmly explained I would be putting forward a sensible proposal that was respectful to the taxpayer and to public sector workers in my constituency who have not had a pay rise for five years. "I'm not going to allow anyone to create a UKIP trough in the House of Commons." That stance will put him on a collision course with those in the party's hierarchy who thought that they could capitalise on the huge swing towards them. However, it's not clear whether the party can afford a rift with their sole parliamentary representative. If he leaves them, then the money that UKIP would be entitled to goes with him. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Georgian Parliament Breaks Out Into An All-Out Brawl The Day After Christmas  | ||
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London's property prices are still shooting through the roof | ||
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British Land, one of Europe's biggest listed property companies, reported full-year results today and the key takeaway is this: London property prices are still going crazy. The value of the property owned by British Land went up by 12.1% last year, while the value of its office and residential space jumped by 18.8%. British Land said this was due to "the strength of the London market and our actions." British Land's "Cheesegrater" building in the City — proper name the Leadenhall Building — smashed rental records in London last year, with space going for £85 per square foot. British Land said today the building is now 84% let. Home and flat prices are also going nuts, too. British Land made £259 million selling just 22 apartments at its new Clarges development in Mayfair, which works out at almost £12 million per flat. The Clarges development also broke Mayfair sales records, selling at an average of £4,750 per square foot. British Land put the crazy residential prices down to rich foreigners buying up luxury flats in London as an investment. The company said: "The UK remained the real estate investment market of choice for overseas capital in search of yield. London continued to be the principal beneficiary, with demand driving yields down in both the City and West End." British Land doesn't expect the capital's property boom to end any time soon either, with big developments planned in Shoreditch and Surrey Quays. Management said in today's results: "We continue to focus on our wider investment themes of London and the South East, targeting areas which will benefit from growth and regeneration and increasing our exposure to major transport interchanges." British Land's underlying pre-tax profit in 2014 rose 5.4% to £313 million. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Forget the Apple Watch — here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants  | ||
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London's property prices are still shooting through the roof | ||
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British Land, one of Europe's biggest listed property companies, reported full-year results today and the key takeaway is this: London property prices are still going crazy. The value of the property owned by British Land went up by 12.1% last year, while the value of its office and residential space jumped by 18.8%. British Land said this was due to "the strength of the London market and our actions." British Land's "Cheesegrater" building in the City — proper name the Leadenhall Building — smashed rental records in London last year, with space going for £85 per square foot. British Land said today the building is now 84% let. Home and flat prices are also going nuts, too. British Land made £259 million selling just 22 apartments at its new Clarges development in Mayfair. That also broke Mayfair sales records, selling at an average of £4,750 per square foot. British Land put the crazy residential prices down to rich foreigners buying up luxury flats in London as an investment. The company said: "The UK remained the real estate investment market of choice for overseas capital in search of yield. London continued to be the principal beneficiary, with demand driving yields down in both the City and West End." British Land doesn't expect the capital's property boom to end any time soon either, with big developments planned in Shoreditch and Surrey Quays. Management said in today's results: "We continue to focus on our wider investment themes of London and the South East, targeting areas which will benefit from growth and regeneration and increasing our exposure to major transport interchanges." British Land's underlying pre-tax profit in 2014 rose 5.4% to £313 million. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Forget the Apple Watch — here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants  | ||
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A referendum on Greece's bailout could be a rare opportunity for both the Greek and German governments to win | ||
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Greece is hurtling towards a default if it can't get its hands on some bailout cash soon. The major sticking points that are preventing a deal are things like pensions and labour market reforms, where the Syriza-led government's priorities are most at odds with the rest of Europe. But if it could be conducted before the country runs out of money entirely, one answer to that might be a referendum on any bailout deal. There's a big contradiction in Greek public opinion that a referendum would address: The country is strongly anti-austerity and strongly pro-euro. Despite the incredible economic pain Greece has taken in recent years — on a scale similar to the Great Depression — support for leaving the euro is still low. Polling suggests something like two thirds of Greeks want to stay in the euro. But something like four fifths of Greeks also want to reject the Memorandum of Understanding (the austerity deal and structural reforms Greece agreed to access bailout funds). It's quite clear now that these two views are basically incompatible. Syriza was elected on a platform advertising the end of austerity while Greece remained in the euro, suggesting this would be possible to negotiate. In terms of its views on Greece's eye-watering debt burden, Syriza is correct. But four months after they were elected, it's clear that no other finance minister in Europe agrees with that (publicly, anyway). A referendum might be a good way to get Greece to weigh up those options, both of which are pretty horrible. Does the country want a bailout deal, and to remain in the euro even if that means further austerity? Or does it want to reject the deal, invite default and go its own way? Polling so far indicates that the majority of Greeks would take the latter option and accept another austerity package, rather than risk their euro membership. But the same poll suggests that Syriza voters would tip the other way, favouring Grexit if no better deal can be reached. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble now supports a referendum on Greece's bailout. There's a clear upside for the rest of the Eurogroup — whether Greece chooses the bailout or not, Schaeuble and others can wash their hands and say that they didn't force the country to do anything. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has already promised to hold a vote if he can't negotiate a deal that's consistent with his election pledges. This is a strange way in which for once, Greece's frustrated European creditors and the government can both win, in a way. The creditors get some closure one way or another, and the Syriza government gets to pass the difficult decision on whether to accept another painful bailout deal to the Greek electorate. HSBC European economist Fabio Balboni says that it could be a "face-saving strategy to embark on the required U-turn from its pre-electoral pledges." The vote would take time to organise and could spark major outflows from Greek banks — it's not clear whether it could be done before Greece misses a debt repayment and goes into technical default. But it could give the Greek people a sense of ownership — however brutal — over the decision. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life  | ||
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10 things in tech you need to know today (YHOO, GOOG, AAPL, HPQ, WMT, ORCL) | ||
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Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know today. 1. Yahoo's head of sales has left the company. Kevin Gentzel only joined Yahoo seven months ago. 2. Google PR boss Rachel Whetstone is joining Uber. She will become Uber's SVP of communications and policy, replacing David Plouffe. 3. Apple is expanding its factory complex in Cork, Ireland. A job listing for its Ireland office suggests that the expansion could be linked to its electric car project. 4. Google has launched its first app for the Apple Watch. That's despite the fact that Google and Apple are competing on smartwatch operating systems. 5. The Radio Shack brand was sold for $26.2 million. It was purchased by hedge fund Standard General LP. 6. Nintendo is bring back its classic gaming tournament. The Nintendo World Championships will be held for the first time in 25 years at the E3 conference. 7. Top HP execs are looking to leave when the company splits in two. The split is expected to take place in November. 8. Wal-Mart is launching a subscription shopping service that will compete with Amazon Prime. It's going to cost $50 a year, half of the cost of Amazon Prime, but won't feature any online services like video streaming. 9. Ad tech company Rocket Fuel rejected a $350 million takeover offer from competitor Gravity4. Rocket Fuel's CEO said the offer was not "credible." 10. Oracle founder Larry Ellison is hosting a fundraising event for Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. The event will cost $2,700 for each guest to attend. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about  | ||
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This small lender's plan to destroy Britain's biggest banks is working | ||
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Aldermore has unveiled a 4% rise in total customer deposits to £4.7 billion ($7.4 billion) in the first quarter this year, compared to the whole of 2014. The upstart lender said in a trading update, which is its first since its IPO in March, that deposits from small to medium enterprises (SME) also rocketed by by 10% to £1.1 billion ($1.7 billion). "It has been an exciting and busy quarter for the Group and our achievements to date give us confidence as we look forward to the rest of this year and beyond," said Phillip Monks, CEO at Aldermore in a statement. "We remain on track to deliver our targeted £1.4 billion of growth in net lending for 2015 which equates to an expected full year growth rate of around 30%." "Double digit growth in SME deposits provides continued funding diversification as lending remains primarily funded by our dynamic online savings franchise." Other highlights include:
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10 things you need to know in markets today | ||
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Good morning! Here are the major stories in markets today. Saudi Arabia says its efforts to hurt US shale producers are working. According to the Financial Times, a Saudi official told the newspaper that the overproduction and fall in prices "has deterred investors away from expensive oil including US shale, deep offshore and heavy oils." Even after a massive merger with BG, Shell says it could look at more small deals. Royal Dutch Shell Plc will consider small additions to its North America oil and gas business, despite ruling out large acquisitions after its deal to buy BG Group, Marvin Odum, director of Shell's Americas exploration and production business, said in an interview Wednesday. Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says "two Asias" are emerging. In the next decade or so, China's economy is expected to surpass that of the US. (And, by some measures, it already has.) However, even though China's increased defence spending will continue to close the gap, Rudd notes US is expected remain the dominant regional and global military power. Brazil's lower legislative house approved further austerity measures. The lower chamber of Brazil's Congress passed a bill on Wednesday toughening access to social security pensions, the second measure approved in a week to cut benefits in a drive to reduce a growing fiscal deficit. Chinese markets are pretty flat, and the Nikkei is down. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is up 0.11%, while the Shanghai Composite Index is down 0.04%. Japan's Nikkei has fallen 1.04% from Wednesday's close. Honda is following Toyota by recalling millions of cars. Honda said on Thursday it would recall another 4.8 million cars globally to replace potentially fatal air bag inflators made by Japan's Takata, already at the centre of one of the biggest automotive recalls to date. The recall comes a day after Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co said they were taking back some 6.5 million vehicles worldwide Read more: Accounting embarrassment fas forced Toshiba into major profit restatements. Japan's Toshiba Corp warned it was likely to mark down its reported operating profit for the three fiscal years through March 2014 by a total of at least 50 billion yen ($419.43 million, £266.34 million) after an investigation into accounting irregularities. Japan's Sharp is about to show massive losses and job cuts. Japanese electronics giant Sharp will announce later on Thursday a $1.68 billion (£1.07 billion) fiscal year loss and thousands of job cuts as it fights to stay afloat, reports from Japanese business daily Nikkei said. Islamic finance may get a role in China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is in discussions with Chinese officials to study the use of Islamic financing in the planned Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the head of the Jeddah-based multilateral lender told Reuters. Amazon has launched a new advertising platform for mobile app developers. Amazon.com Inc launched a new advertising platform for mobile app developers to promote their apps on Android devices, Bloomberg reported. Developers can advertise their apps on Android smartphones and tablets by paying Amazon each time a user clicks an ad displayed through the system, Bloomberg said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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