Revised data released Tuesday shows that Japan's economy contracted at a minus 1.2 percent annual rate during the second quarter. In a report from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, economists are rather impressed with the figure reported since it is better than what was expected. A preliminary report last month showed that Japan's economy contracted at a minus 1.6 percent annual rate.
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China Panda TV is Amazon Twitch.tv's nemesis
Amazon Twitch.tv should get ready to face its upcoming tough competitor - China's Panda TV. Panda TV is an e-sports streaming service that will go in a direct competition with Amazon Twitch.tv as revealed this week.
German Scientist Extracts Smart Phone Ingredient from Plants
German scientists came up with a method to extract from plants an element used for smartphones. thisd element is called Germanium and it can be found in plants that serve as a semi-conductor. It was used to create the first transistor since it can transport electrical charges very fast. Now, scientists from Germany found a way to extract it from plants.
Spotify Launches "Found Them First" Tool For Users’ Bragging Rights Over Breakout Artists
Spotify subscribers can finally brag to their friends they're among the very first people in the whole world who have listened to an artist who just made their biggest break in the music industry. Thanks to the digital music service provider's discovery tool called "Found Them First," subscribers and their followers can finally know the list of rising artists personally streamed.
IRS Rejects Yahoo's Tax-Free Alibaba Spin-off Request, Sending Stocks Down 4%
IRS declined to bless Yahoo's planned tax-free Alibaba spin-off, sending its shares down about 4%. According to Business Insider, Yahoo owns 384 million shares of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which is worth $23 billion. Yahoo plans to turn that into a separate company with its small-business unit in a tax-free transaction that allows it to give much of the value back to Yahoo shareholders. However, IRS declined to grant Yahoo's request. It doesn't mean the IRS rejected Yahoo's plan directly. IRS is simply telling Yahoo it can't be too confident about the approval of the deal.
Latest News
The growth rate of China's economy for 2014 has revised marginally lower to 7.3 percent from previous forecast of 7.4 percent. The drop in services sector weighed more on gross domestic product (GDP). According to the latest data from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the GDP stood at 63.6 trillion Yuan ($10 trillion) in 2013 and this was 32.4 percent lower than earlier projection. The latest data casts shadow over the Chinese government's target of seven percent for 2015.
Investors have been asking about how Facebook's Messenger can earn more money. CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed plans during the earnings call on how Facebook will bring more dollars to its recently acquired messaging app.
Indian-based restaurant search app Zomato acquired $60M from Temasek Holdings and Vy Capital. The search app will use it to expand the business to other countries and to introduce other services like Zomato Whitelabel.
Amazon.com, Inc. plans to drop a new tablet worth $50 as it has struggled drawing customers to its pricier devices. The said tablet is said to be rolled out this holiday.
One of the most successful travel bloggers in the world, Johnny Ward, is hailed from a small town in Northern Ireland called Kilkeel. It is exactly that which inspired him to travel and explore the world.
There are a lot going on in the credit card industry, from credit card and gas related theft and fraud to online shopping without credit cards. Forbes reports on each of this credit card news. First, there is a fast spreading epidemic in the credit-card and gas-station industries where thieves are pumping gas illegally for profit. Meanwhile, a new Swedish checkout service allows people to shop online without using credit cards.
Pfizer Inc. has failed again in enforcing its intellectual property rights in India. The giant pharmaceutical's patent on its rheumatoid arthritis drug, Tofacitinib, was rejected in the country.
Apple has released a new Apple Watch app that is centered around lightweight communication between hosts and guests. They can use it to get notifications and read and respond to messages. Hosts can also receive booking requests right from the watch as reported by msn.com.
J. Crew has been known for its conventionally preppy clothes and its basics. The company lately has been criticized for not offering solid classic attire and is wandering from its core customers.
